Cesar Chavez High School’s Opening Night Drama Interrupted at the Last Minute

The play “The Laramie Project,” which centers on the tragic story of Matthew Shepard, has faced an unexpected postponement. The Phoenix Union High School District made the announcement mere hours before the scheduled opening night at Cesar Chavez High School.

Student Jinez Santos expressed disbelief, saying, “We’ve worked on this for three months. We’ve worked so hard.” Another student echoed the sentiment of betrayal, stating, “We thought [PUHSD] was a school district that let students have a safe space to [speak] about hard topics that ‘The Laramie Project’ presents. We have been proven wrong.”

Matthew Shepard’s case—the brutal 1998 hate crime that led to his death—serves as the foundation for the play. Santos emphasized its importance: “Our play was about awareness, it’s about history, it’s real, it’s facts, it’s what happened.”

The district’s postponement was explained as a need for “additional time to better prepare [their] audience and the public for the seriousness of the play’s content.” A statement from the district assured that they would work closely with their theatre department for necessary adjustments and to keep families informed about the themes explored in the play.

Raquel Chavez, a parent of one of the students, voiced her frustration, remarking, “I thought it was unfair. I thought that they should be given the opportunity to spread the word.” Another concerned parent, Celeste O’Reilly, questioned the district’s timing: “They had the play ahead of time, they had all the material, they knew what it was about. Why is this now an issue when these kids have been working on this for three months?”

The district has committed to updating parents and students regarding revised performance dates and additional content information.