It is difficult not to notice the slew of white signs along the roads on campus, with questions in black, stenciled lettering such as, “Is freedom of speech the right to hate?” and “Is hate a product of our society?”
These signs are advertising “The Laramie Project,” the second play of the semester for Swine Palace Productions.
The play, according to a news release, is called one of the “10 best plays of the year” by Time magazine. The creators — the Tectonic Theatre Project — traveled to Laramie, Wyo., where college student Matthew Shepard was murdered for being gay in 1998. There, they interviewed residents of the town, and these interviews became “The Laramie Project.”
The creators made about six trips in about two years, and interviewed over 200 people, said director Leon Ingulstrud. The play was put together using the transcripts of the interviews, court documents, and the media reactions.
“[The murder of Matthew Shepard] brought that whole thing up, that whole example of gay culture in that community as well as how we deal with issues of hate,” Ingulstrud said. “For me, it’s very much a play that gets at that question of how we live with people we disagree with.”   
Although the play is about the reactions of Laramie residents after Shepard is attacked, the subject material is not what most people would consider offensive.
“The play itself is actually very entertaining,” Ingulstrud said. “I think it’s a lot of fun to watch. There’s music, there’s dancing, there’s a lot of eye candy. It doesn’t go into anything very graphically that would disturb people. I wouldn’t say that nobody is going to be offended by it, but it’s not the sort of play that pushes your buttons in that way, nothing with shock value.”
This is not the first play at the Reilly Theater that Ingulstrud has directed. In 2002, he directed “Death of a Salesman.” This is, however, his debut as the recently named Swine Palace Productions associate artistic director.
“It is a little different,” said theater director Adam Miller. “The style of theater being used is called documentary style.”
Another way that this play is slightly different from other LSU productions is that the stage is in the round, and there are audience members on all four sides. The stage also is flat, with a simple map of Laramie painted on it, Miller said.
“The story moves very fast,” he said. “The intent is that it will keep you on the edge of your seat.”
Throughout the play there will be news reports announced, which will keep the audience updated on the condition of Matthew Shepard as he was in the hospital. While this happens, reactions from Laramie residents are portrayed.
“They will get all sides of the story without having it thrown in their faces,” said Chaney Tullis, a cast member. “We don’t point fingers at anyone. It’s a play about how people deal with a tragedy.”