Student productions of The Laramie Project, Rent will go on

A group of parents were unsuccessful in seeking to halt a Green Valley High School student production of The Laramie Project and Rent, citing adult themes. CCSW discussed this back on October 24, in which the student stage production of The Laramie Project, which tells the story of the 1998 murder of Matthew Shepard in Laramie, Wyoming, raised eyebrows among some in the community, prompting the lawsuit.

Today's R-J:

A District Court judge on Tuesday refused to drop the curtain on high school productions of "Rent" and "The Laramie Project."

Henderson's Green Valley High School can proceed with both plays, including a Thursday night performance of "The Laramie Project," which deals with the murder of a gay college student in Wyoming.

Sarah Balogh, 17, who has a role in "Rent," said the legal ruling was a victory for the plays' themes. "I think it's a start toward what they're all about: compassion and tolerance."

"The Laramie Project" will be performed at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. The high school is at 460 Arroyo Grande Blvd., west of Stephanie Street.

"Rent," about starving artists coping with AIDS and drug addiction, will be performed early next year.

Some parents who object to the plays' "mature content" had sought a preliminary injunction to stop both productions.

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E.C. :)