RICH LOPEZ | Staff writer
Rich@DallasVoice.com
The queer continuum of theater is vast with its mix of campy musicals and dramatic narratives. The Boys in the Band, La Cage Aux Folles, Angels in America, The Prom — all diverse tales of the queer experience told on stage.
But The Laramie Project holds a unique place in that pantheon. This show stands apart as a verbatim play rooted in the real-life tragedy of Matthew Shepard, a young gay man murdered in a 1998 hate crime in Laramie, Wyo.
“The Laramie Project is exactly the kind of meaningful theater that Second Chance Players was founded to produce,” SCP Founder and Artistic Director Bill Shea said in announcing the show. “This play gives voice to real people grappling with profound questions about hatred, acceptance and community responsibility. It’s a story that needs to be told, especially in our current social climate.”
Second Chance Players presents The Laramie Project Nov. 6-22 at Horizon Unitarian Universalist Church in Carrollton, just in time for the show’s 25th anniversary.
In 1998, following the murder of Matthew Shepard, members of the Tectonic Theater Project from New York City journeyed to Laramie where they conducted interviews with residents to understand the impact the attack on Matt had on their town. These interviews were later adapted into the play The Laramie Project, which shares the experiences of real individuals who lived through one of the United States’ most widely-publicized anti-LGBTQ hate crimes.
One unique aspect of the show is that each actor plays multiple roles throughout the story. And every character is based on a real person. Actor Ben McElroy (he/they) had to count before confirming his own characters.
“I play at least 11” characters, said the 25-year-old actor who just wrapped up a highly comedic role in Allen Contemporary Theatre’s Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors, a role he said is part of the course for him and his acting talents.
But Laramie is a far different animal.
“This is one of the hardest things I’ve ever worked on,” McElroy said. “All of my characters are widely different, and I want to be truthful to who they are. I’m ridiculous and expressive, so I lean toward comedies. But I do love the dramatic, and, here, we have to stay grounded in the reality of the story.”
McElroy finds himself inspired by castmate Josh Bloyd (he/him) who, in his eyes, has found that grounding with ease.
Ironically, this is Bloyd’s first play since high school.
“I think this gap in acting has resurfaced some of the basics, but I’m also tapping into the fun part of acting. I love to adapt and adopt and portray, and it’s been so long that maybe that’s where any establishment with my characters come from,” the 41-year-old said.
McElroy echoes Shea’s thoughts on the relevance of the play today. He plays the murderers of Matthew Shepard, so attaching to that point-of-view has been a difficult one. And that reminds him of the vitriol coming from the current presidential administration and its followers.
“All the stuff that queer people have been fighting for is just being taken away,” he said through tears. “In some ways, I think this story had a message of hope, and now we need that again.
“To me, it feels like Matthew has to die for us every day to inspire change,” McElroy added.
“He was so young. It feels selfish…you just hope people can get inspired again, but it’s hard.”
That’s not to say the show hasn’t had its rewards for McElroy. He’s been on the local scene for a bit, with a few shows under his belt, but here, he’s discovering his own depths.
“Working with such a great group of people has been exciting. But for me, to persevere while working on something so hard and brutal — I can tell myself that I can do this kind of work as well,” he said.
Bloyd’s own takeaways have been positive amid the traumatic story being told. The return to the stage for the actor — who was also just named to SCP’s board — has been a fulfilling homecoming of sorts.
“This has been both developmental and powerful for me,” he said.
He moved back to Dallas in 2023 and has worked to become more involved in the local arts scene, whether as a patron or volunteer. Now he’s back onstage, playing 13 parts all at once in a show that resonates deeply with his own community.
“There’s this opportunity here for remembrance. I think there are key themes here that are resurfacing today,” he said. “I’m hopeful though that this show is a power statement that claims our confidence back, because we have a ways to go.”
For tickets, visit SecondChancePlayers.org.