Dramatizing, and Supporting, Human Rights
by Laura Austrian

The student theater company Act 2 Act doesn’t shy away from heavy subjects. Its first production last year was The Diary of Anne Frank. The company’s founder and artistic and managing director, Rhinebeck High School junior Gwenn Gideon, said that she chose the play because she has felt a strong connection to Anne Frank since reading about her at age 13. Gideon said, “Anne made me realize that human rights abuses happen everywhere and can happen to anyone... even an innocent young girl.”

Act 2 Act not only puts on plays, but also donates proceeds from ticket sales and other fundraising activities to further its mission of raising awareness about human rights abuses. Last year the nonprofit group raised about $12,000 and donated the funds to the Cunningham Foundation, which helps to feed and educate children in Ethiopia, and to Save Darfur, an alliance of over 100 faith-based, humanitarian, and human rights organizations committed to ending genocide in the Darfur region of western Sudan.

This year Act 2 Act plans to present The Laramie Project. The play is based on the aftermath of the 1998 murder of Matthew Shepard, a gay student at the University of Wyoming whose murder in Laramie is considered to be a hate crime motivated by homophobia. The Laramie Project was written by Moisés Kaufman and members of the Tectonic Theater Project and draws on interviews with Laramie residents, journal entries of theater group members, and published news reports. More than 60 characters are portrayed in a series of short scenes divided into three acts.

Funds raised from The Laramie Project will go to HEAL Africa, an organization based in Goma, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, whose medical, social, and economic initiatives help foster peace and development in a region that has been ravaged by war. Specifically, the funds will go to HEAL Africa’s program called Women Stand Up Together, which supports a network of safe houses that offer assistance and refuge to victims of wartime rape. According to the organization, each house costs $8,000 to establish and $15 dollars a day to maintain with food, supplies, and a counseling and security staff.

For Gideon, Act 2 Act enables her to combine her passion for helping others—even those on the other side of the world—with her love of theater. She is the daughter of two professional actors and has been immersed in the world of theater her entire life. With the support and encouragement of her parents, she founded Act 2 Act two years ago. The company has an advisory board and mentors, many of whom are theater professionals or teachers, who give Gideon and her student colleagues advice on artistic direction, dramaturgy, music, and other theater-related topics.

Act 2 Act’s consultant for set design is Alison Macfarlane, a mixed media artist and arts educator who teaches at Dutchess Day School. Macfarlane taught Gideon when she was enrolled at the school and has known her family for over ten years. When Gideon founded Act 2 Act, she invited Macfarlane to become involved with the group. In addition to being a mentor to the students, Macfarlane also designed the set for The Diary of Anne Frank. In the process, she spent weeks with Gideon and the other student participants and observed how hard they worked to make the production a success. “The piece that she [Gideon] did this past summer was so sophisticated,” said Macfarlane, referring to the professionalism of the student actors, the intellectualism evident in the production, and its staging. She continued, “I loved the experience. I am enamored of these children. It was stunning.”

The 15 actors in The Laramie Project are from all over Dutchess and Ulster Counties. They hail from towns such as Rhinebeck, Red Hook, Tivoli, Hyde Park, Poughkeepsie, Lagrangeville, and Kingston, and range in age from 12–18. Each actor plays multiple parts and the group works as an ensemble. Rehearsals throughout the spring are every weekend, and once school is out, are from 9–3 every day. Performances will take place at Rhinebeck High School’s state of the art 600 seat theatre. Acccording to Gideon, the cast and crew of The Laramie Project are “a great group of people who are passionate about theater and about making a change in the world.”

Performances will be held at the Rhinebeck High School Theater on Friday, July 30 at 8 pm, Saturday, July 31 at 8 pm, and Sunday, August 1 at 3 pm. Tickets will be $12 for adults and $8 for children under 12 and are tax deductible. Act 2 Act runs a silent auction throughout the three performances; contributions can be made via phone or email. All proceeds from tickets, programs, and silent auction are tax deductible and go directly to help build a safe house for victims of wartime rape in the Congo.

For advance tickets, donations, and other information contact Act 2 Act at gidkids@aol.com or 876-8731 or visit act2act.biz.