On Wednesday Sept. 27, some of the members of the Advanced Theater Ensemble, more commonly known as ATE, took to the stage in the newly renovated Flex studio to put on a collection of scenes with the goal of tolerance and acceptance, as well as making people more aware of their own actions and the actions of others. This production followed the beginning, middle and end of the story of Matthew Shepard, a gay man who became the victim of a violent hate crime in Laramie, Wyoming.

This story, along with several scenes from other works, helped steer the show in its message of tolerance and acceptance. The show also featured a spectacular movement and dance piece that opened the show, choreographed by Nathalie Adams ’18. After the show, a couple of cast members answered some questions about the show. Regarding the challenges faced putting on the show Richie Ferrelli ’19 said, “The timeframe was probably the biggest issue with Irma and all that so a lot of our time did get cut short but I mean us being the cast that we are, we have a great cast.”

Ferrelli also informed the audience on the reasoning behind doing the show. “The main reason is because the main stage productions are usually really kind of one-sided and all that so when Stage 2 opens up we are more free do kind of what we want and a lot of times it will be kind of unconventional because we don’t really have the option to do it on main stage.” Ferrelli went on to talk about how the audience was supposed to feel after the show. “It was a mixed collection of scenes but the underlying theme was definitely more like being aware of how they are acting in their daily lives. Obviously with the Matthew scenes it didn’t make people feel exactly amazing and those were really hard scenes.”

All in all, ATE created a great show. The performers not only met their goal of making people more aware, but they also showcased the immense talent and depth of the theatre program here at Berkeley.