Sometimes, the best way to tell a contemporary story is through the arts. In the case of two important Wyoming issues, two different types of documentaries -- one for the theater, the other for broadcast -- should help bring the material to a wider audience.

Members of the New York-based Tectonic Theater Project returned to Laramie last year for the tenth anniversary of the murder of gay University of Wyoming student Matthew Shepard. The play they originally wrote and produced, "The Laramie Project," won worldwide acclaim and is still regularly performed by schools and theater companies across the nation.

The group re-interviewed many of the people who originally told them how they were affected by Shepard's death and the negative publicity about the town. The result, "The Laramie Project: Ten Years Later -- An Epilogue" will be performed simultaneously on about 150 stages on Oct. 12, the 11th anniversary of Shepard's death.

The play promises to be more of a re-examination of people's feelings, rather than just an update about their lives. During the original interviews, it was a very emotional time for the people of Laramie, especially those who knew Shepard and for those who may have felt angry about how their community was being portrayed. But residents have since had a long time to reflect about what happened and how they may have personally changed.

Undoubtedly, the most controversial aspect of the new production will be the decision to give voice to Aaron McKinney, one of Shepard's killers, who was interviewed in a Virginia prison. One of the reasons prosecutors spared him the death penalty was his agreement not to speak about the case publicly. Some of his words will sting, but it's important to remember that it was his actions that caused the murder and sent the whole tragedy in motion.

In Laramie and other cities, there will be panel discussions after the reading. It's important for a community discussion about homophobia and gay rights to continue, both in the town where Shepard was killed and others thoughout the country that have been affected by his story.

Another artistic endeavor, a documentary about juvenile justice in Wyoming, is still being prepared by filmmaker Chris Hume and children's advocate Marc Homer. A $40,000 grant from the Annie E. Casey Foundation got the project started. The goal is to have the film shown on Wyoming Public Television and at film festivals, as well as distributed on DVD.

The way Wyoming deals with juvenile offenders isn't working, and hasn't for years. The state trails only South Dakota in its rate of locking up youth, including many who are in custody for status offenses, such as possessing alcohol or tobacco. Wyoming is also the only state that doesn't comply with the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act, which sets federal rules for juvenile detention.

Homer and Hume have already shot footage inside the Jeffrey C. Wardle Academy for juvenile offenders in Cheyenne, and interviewed experts and reform advocates, as well as children who have been in the juvenile justice system. Perhaps it will be through the powerful medium of film that this issue will finally receive the attention it merits from the people of Wyoming -- especially state lawmakers who have the power to change the system for the better.