Chris Abraham, the gay producer of The Laramie Project, reports that the production raised $14,950 during its controversial three-day run at the Tyler Civic Theatre last month, making it the venue’s most successful show ever.

A total of 768 people saw the play about the murder of gay college student Matthew Shepard. Of the proceeds, $5,430 went to Tyler AIDS Services and $870 went to Special Health Resources of Texas. The balance of the money raised went to the theater itself, helping it to recover from “its horrible financial quagmire,” Abraham said in an e-mail.

If you’ll remember, the theater’s Board of Directors considered nixing the production this spring in response to the concerns of residents in the conservative East Texas town, prompting a rally that drew about 100 people.

“If you were one of the 768 people who saw this play, I know that you know that hope is now present, and there is a powerful new conversation that has started about how things ‘can be’ for all of us. From the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU!” Abraham said in the e-mail.

Unfortunately, Abraham added that he plans to step down from the theater’s board due to fallout from the production. Abraham said four days after the production closed, Board President Ray Deal called to tell him he was being removed as vice president of production for the theater, a volunteer position, because he was “challenging” Deal’s decisions too much. In response to being removed as VP of production, Abraham said he plans to submit his resignation from the board.

“I am proud of all that I have accomplished for the theatre during my three years on the board,  and I wish them good luck on all their upcoming plays,” Abraham said. “Thank you again for your support of this important and life-changing production. I look forward to seeing all of you this fall when we bring The Laramie Project – Ten Years Later to the stage.”

Abraham said The Laramie Project — Ten Years Later will be staged in another venue, and none of the proceeds will go to the theater.

Also, I recently received a moving recap of the production of The Laramie Project from gay director Trinity Wheeler, the New York resident who returned to his hometown to stage the play. Here’s what Wheeler wrote:

Theatre cannot exist without an audience – someone to observe. To listen. A show isn’t a show without someone to show it to. And that was the point of producing The Laramie Project in Tyler: to tell the story to those who had not heard it. And, more specifically, those who needed to hear it.

The Tyler Civic Theatre operates primarily on the sale of season tickets from their patrons, and, though our production was a special event, apart from the main theater season, we, too, imagined the success of the show would be measured by the number of tickets sold in advance. Tickets became available to the public over a month before we opened, and by the time we reached our final rehearsal, we found we had sold-out only one night … and that was after totaling the number of pre-sold tickets for all three performances. This news was disappointing, certainly, but the company carried such a resilient resolve throughout the entire rehearsal process, and they were not about to abandon the morale they worked to keep afloat over modest ticket sales. We agreed if only one person sat in the audience, and was inspired to think — or better yet, discuss his thoughts, and consider those of others — we would have accomplished what we set out to do.

Sales aside, the company was dealt a steady stream of hard blows in their personal lives. Two actors lost their partners days before opening, and another, his friend and father-in-law, just weeks apart. Given the subject of the script, these tragedies added a new — albeit painful — significance for the actors, especially those affected personally. Scenes describing the discovery of Matthew Shepard’s body, and lines such as, “I hope she doesn’t go before me. I just couldn’t handle that,” were now delivered with newfound, heartbreaking authenticity. It hit too close to home — let alone the fact Tyler was still healing from its own version of the Matthew Shepard incident in the murder of Nicholas West. I believe we all witnessed, firsthand, how truly fragile, finite, and ultimately unpredictable life can be. And, if we hadn’t before, we now completely identified with the line, “Go home. Give your kids a hug. And don’t let a day go by without telling them you love them.” Never have I worked with a cast that endured so much hardship and loss, but, in turn, neither have I worked with a group of people who shared such genuine love and support for one another. They banded together as a family — a community — in the wake of tragedy. And that is exactly what this show is about. And they all knew it must go on.

