As I walked away from buying my ticket to dinner and a show, I wondered if going to Northwest’s drama department’s production of The Laramie Project was a good idea. I had never been to a show at Northwest before and after talking to Mr.Lundin and a number of actors, I was a little bit skeptical.

What I gathered was that The Laramie Project portrays the real story of a Laramie, Wyoming teen who is murdered because of his sexual orientation. It was the first show in a long time that Northwest had put on that was a true story and one of a murder nonetheless.

I knew the show would cover some extremely touchy subjects for many people, and after the cancellation of 13, I wondered what I would witness when I sat down to see the show.

Even with the doubt I had, I was anxious to see what was in store. It was by far the most powerful two and a half hours I have experienced in the last year at least. As I sat in an auditorium seat on a Friday night amongst moms, dads, aunts, and uncles, my opinions changed along with my attitude. I couldn’t believe how the people I spend five days a week with became different people altogether simply by changing their actions and words and being on a stage.

Each of the 17 actors had multiple roles and together played a total of 60+ roles all while each of them acted as the narrator of the same story. Every actor immersed themselves fully into the story of the effects on a society after a mysterious murder and the trials that proceeded it. Without many costumes or set dress, the show captivated my mind and pulled me into the reality of the society that we live in. It’s a society full of prejudice and hate crimes. Along with all the bad and the ugly, the good are the ones learning from others. The Laramie cast taught me and many other people how important it is to love as you want to be loved, and to put to use the most important principle in life; to treat others as you want to be treated.