Regaining That Intensity

When Caroline found that video, she showed it to me too. And she worded perfectly how I feel as well. We were talking about it and..it's one thing to hear about it, to read it..it's another thing to see his picture..and it's completely unreal to actually see him talking on a video. And he and his boyfriend talked about how Matthew was a member of the gay and lesbian group at the university and he said that it wasn't too active because the school is pretty conservative and all. To see Matthew and his boyfriend...it made me remember that Matt was a real person. He had a life. He had a boyfriend. And all of that was taken away from him in an instant. I wonder how his boyfriend felt. And it seems like both of them were interested in human rights and politics, like Jon Peacock says. They appear to be two genuinely kind people. I can't imagine how anyone could hurt Matthew like that.

Also, I was listening to a song tonight called "Scarecrow," which was written about Matthew. My mom had it on a CD and I remember hearing it when I was little..she told me what it was about, and that's how I sort of knew a bit about the incident before we began the intensive. I remember feeling sad, but I was far too young to really understand what happened and the significance of it. Listening to it now was really powerful, it actually made me tear up. Because I know that song, I know how it goes...but now, I really listened to the lyrics and it had an entirely new meaning. One of the lyrics that stands out to me goes like this: "Scarecrow crying, waiting to die, wondering why" This really made me think about what was going through Matt's head as he was tied to that fence. What did he do to deserve this? And then I think about the Baptist minster's line about how he hopes that Matthew had a chance to reflect on his lifestyle as he was tied there. That line absolutely sickens me. I truly hope that in that moment, Matthew did not regret being openly gay, I hope that he did not regret being who he was. Because he shouldn't be ashamed of who he was. And he shouldn't have felt he needed to act differently in order to please people, or to avoid being a victim of such an atrocious act. No one in the world deserves to be treated as Matt was, simply for being true to who they are.

Just one more thing. For me, all those emotions that I was feeling at the beginning of the intensive came rushing back tonight. Mr. L is right. As long as we remember that this actually happened, and as long as we listen to each and every word that is being said on stage, we will get that intensity back. I know we're going to put on a great show. Break a leg, everyone.

Emotions Running High

so about five minutes ago, I was on the Internet and found a video of Matthew Shepard. I was afraid to click on it because I knew that it would be hard for me to see. We've only really seen pictures of Matthew and when I clicked on the video, it was an interview with him and another boy who went to Catawba College. A reporter talked to people after a rally took place on the college's campus, and stopped Matthew and his friend to talk about the rally. It turned out that the boy was Matthew Shepard's boyfriend...they looked so happy when they said that to the reporter, they weren't afraid to show it....and it got to me. At the end of an interview, a voiceover kicked in, saying how two years later, Matthew was killed...and what REALLY got to me was when he said "This is the only footage I have of Matthew....it isn't fair." Cue the waterworks. I bawled for a good five minutes. Seeing Matthew Shepard be so happy with someone, seeing him smile, Romaine was right...his smile could light up a room. The fact that he was killed for being gay, for being who he was, I felt sick to my stomach that anyone could do something so horrible to another human being for no reason at all, only because of his sexual orientation....I can't fathom that.

The Home Stretch

hi everyone! so I thought that today was a good day today, since we got to go over lines, get some tech done, and do a full run through. The angel wings are coming together, the banner is done, the armbands are ready...all essential things that are needed to add to the power of this piece are almost done! I know that a lot of people are tired (myself included) but I think that when everything completely comes together, the power of the piece will speak through everything: the acting, the projections, the costumes and the props. I'm excited for the shows and am so proud of everyone for all the hard work they've been doing these past 3 weeks!

Another Blog Post from Liam

Hey guys. I'm not sure if we have to write a blog tonight, but I will anyways just in case we have to. So, I think today went pretty well considering the fact that none of us had ran this in two days. Yeah, Act 1 was pretty rough, but I think that as the week goes on, it will get better as we all get more and more excited for the upcoming show. The only thing that I am a little nervous about is one of my costume changes in Act 1 (the transition between Jonas Slonaker and Doug Laws, the Mormon Preacher). In that transition, I have to take off my button-down shirt, put on a white one, tuck that in, and then put on a tie, all within a span of about a minute and a half. So far, I have had a bit of trouble getting all of this on in that time span, and the closest that I have ever been to doing it was today, in which I got the tie on but forgot to tighten it or fix my collar, which was lopsided (hardly the image that a Mormon Preacher would like to have). So, today I went to Target and bought a white button-down shirt and cut off part of the sleeves (so then it's short-sleeved, which is easier to get on). Hopefully, this will work tomorrow. Alrighty then, sorry if I rambled a bit. Bye.

Excited for the Last Week

Hey guys. So, I was reading some of the other posts about how our tiredness is getting to us and how we are just saying our lines now instead of fully acting . However, I think that we shouldn't worry about it because we are heading into our last week, which is going to be stressful and nerveracking but also very, very exciting. For me at least, just the idea that we are going to be putting on our first performance in three days (wow, 3 DAYS!!!) is a little bit scary, but I know it will make my performance better just because of the sheer excitement. This prospect, I think, will put a lot of energy into what we are saying and how we act it. Personally, I am really confident right now about the show, and I am so extremely and amazingly pumped to put it on for the school. I think this week is going to be awesome. Finally, break a leg and GOOD LUCK EVERYBODY!!!!

The play is coming down to all but a few days before the play, and I am not sure how to feel about it. I have been having a wonderful time here, and I am glad that I have had the opportunity to do this. I have been worried about lines recently, but I got over it because I reaffirmed my self that I knew them. I am a bit late, however, with costumes, props, etc. I apologize to the cast for slowing everyone down, and that I am trying to do the best I can with everything I have going on. Although we seem to get reprimanded by Mr. L often, the fact that we have all our lines down and most everything else done seems efficient to me. Also, One Tree Hill is fantastic.

On the death penalty

Recently, we have had a discussion about the death penalty in class, in an effort to get our minds off of the play. This has had an opposite effect on me, because I often become lost in thought about these subjects, as shown when I essentially argued myself into a circle during this discussion. I felt that is was a safe place, and I shared what I thought about the subject, relating directly to a situation as described in the Laramie project. I do not especially support the death penalty because I think that the murderer could have mental issues or other issues inhibiting the person to think straight. Also, apparently, the death penalty costs some money as well, so the money issue was not a major reason to be pro/con for the issue. I also think that if people can be corrected and give back to society, than the penitentiary system works. Also, there people in jail because of other crimes, so people still have to pay money for that as well. My main point is that if someone has the opportunity to be changed, they should receive that second chance. I am glad that we had the opportunity to have the conversation, because I believe to truly understand a volatile issue, you have to hear both sides