“On October 7, 1998, a young gay man was discovered bound to a fence in the hills outside Laramie, Wyo., savagely beaten and left to die in an act of brutality that shocked the nation.” These are not words that you would expect to find in an advertisement for a local high school drama club’s latest production. In a city that is, to put it mildly, not commonly associated with flying a rainbow flag, the El Cajon Valley Players (ECVP) are currently presenting The Laramie Project.

The Laramie Project, a documentary in the form of a play, tells the story of the murder of Matthew Shepard through the voices of the residents of Laramie, Wyo. The words in the play come directly from interviews conducted by New York City’s Tectonic Theater Project. The 64-character cast range in the entire spectrum of world views. At one end is a preacher who hopes that Shepard had time to reflect on his “choice of lifestyle” while dying. At the other end sits a lesbian professor who describes herself as going “catatonic” upon hearing about Shepard’s death.

The ECVP puts on a powerful show. A few minutes into the play it is easy to forget this is a high school production. The suffering that Matthew Shepard experiences moves the audience. At one point a police officer explains that “the only place he didn’t have blood on him was on his face where he’d been crying.”

The Laramie Project refrains from preaching to the audience, which lends to its strength. The most thought-provoking scenes come from those characters that try to come to grips with the conflict between their moral opposition to homosexuality and their deep compassion for someone treated so brutally. At one point, the doctor who “doesn’t agree with homosexuality,” describes breaking down in tears on national television over the death of Matthew Shepard.

Despite it’s sensitivity, this production does not shy away from scenes that provoke feelings of outright rage. For example, a group of fundamentalist Christians crash Shepard’s funeral screaming of God’s hatred of homosexuality. Fred Phelps, wielding a sign declaring “No Fags in Heaven” goes into a stentorian rant against the evils of Matthew Shepard while the funeral-goers sing “Amazing Grace.”

Fortunately, the play does not completely dwell on the depressing and painful side of this devastating event. A limousine driver that once took Shepard to a gay bar outside of town describes his interaction with Shepard with an upbeat and comedic flair. The interview with two crystal-meth connoisseurs provides another relaxing moment of jocularity.

That such a young group of thespians could successfully pull off such a serious play is a feat in itself. Given that this high school is smack dab in the middle of El Cajon, that feat is downright Herculean (or possibly Alexandrian, as the case may be).

John Barnes, the director of the ECVP, realizes that there will be opposition to the production of this play in the conservative city of El Cajon. However, this does not deter him.

“The idea that someone might not like something I direct has never stopped me from doing it,” said Barnes. “That’s part of the challenge – to risk the comments of those few who don’t approve to reach the many more who do.”

This theater troupe is building a reputation for diving into issues that others prefer to leave untouched. The ECVP won approval to produce The Laramie Project after surprising the administration last year with the production of Voices from Washington High – a play that grapples with a school shooting. In a district that has suffered from two shootings, this play hit very close to home and audiences flocked to it.

“The kids felt they had truly reached and moved an audience, and the parents were stunned to see their kids pull off something so mature and so effectively,” Barnes said.

The performers speak with pride about participating in a play that deals with such a timely subject. Chris Andrews, 17, who performed in Voices from Washington High, jumped at the chance of acting in The Laramie Project. “This is the one play I want to do this year,” Andrews said. Chere Stewart, 16, had some concerns about taking part in such a powerful play when she first learned that the ECVP were going to present The Laramie Project. She began practicing lines with her aunt, a lesbian. “My aunt said, ‘Oh my God, I’m so proud. I can’t believe that a high school is doing this,’” Stewart said. “Then I thought that maybe this is really important.”

Stewart and the rest of the ECVP poured their hearts into The Laramie Project. They have spent three and a half hours a day, six days a week, for the last five weeks preparing for this production.

This time will have been well spent for Katie Joynson, 15, if this play “gives a message to people that they shouldn’t hate,” she said. She points out that while the play deals most specifically with homosexuality; the message of the play applies to discrimination against all people.

Barnes does not have any specific message in mind for the audience to take home with them. “I hope they think about the play,” Barnes said. “I don’t know if there is one message that pervades the play other than that one, ‘think’ about these things. What does it mean to them to hear religion used to justify murder? What does it mean to be, for example, a doctor who is opposed to homosexuality and treats both the victim and the perpetrator? But mostly I hope they think about how the actions of a few people can so seriously affect so many others.”

The Laramie Project runs Jan. 19-22 and Jan. 26-29. Show begins at 7:30 p.m., doors open at 7:00 p.m. Tickets are $7 and available by calling (619) 401-4300 ext. 366 or at the high school box office. El Cajon Valley High School is located at 1035 East Madison Ave. between First and Mollison in El Cajon.