The Laramie Project is presented by The Group Rep. Written by Moises Kaufman, Ms. Leigh Fondakowski, and the Tectonic Theater Project. Directed by Kathleen Delaney. Produced by Bill Fitzhugh and Danica Waitley.
The Laramie Project is a production in the form of documentary theatre, based on the more than 200 interviews that Kaufman, Fondakowski, and members of the Tectonic Theater Project conducted after the tragic death of Matthew Shepard in 1998.
Shepard was a gay student at the University of Wyoming, located in Laramie, Wyoming. On the night of October 6, 1998, Shepard left the Fireside Lounge with Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson. McKinney and Henderson took Shepard to a rural area where they beat, tortured, and tied him to a fence and left him to die in near-freezing temperatures. Eighteen hours later, still alive and in a coma, Shepard was found by cyclist Aaron Kreifels. Shepard died six days after the attack on October 12, 1998. He was 21 years old.
This play is a collection of statements from the people that knew Shepard and his attackers, McKinney and Henderson. The interviews pick up the diversity of opinions from the community of Laramie. While some people denounced the attack and demanded justice, others believed that Shepard deserved the ordeal because of his homosexuality. Some of those beliefs were heavily influenced by religion, which played an important role in the life of this relatively small community.
The Laramie Project is in itself a social study that reveals how education, religion, and job opportunities may affect the attitudes towards the LGBT community. The characters demonstrate the contradiction of rural and conservative America. There is the bartender who liked Matthew and didn’t care about his sexual preferences. The doctor, who felt sorry for both the victim and the perpetrator when he treated both of them the same day at the same hospital. Then, there are the religious leaders. Some of them demanding justice for Shepard, some demanding leniency for McKinney and Henderson.
If anything positive came out of this incident, is the fact that some members of the LGBT community had the opportunity to express themselves and claim their rightful place in society. Other consequences of The Laramie Project is the influence of this play in other documentary mediums such as film and reality TV. The play has been staged in more than 300 productions around the world and had a very successful Off-Broadway run. The writers and directors continue to inspire conversations and drive changes in minds, hearts, and legislation around the world for generations to come. The writing shows the initial shock experienced by the people of Laramie after learning about the attack. But it also shows the disturbing shift of opinions once the religious conservatism kicked in, sympathizing with the attackers and approving of their heinous act.
Director Kathleen Delaney uses a large production of 11 fine actors to play several roles, all portraying the wide variety of points of view related to this case. Delaney blocks her actors to create a continuous sense of movement that reflects the frenetic pace of the events, specially the media coverage of the critical days that preceded Shepard’s death and the controversial trial that followed.
The play also feels like a time of introspection. A time to reflect on what went terrible wrong and what actions to take to avoid the recurrence of such a barbaric act. The continuous staging of this production is a symbolic candlelight vigil to honor Shepard’s memory and the values and convictions he represented.
The Laramie Project
The Group Rep at the Lonny Chapman Theatre – First floor
10900 Burbank Blvd
N. Hollywood, CA 91601
April 14 – May 21
Fridays and Saturdays at 8PM, Sundays at 2PM
After the Matinee Talkback with cast and staff 4/23 & 4/30.
Tickets: thegrouprep.com
Written by Moises Kaufman, Ms. Leigh Fondakowski, and The Tectonic Theater Project. Directed by Kathleen Delaney. Produced by Bill Fitzhugh and Danica Waitley. Cast: Landon Beatty, Paul Cady, Roslyn Cohn, Julie Davis, Marc Antonio Pritchett. Stephen Rockwell, Jackie Shearn, Margaret Rose Staedler, Cathy Diane Tomlin, Amelia Vargas and Kay Vermeil. Creative team: Mareli Mitchel-Shields (Set Designer), Tor Brown (Lighting/Projection Designer), Michael Mullen (Costume Designer), and Marc Antonio Pritchett (Sound Designer).
