The brutal slaying of a college-age gay man becomes a pivotal point for a small Wyoming town in “Laramie Project,” a reflection on the causes of this tragedy. What could have been a depressing two and a half hour, three-act play, captivated the hearts of the crowd.

Diablo Valley College director and drama student, Joseph Winder said, “what’s really magical about theater is that there is a daily process, even though we have a set script, each night the actors have an opportunity to learn, uncover and bring in new things each night, so each event is its own experience.” And new things indeed were brought into the spotlight on opening night this past Friday.

The actors did an extraordinary job of bringing various viewpoints and characters from Middle America in the 90’s to life. The performances were honest, raw and presented a lot of emotion. I would give this version of Laramie Project 4 ✯✮✮✮ s out of 5.

The casting was wonderful. The set is a bit scaled down as it was performed in the Arena theater with a very small, stage that is visible from every angle. The costuming and lighting were ever-changing and therefore interesting.

In one scene, a closeted 54-year old homosexual man sees his town rally around the injustice and protest in a crowd of 500 people and cries tears of joy. This is a powerful and truthful account of not only a murder that happened 18 year ago, but the acceptance and need to move forward in a different way. “Laramie Project” presented by DVC Drama department and written by Moises Kaufman and Tectonics theater is a play that is relevant and not to be missed.