By Kendall McElroy
Staff Writer

Westford Academy has been chosen to be one of 100 locations to do a reading of a follow up to The Laramie Project, a successful play that debuted in early 2000. The new script is titled The Laramie Project: 10 Years Later, and WA is one of the few high schools that will be premiering it.

The Laramie Project is a story about Matthew Shepard’s murder in 1998, and covers issues with violence and homophobia. The script was written by Moisés Kaufman and members of the Tectonic Theater Project. After its debut in 2000, it later became an Emmy nominated film.

Westford Academy stood out from other schools because, according to Mike Towers, the head of Westford Academy Theater Arts, they saw some similarities between Laramie, the town Matthew Shepard lived in, and Westford. Also, the prominence of WATA helped as well.

WA alumni will be doing the reading of this new script. Some of the alumni who are taking part include Dan Lucey, Evan Dean, Pattie Hughes, and Janet Keirstead.

The details of The Laramie Project: 10 Years Later cannot be released prior to the world premiere, but the epilogue will be centered more on the aftermath of Matthew Shepard’s murder and on the way the town of Laramie’s reaction to it. The new version will also include some words from Shepard’s murderer, Aaron McKinney.

The death of Matthew Shepard is remembered as a hate crime because he was openly gay and his murderer, McKinney, has been quoted saying, “The night I did it, I did have hatred for homosexuals.”

For many people, the story of Shepard is important to help stop violence and promote acceptance.

October 12th is the big premiere day when select universities, professional houses, and high schools will be doing the reading. There is now an online community where people can post pictures or discuss the debut.

“It’s quite an honor,” said Towers.