Tranby ready with new play

Tranby College drama teacher Courtney Johnston has told the Sound Telegraph audiences will be wowed by the level of skills shown by the performers in their latest production.

Year 11 and 12 students from Tranby College present The Laramie Project at Koorliny Arts Centre from June 14 to 16.

Johnston, who also directs the production, said the play is about a town’s reaction to the 1998 bashing murder of 21-year-old gay student Matthew Shepard in the United States.

It was written by members of a theatre group who went to Laramie in Wyoming to interview townspeople about the crime which brought national attention to the lack of hate-crime legislation in America.

Although the subject matter is confronting, Johnston said the students had fought through the difficulty they had with the play at first and it had opened their eyes to the wider world.

‘‘They’ve now got a deeper understanding of the prejudice and inequality which was going on,’’ she said.

‘‘They feel now like they want to educate their audience, not just perform something.

‘‘Audiences should expect the unexpected.’’

The Laramie Project runs until Saturday, June 16.

Tickets are available from the Koorliny website.