KELLER, Texas — The production of “The Laramie Project” will go on at Timber Creek High School in Keller ISD in May after all, a district spokesperson confirmed Wednesday.
“The Laramie Project” details a Wyoming town’s struggle with the murder of a gay 21-year-old. Roles were cast for the play in January, but school leaders said the week of Feb. 26 that the students would perform a different play. Students, including at a recent school board meeting, had lobbied to continue the production as scheduled.
“Keller ISD’s administration recognizes the time and effort that has been put into the adapted version of ‘The Laramie Project’ by students and staff members,” Keller ISD Superintendent Tracy Johnson said in an email Wednesday. “Upon further consideration of this, the administration has decided to proceed as previously planned with the May performance of ‘The Laramie Project.’”
“The Laramie Project” depicts a series of playwrights’ interviews with people in the Wyoming town of Laramie after Matthew Shepard’s 1998 murder. The University of Wyoming student was tortured and left to die in what's now considered a hate crime.
Congress approved the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which expanded federal hate crime laws to include crimes motivated by a victim's sexual orientation or gender identity, in 2009.
The district had said in a statement back in February that the "decision to move forward with another production at Timber Creek High School was based on the desire to provide a performance similar to the ones that have created much excitement from the community, like this year’s Keller ISD musical productions of Mary Poppins and White Christmas" and that the "decision was a collaborative one made by many stakeholders."
A change.org petition calling for the district to allow Timber Creek High School students to perform an adapted version of “The Laramie Project” garnered 4,031 signatures.
This is a developing story. WFAA will update this story as additional information becomes available.
Note: This video was uploaded Feb. 27, 2024.