“The Laramie Project” is a play about a gay Wyoming college student who was beaten and left to die. Recently, a group of valley parents filed a preliminary injunction to stop the production of the play, along with the next play the students at Green Valley High School were to view.

Parents felt that the content of the plays was too mature for the students. But Thursday night the students had the chance to prove them wrong.

Opening night: the result of hard work, months of practice, and a legal battle that almost closed the curtain on Green Valley High School’s production of “The Laramie Project.”

“It’s been a struggle. We’ve had some parents that didn’t necessarily agree with us putting on the production,” says one student.

The play is based on the 1998 death of 21-year-old Matthew Shephard, a gay University of Wyoming student who was tied to a cattle fence, beaten, robbed, and left to die.

“It’s just like ‘Romeo & Juliet’ and ‘Hamlet’ in school,” argues a student. “I read that when I was in the eighth grade and I understood that. And that content was very much mature. But we are mature kids and we have experienced things.”

The concern among some parents was that the play’s mature content was too much for teens. But earlier this week a district court judge didn’t see it the same way and ruled in favor of Green Valley High School.

Even some of the show’s star players were personally affected.

“My parents aren’t necessarily against it but they’re not for it either,” explains one student actor. “I talked to them a little bit about it and said, ‘You can’t really direct all of your attention to the controversy part about it. You’ve got to think about what the show’s really about.’”

Green Valley Principal Jeff Horn says he met with all of the parents and took all of their concerns into consideration. However, he strongly believes the right decision was made.

“It’s not that I want to expose students to things before their time but I think that there’s some parents who may be a little naïve about what their sons and daughters are going through from time to time.”

The second production Green Valley High School students will put on is “Rent,” a play about starving artists coping with AIDS. Once again, parents wanted to halt the production of the play but the judge ruled in favor of the school.

“Rent” will begin at the end of January.

“The Laramie Project” will continue Friday and Saturday night; tickets are still available for all shows.

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