UPDATE as of 9/22/23:
Due to student concerns, AGHS Theatre Company’s upcoming production of “The Laramie Project” by Moisés Kaufman has been canceled. “Silent Sky” will still go on, and additional performances will be added to the show’s run: Saturday, Oct. 14, and Friday, Oct. 20 at 7 p.m. Tickets are available either online, or in person at the Clark Center Box Office.
Original Story:
This October, for the first time since the pandemic, the Arroyo Grande High School (AGHS) Theatre Company will perform two plays in repertory: Moisés Kaufman’s “The Laramie Project” and Lauren Gunderson’s “Silent Sky.”
“The Laramie Project” by Moisés Kaufman tells the true story of Matthew Shepard, detailing the community’s reactions to his untimely and tragic death. Unlike a traditional play, “The Laramie Project” is comprised of interviews from the year and a half following the murder and during the trial of the men accused of killing Shepard. Director Lester Jenkins Wilson timed the Oct. 12 performance with the 25th anniversary of Shepard’s death.
“This story is history,” said Wilson. “It set forth legislation laws for the LGBTQ+ community and we honor them today by continuing to share its importance.”
“Silent Sky” by Lauren Gunderson, also based on a true story, is set in the early 1900s. The play follows an astronomer named Henrietta Leavitt and her female peers throughout their careers and struggles at the Harvard Observatory.
“The show really showcases female power and female perseverance in the 1900s,” said Olivia McDonald (‘25), who plays astronomer Williamina Fleming. “The entire show surrounds the fact that women can achieve just as much as men.”
Alternating performances run for two weekends in mid-October. “The Laramie Project” will be performed on Thursday, Oct. 12, Saturday, Oct. 14, and Friday, Oct. 20 at 7 p.m., with one 2 p.m. matinee on Saturday, Oct. 21. “Silent Sky” will be performed on Friday, Oct. 13, Thursday, Oct. 19, and Saturday, Oct. 21 at 7 p.m, with one 2 p.m. matinee on Sunday, Oct. 15.
Tickets are $15 for adults, $12 for seniors, and $10 for AGHS students and are currently for sale in person at the Clark Center Box Office or online at: clarkcenter.org/shows/aghs-theatre-fall/.
