Interview Excerpts with the Newark Cast
Newark Memorial High School students reflect on the "The Laramie Project," lessons learned from getting into character, and parallels with events in their town.

Jeff Bryant performing the role of Father Roger Schmit.

Jeff Bryant
Play Roles: Laramie Police Department Sgt. Hing and Father Roger Schmit.

"[Father] Roger Schmit, he gives some of the most powerful messages. One is every time you are called [derogatory terms] that is violence. It's the seed of violence. And whenever something like Matthew Shepard's death or [Gwen] Araujo's death happens, we have to ask ourselves, what did we do to teach them that?

"When we set out to do this show, we were trying to prevent things like this from happening ... [I] tell other students you can't let yourself be afraid of things you don't know. The root of all hate is from fear, and fear is from ignorance. You can't just kill someone."

The Newark cast at the sold-out opening performance.

Olaf Guadarrama
Play Roles: Phil LaBrie, a friend of Matthew Shepard; Laramie resident Jeffrey Lockwood; Gil Engen, local rancher; and Russell Henderson, one of the perpetrators.

"I play Jeffrey Lockwood, a Laramie resident and ... one of my lines is 'we don't grow children like that here.' But it's pretty obvious that we do grow children like that here ... I'd tell [other youth], don't let other people bring you down, no matter how much hate they have."

Katie Lyness
Play Roles: Barbara Pitts, member of Tectonic Theatre Project; Catherine Connolly, a professor and open lesbian; Sherry Johnson, a college staff person; and a newsperson.

"[This experience] has given me a direction in what I want to do ... I'm planning on moving to Los Angeles and getting some kind of internship with GLAD [Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders] who has worked with us throughout the year. It's given me something that I really feel that is worth fighting for."

Marci Shaw in character as Zubaida Ula.

Marci Shaw
Play Roles: Leigh Fondakowski, head writer of Tectonic Theatre Project; Romaine Patterson, a young lesbian; Zubaida Ula, a Muslim woman; and a judge presiding over one of the perpetrator's trials.

"Zubaida Ula, she's Muslim. And, actually, I was kind of scared to play her at first, because I've never played someone of a different religion. But once I read through the script, I really got into it. And now, after what happened with [Gwen] and everything, I'm really understanding what she is saying.

"One of my scenes, she says, 'how can this not be a town where this kind of thing happens, because it happened here.' And after I said it, I totally understood it. Before, they were just my lines."

Kevin Williams plays a gay Laramie resident.

Kevin Williams
Play Roles: Dennis Shepard, Matthew Shepard's father; Playwright Moises Kaufman; Unitarian Minister Steven Johnson; and gay Laramie resident Harry Woods.

"Last year in my advanced acting class, we did bits and scenes from Laramie for our final project, and I thought it was an amazing play. But it didn't really hit me how real it was until this year. It's taught me so much ... seeing what happened in Laramie happen here."

David Wood
Play Roles: Jedadiah Schultz, college student/actor; Andy Paris, Member of Tectonic Theatre Project; anonymous friend of Aaron McKinney, one of the perpetrators; Doug Laws, Mormon Church leader

"When I first read it, we were getting a picture that this was going to be a big play that would affect people. We knew it had to be done ... Some of the people in the cast knew [Gwen] really well. We're trying to do this to stop that kind of hate.

"I think we have a problem in Newark, as much as any other city. 'You're in the play about that f----t,' people come up to me and say. It's the little tiny things that grow into big things like murder."

What do you think?