School officials at a college where a

controversial play featuring a gay, Christ-like character will premiere

tonight are bracing for demonstrators.

In advance of tonight's premiere of Corpus Christi, police at Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne created two protest areas outside the theater — each large enough to hold more than 100 people. IPFW Police Chief Lauren Denhartog said there will be two rules in place for demonstrators: No weapons and no signs displayed on yardsticks or posts. "Our job is to see that everybody has their right to their thing and to keep everybody else safe," Denhartog said. Corpus Christi is about growing up gay in a Texas Gulf Coast town. It features a homosexual Christ-like figure named Joshua and 12 other gay male characters, most of whom bear the names of Christ's disciples.

Outraged Religious Conservatives Failed to Stop Play

Christian conservatives have pegged the play as blasphemous and a misuse of taxpayer money, but they failed twice to convince federal judges to halt the production or move it off campus. Instead, the courts sided with university officials that the play is a symbol of academic freedom. The play has created enough of a stir that the school is providing a room specifically for reporters covering the event. Irene Walters, director of university relations, said newspapers from across the Midwest have contacted her about the play. Denhartog also has contacted officials at Florida Atlantic University about what to expect from demonstrators. Earlier this year the play created a firestorm on that school's campus. However, Denhartog said protests during the weekend performances could be muted because several religious groups are planning prayer vigils at their churches. The Rev. Rick Hawks, pastor at The Chapel, is leading a group of 36 churches on discussions about Jesus on Sunday. Also Sunday, a number of churches will show The Jesus Film at the Embassy Theatre. "Our protest is a silent one," said the Rev. Vernon Graham, executive pastor of the Associated Churches of Fort Wayne and Allen County, one of many groups sponsoring the film. "That's going to be our way of saying this is who Jesus was." The Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights will distribute a flier stating its objections to the play in the playbill for Corpus Christi.