Please join us for a night of mourning and catharsis at a staged reading of The Laramie Project in honor of Nex Benedict, the non-binary teenager who lost their life in Oklahoma on February 8th. We are offering this powerful show as a chance for the community to mourn, take action and support each other through processing this tragedy.

This event will be a completely donation based Benefit with all funds split between Nex’s funeral Go Fund Me, and local organizations working to protect trans and non-binary kids in our community.

The cast of this staged reading is all Queer Santa Cruz theater performers, ranging in age from 16 (the age Nex died) to adults in their late 30's. In Nex's honor, all cast members are either trans/non-binary themselves or are parents of trans/non-binary teens.

***TRIGGER WARNING***
The Laramie Project is based on the true story of the murder of Mathew Shepard and includes detailed descriptions of the violence and hate that he experienced before his death. This may be upsetting for audience to hear and experience. This show is not recommended for children under the age of 13, or anyone whose mental health may be adversely affected by hearing explicit descriptions of a hate crime.

Our sincere gratitude to The Santa Cruz Actor’s Theatre for donating their space to host this event.

Renegade Theater Co. creates opportunities for creatives to explore performing arts and theater in new and exciting ways. Our goal is to provide performers with opportunities they can be passionate about and to provide the community with art that is inspiring and thought provoking.

We strive to create profound theatrical experiences that allow those involved to grow and learn, and to contribute towards creating a strong and supportive community, both within the company itself and as a part of the greater society that we live in.