About the Play
In October 1998, a twenty-one-year-old student at the University of Wyoming was kidnapped, severely beaten, and left tied to a fence in the middle of the prairie outside Laramie, Wyoming. His bloody, bruised, and battered body was not discovered until the next day, and he died several days later in an area hospital. His name was Matthew Shepard, and he was the victim of this assault because he was gay. Moisés Kaufman and fellow members of the Tectonic Theater Project made six trips to Laramie over the course of a year and a half, in the aftermath of the beating and during the trial of the two young men accused of killing Shepard. They conducted more than 200 interviews with the people of the town. Some people interviewed were directly connected to the case, while others were citizens of Laramie, and the breadth of the reactions to the crime is fascinating. Kaufman and Tectonic Theater members have constructed a deeply moving theatrical experience from these interviews and their own experiences in Laramie. The Laramie Project is a breathtaking collage that explores the depths to which humanity can sink and the heights of compassion of which we are capable.
About the Playwright
Moisés Kaufman is a Tony and Emmy nominated director and playwright. His play 33 VARIATIONS, starring Jane Fonda, was nominated for five Tony awards (including one for Ms. Fonda). Previous to that, Mr. Kaufman directed the Pulitzer and Tony award-winning play I AM MY OWN WIFE, earning him an Obie award for his direction as well as Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, and Lucille Lortel nominations. His plays GROSS INDECENCY: THE THREE TRIALS OF OSCAR WILDE and THE LARAMIE PROJECT have been among the most performed plays in America over the last decade. Mr. Kaufman also directed the film adaptation of THE LARAMIE PROJECT for HBO, which was the opening night selection at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival and won the National Board of Review Award, the Humanitas Prize, and a Special Mention for Best First Film at the Berlin Film Festival. The film also earned Mr. Kaufman two Emmy Award nominations for Best Director and Best Writer. He is the Artistic Director of Tectonic Theater Project and a Guggenheim Fellow in Playwriting. Other credits include BENGAL TIGER AT THE BAGHDAD ZOO (Mark Taper Forum); MACBETH with Liev Schreiber (Public Theater); THIS IS HOW IT GOES (Donmar Warehouse); ONE ARM by Tennessee Williams (Steppenwolf Theater Company); MASTER CLASS with Rita Moreno (Berkeley Repertory Theater); and LADY WINDERMERE'S FAN (Williamstown Theater Festival).
Donate to the Matthew Shepard Foundation by visiting: https://www.matthewshepard.org.
About the Production
THE LARAMIE PROJECT By Moisés Kaufman and the Members of Tectonic Theater Project will be directed by Carla Corona, Faculty, Theatre Arts. The cast will feature nineteen actors each performing multiple characters. A portion of ticket sales will go directly to the Matthew Shepard Foundation.
Performance Dates:
- Friday, April 12 at 7pm
- Saturday, April 13 at 1pm and 7pm
- Sunday, April 14 at 1pm (with post-show Q&A)
Location:
- AVC Black Box Theatre (FA2-130)
Tickets can be purchased online.
General Admission $15.00
Students $8.00
Seniors, Military, Youth (10-12), and AVC Staff $12.00
THE LARAMIE PROJECT is a production intended for mature audiences only. The play contains adult language and the description of violent situations. No children under the age of 10 will be permitted in theater.