In 1998 gay University of Wyoming student Matthew Shepard was brutally murdered in Laramie, Wyoming. His murder was denounced as a hate crime and brought attention to the lack of hate crime laws in various states.

In 2000, Moises Kaufman and members of the Tectonic Theater Project wrote a play derived from hundreds of interviews conducted by the theatre company with inhabitants of the town, company members’ own journal entries and published news reports.

Since 2000, the play has been produced worldwide and is often used to teach lessons about prejudice and tolerance.

The AHS Theatre department will open their 2015-2016 season with “The Laramie Project”.

“I want people to know that bullying isn’t the right thing to do,” Micah Green, theatre director, said.

Many of his cast members echo his sentiments.

“I decided to audition for this play because I wanted to be a part of this play and give a message that bullying isn’t right,” Kate Kenworthy, junior, said.

In addition to the performance, StuCo, Student Leadership and PALs are working together to raise awareness of suicide caused by bullying and intolerance.

“We are printing pictures of suicide victims and posting them in the cafeteria along with that person’s story,” Jessica Olvera, sophomore, said.

The groups are also promoting tolerance of all people regardless of race, religion, sexual preference, etc. in two ways. First, they’re asking students to write their own definitions of tolerance on bricks and are using those bricks to build a bridge in the cafeteria.

“The meaning of the bridge is that your past doesn’t have to affect your future,” Olvera said.

In addition to the bricks, before the performances of “The Laramie Project” this weekend, students will be passing out paper hands as a way for those in the audience to give their pledge to be tolerant.

“The Laramie Project” will be performed Oct. 8-10 in the auditorium. Tickets are $5 for students and faculty/staff and $10 for adults, they can be purchased in B200.