Performance weekend arrived, and we soon found our sorrows would only be matched by soaring joys. We knew we had a show, but none of us imagined we would have a hit on our hands. Opening night was overwhelming. Supporters showed up in droves, and we played to a few seats shy of a packed house, even on closing night. Our ticket sales were made mostly in walk-ups, and we were elated in the realization that, not only would the theater and our two, benefiting local charities receive a significant contribution from the community, but hundreds of people were hearing Matthew’s story. Most for the first time. It was quite clear East Texans were hungry for this brand of theater. In the curtain speech, we would read a letter Judy Shepard wrote to our company, and, though that alone was so emotionally overpowering, seeing a generationally, ethnically, and socioeconomically diverse audience surrounding the in-the-round stage — in a theater which generally caters to one demographic — proved to be equally moving. As part of the lobby display, we hung the hundreds of letters written by people from across the country, sent to the theater in support of our show. Looking across the ribbons of multi-colored paper cascading down the walls, it would soften the hardest of hearts. I imagine we were all quietly reciting the words of Harry Woods, a Laramie resident portrayed in the show: “Thank God that I got to see this in my lifetime.”

After opening night, our stage manager shared a personal story in a letter to the cast and crew. He explained how his relationship with his mother fell apart following his coming out — a familiar story for so many of us. For whatever reason, she came to see a performance of The Laramie Project, even though she had not attended any production he worked with in the three years since his honest discussion with her. When he arrived home, he found she had waited up for him to begin an overdue conversation with her son, apologizing for her distance and the time lost. She expressed how, if it were possible, she would reverse time and respond as a mother should, with unconditional love. She also told her best friend, unashamedly, that her son was gay — breaking a silence she kept for years. And all because of one show.

This young man’s story — along with the countless others we received through comments on our Facebook page, e-mails and letters, and while holding the hands of audience members after performances — serves as proof that this production does indeed changes lives. And, perhaps, saves them. A Hebrew text adopted by many reads, “To save one life is to save the world.” If these words carry any truth, I can’t imagine what we’ve done, here, in quiet Tyler, Texas. And though we fulfilled our mission to inspire at least one person to engage in educated conversation about silenced subjects, our work has only begun. We plan to return in October with the original cast to perform a staged reading of The Laramie Project: Ten Years Later — and continue the much needed community dialogue.

For now, we return to our lives and loved ones, and, with each day that passes, we remember the friends we’ve made, and the ones we’ve lost. And each day, we hold out for hope. From the protests to the performances, the personal tragedies to personal triumphs, it has been incredibly rewarding to watch as we grew from The Little Production That Could, to The Inspiring Production That Continues. To borrow one last line from the the people of Laramie, Wyo., “It was absolutely one of the most — beautiful things I’ve ever done in my life.”

—  John Wright

The LGBT community marked the 41st anniversary of the Stonewall Rebellion and the first anniversary of the Rainbow Lounge raid with a rally, march and candlelight vigil on Sunday evening, June 27 in Downtown Dallas.

A crowd of about 150 gathered outside the Dallas County Records Building at 6:30 p.m. Elizabeth Pax energized the crowd before a march through downtown.

Event organizer Daniel Cates said he was inspired by the words of gay rights pioneer Harvey Milk, who encouraged the LGBT community to march down Main Street. From Historical Plaza in front of the Records building, marchers proceeded down Commerce Street, turned the corner at Neiman Marcus and returned to the square walking hand-in-hand while chanting along Main Street.

The march took about 30 minutes and was led by a group representing each letter in LGBT. They carried a banner that said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

Another banner read, “Full federal equality now.”

Signs said things like, “Adam & Steve. Madam & Eve. It’s all good” and “Wake Up America. Being homophobic kills. Equality now.”

Several signs remembered Milk.

“Harvey Milk. American politician who became the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California, winning the seat on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors,” one sign read.

Shannon Kern, a straight ally, served as emcee of the rally that followed the march.

“Burst down those closet doors because you are perfect the way you are,” Kern said.

Jesse Garcia of Dallas gay LULAC council told the crowd to vote and encouraged straight allies to do the same. He challenged the group to reach out to fellow minorities who understand that the fight is for civil rights, and to stick together and not bow to forces that want the community to turn against itself.

