“In October 1998, a 21-year old student at the University of Wyoming was severely beaten and left to die, tied to a fence in the middle of the prairie outside Laramie. 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.”
This is an excerpt from the play “The Laramie Project,” the first show on the roster for the 2004 – 2005 USM theatre season. Shortly after Shepard’s death, the members of Tectonic Theater Project traveled to Laramie, Wyoming, to speak extensively with the people of the town. Over the course of the next year, members of the troupe conducted over two hundred interviews; “The Laramie Project” is a creative compilation from those interviews, as well as from journal entries by members of the company and other found texts.
With an ensemble cast of eight players, director Wil Kilroy and his actors agree that this is not the kind of project USM has seen before. Over the course of the play, actors alternate between portraying the original Tectonic Theater members and the various townspeople involved-directly and indirectly-in Shepard’s death. From the murderers themselves to Shepard’s friends and family, the sheriff overseeing the investigation and local clergy, townspeople, and demonstrators, the audience is given unique access to the entire drama as it unfolded in Laramie. This means that every actor must know the mannerisms, backgrounds, and emotional landscape of a minimum of ten characters over the course of a two-act play.
Said USM senior Amy Von Vett, who portrays (among others) Tectonic member Amanda Gronich: “You get to go to so many places… You have to make up separate, individual personalities for every character.”
While that in itself would be enough, there is the added pressure of recognizing that this is a play about real people who survived a tragedy-and one who did not. But the play is not an indictment of the Laramie community.
“It’s not biased in any way,” said USM sophomore Stacy Strang, who portrays both Matt Shepard’s mother and one of his best friends, Romaine Patterson: “One minute you’re opposing the murder and then you’re condoning it.” Actor and fellow sophomore Erik Moody echoes this idea: “You’re getting a sense of this complete community going through this.”
Director Wil Kilroy has been working in tandem with others to make this as much about a theatrical performance as it is about the material portrayed therein. Dramaturge Sean Demers has been delving into the background of both the Tectonic project and the events that took place in Laramie before and after Shepard’s death. The information he has gathered will be used not only as a tool to enhance the actors’ understanding of their roles, but will also be made available to the public as a lobby display when the play opens. Outreach Coordinator April Mulkern is also working with the group and tables staffed by professionals will be set up at the performances, so that information will be available “if anything comes up for members of the audience,” said Kilroy.
Said actor David Branch, a junior at USM who plays both Tectonic member Moises Kaufman and Shepard’s father, “I returned (to USM) in ’99, and this is really the first play that’s been done where all of the actors are truly invested in the subject matter.”
“The Laramie Project” will be playing at Russell Hall beginning September 24. Call the box office at 780-5480 for a complete schedule and to make reservations. Ticket prices for USM students are five dollars.