During the Depression, theaters across the country banded together for simultaneous productions of hard-hitting dramas probing pressing issues. Now, as the United States claws its way out of the worst economic crisis since those dark days, theaters nationwide are once again joining forces to stage a provocative docudrama on the same night.

Karen D'Souza writes:
On Oct. 12, the epilogue to the "Laramie Project" — the story of gay college student Matthew Shepard's grisly 1998 murder as told through the eyes of the small Wyoming town's people — will make its simultaneous debut at about 150 theaters from San Jose to New York.

Once again, the theater will serve as national town hall where people gather to ponder controversial issues in a time of crisis. READ MORE