When Rafael McDonnell from Resource Center Dallas spoke, he began by asking how many were attending their first gay-rights rally. About a quarter of the crowd cheered.

Get Equal Now activist Michael Robinson reminded the crowd of last week’s DART non-discrimination victory.

“Lock me up and set me free,” said activist Chastity Kirven. She was referring to her arrest at House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office while protesting inaction on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act.

Kirven led the group in several chants including “One struggle, one fight,” driving home the evening’s theme of unity.

Referring to the handful of anti-gay counterprotesters from a Mansfield church who’ve become a fixture at local LGBT events, Kirven questioned their morality.

“When they want to look into your bedroom, who’s the pervert?” Kirven shouted.

Renee Baker spoke on behalf of the transgender community and, as a Youth First Texas board member, on behalf of young people.

“I’m doing this for our youth,” she said. “They’re taking the brunt of this because they’re still in the public schools.”

Nonnie Ouch, president of the Gay Straight Alliance at Texas Tech University, also mentioned the counterprotesters.

“Let’s not be like our enemy who cowers behind his theology,” she said.

Cates responded to the Mansfield group’s signs saying homosexuality is a choice that does not deserve “special rights.”

“I’ll tell you what’s a choice. Religion is a choice and it’s protected by the constitution,” Cates said.

Cates finished his remarks by thanking the Republican Party of Texas for defining their hatred of gays and lesbians so heinously in its platform that it’s being ridiculed in the national media.

The Rev. Steve Sprinkle of Brite Divinity School in Fort Worth spoke about the response to last June’s Rainbow Lounge raid. He said the event united Dallas and Fort Worth into one LGBT community to produce an appropriate response.

He said while the goal of police was to harass and humiliate, the LGBT community showed it won’t be intimidated.

A candlelight vigil followed to remember those no longer with us.

Spencer Young, from the cast of the Tyler production of “The Laramie Project,” which right-wingers tried to cancel, remembered Nicholas West during the vigil.

West was 23 when he was kidnapped from a Tyler park and murdered on Dec. 30, 1993. Young compared that murder to Matthew Shepard’s five years later. As he told the story, the clock in the tower above Old Red eerily tolled the hour.

Pax ended the evening by leading the crowd in rounds of “We Shall Overcome.”

‘Documentary’ Play One Of Tyler Civic Theater’s Best Productions

Published June 18, 2010

By STEWART SMITH

Entertainment Editor

Tyler has likely never seen a play quite like “The Laramie Project.” I know I certainly haven’t since I started reviewing theatre productions here.

Be it the stage design, the presentation, the size of the cast, the subject matter, this is a production that is beyond anything else that the Tyler Civic Theatre Center has produced certainly within the last year, and perhaps longer. If you decide to go see “The Laramie Project” – and in my opinion, you absolutely should – know this: This is not your typical play.

In fact, it’s almost not even a play at all. It’s more akin to watching a documentary performed on a stage than a play with a plot and characters and such. The production centers around the town of Laramie, WY, circa 1998. Just days after Russell Arthur Henderson and Aaron James McKinney brutally beat and tortured 21-year-old Matthew Shepard within an inch of his life, Moises Kaufman and members of the Tectonic Theatre Project traveled to Laramie to conduct interviews with as many of the town’s residents as possible.

The play is taken directly from the hundreds of interviews conducted, as well as journal entries by the theatre company’s members and transcripts from McKinney and Henderson’s trials.

Before I get into discussing what the play is, I feel I need to discuss what the play is not. Before rehearsals even began, there was a bit of controversy over the fact that some in the community felt it inappropriate the Tyler Civic Theatre was putting on a “gay” play. “The Laramie Project” is not a “gay” play. It is not a “gay pride” production. It addresses homosexuality out simple necessity since Shepard himself was homosexual and many who testified at his trial believe he was targeted due to his homosexuality. Shepard could have been a black kid lynched by white supremacists and the message and purpose of the production would have remained precisely the same: To investigate and ask why two men would, unprovoked, brutally beat and torture another man.

Actually, that’s almost too narrow a description, as the play ultimately examines human reaction to unexpected tragedy, to dealing with subjects we aren’t entirely comfortable with and even finding the positive amidst the worst life throws at us.

To put it a bit more simply: “The Laramie Project” is about real human beings and the complexities found within them. The play examines nearly every point of view and perspective possible, from that of the murderers themselves, to Laramie’s religious community to just random, everyday folks. You may not know these people specifically, but it’s a good bet you know someone just like them.

That familiarity and verisimilitude is perhaps this production’s greatest strength. Given that there are 17 cast members portraying nearly 100 different characters, the show runs the risk of drawing things too thin. But thanks to the excellent performances of everyone involved, each person feels genuine and real. There’s a consistency to their performances and it’s been a long time since I saw acting that felt this natural across the board.

That they retain such qualities while almost constantly shifting from scene to the next only compounds the impressive nature of the actors’ work. The play is essentially a series of vignettes, each one taking place in rapid succession after the other, sometimes bleeding into each other. This requires constant costume changes (with characters often switching bits of wardrobe in the middle of a transition) and a deft handling of lighting and overall direction. If not pulled off properly, it’d be a quagmire as no cast member ever leaves the stage. Thankfully, Trinity Wheeler’s direction is outstanding and his handling of both cast and crew has the proceedings flow so smoothly that such an avant garde presentation never a distraction and only an asset.

Wheeler has spent several years working on traveling productions of hit Broadway shows such as “Rent,” “The Producers” and “The Wizard of Oz,” and his experience certainly shows here, especially with regards to the show’s set design. With multiple television sets, a suspended wood fence, stenciled lighting, a unique audio/visual presentation, it’s all but guaranteed you’ve never seen something like this inside the Braithwaite Theater.

I was very unsure how well such a remarkably different and challenging production would be pulled off by TCT. But thanks to the diligence of the director and his cast, they have put together an excellent production. Some will likely be unable to see beyond the fact this play deals with homosexuality, unable to see the forest for the trees. This is a shame as they will miss a remarkably well-acted, poignant, touching play, albeit one that requires much of its audience.

“The Laramie Project” opened Thursday. It will continue its run at 7:30 p.m. tonight and Saturday. Admission is $20 per person with half of each ticket sale benefiting Tyler AIDS Services and Special Health Services of East Texas.

For more information, contact the Tyler Civic Theatre Center at 903-592-0561.

The theatre is at 400 Rose Park Drive in Tyler, next to Tyler Rose Garden Center.

If one, definitive lesson has lingered with me since working with “Rent,” it is that of the lyric, “No day but today.”

This message in mind, I knew it was time — though, well overdue — for “The Laramie Project” in East Texas. When invited to direct a show in my chiefly conservative hometown of Tyler — which experienced a hate crime nearly identical to Matthew Shepard’s, five years before his murder in Laramie, Wyo. — I could have very easily chosen “Steel Magnolias,” “Harvey,” or any other tried-and-true, community-theater staple.

But I didn’t want a crowd pleaser. I wanted to present a production that would allow the audience to consider the views of others, and reconsider their own. To invite debate, discussion, and to open a dialogue — the seeds of progress.

The response I received in coming out was nowhere near positive or pleasant. If this was the reaction of my own family, how would the community respond to a work in which the topic of homosexuality is unabashedly broached?

I went out on a limb in choosing this show, and was very aware of the chance the bough could break, and down would come baby. But the number of East Texans who voiced their support for this production after protests from members of the theater board proved to be unexpectedly staggering.

The show is no stranger to controversy, though I don’t believe any of us imagined we would face opposition long before we even began rehearsals, especially from those who once fully supported the project. But the cast, crew, and community banded together to brave the storm, and I believe we are all the more resolute because of it, having formed a brand of bond unique to such an experience, which may not have happened otherwise.

And that is exactly what this show is about. A community coming together in the wake of adverse events. I have hope for this production, and for Tyler and East Texas. I hold to hope for tomorrow, but, for now, there is no day but today.