‘The Laramie Project: 10 Years Later’ is experienced by many
In 1998, Matthew Shepard was tied to a post, brutally beaten, and left for dead in Laramie, Wyo., because of his sexual orientation. He died six days later from his injuries in the hospital on Oct. 12, 1998. His death is widely considered to be a hate crime motivated by homophobia.
The Tectonic Theatre Company went to Laramie to interview the people of the town. They took the results of the interviews and made “The Laramie Project,” a play by Moisés Kaufman and members of the Tectonic Theater Project about the reaction to the murder of Matthew Shepard. It revolves around the town’s reactions to the murder and the court case.
“The Laramie Project: ten years later, an Epilogue” is a continuation of “The Laramie Project.” The Tectonic Theatre Company revisited Laramie to see the changes that Matthew’s death had on the community.
Fargo’s own Theatre B presented a staged reading of “The Laramie Project: 10 years later, an Epilogue” on Oct. 12, 2009, 11 years since Matthew’s death and 10 years after the release of the original “Laramie Project.” It was performed in the Fargo Theatre and directed by Jon Leiseth, a professor in the communication studies and theatre art department at Concordia.
Theatre B was part of a national staged reading in which the members of the Tectonic Theatre Project put together the epilogue to be read all over the world presented at the same time. This reading was performed in 150 different theatres in every state and eight other countries at exactly the same time. Through Twitter, the audiences were updated when the show was starting with Tweets like “15 minutes to #laramie10 showtime.”
Before the show began, they brought down a big projection screen where footage from the live satellite feed was streaming for the entire theatre to see. Glenn Close gave a touching introduction, along with Judy Shepard, Matthew’s mother. She is a gay rights activist and ended her speech with hope for the future.
“We shall overcome one day. Deep in my heart, I do believe that we shall overcome one day,” Judy Shepard said.
Moisés Kaufman introduced his new piece and with that, the screen went up and Fargo’s own actors came out to perform this new production. The interviews ranged from Matthew’s teachers to the two men who murdered him. It showed how Laramie has changed and what hasn’t.
When the show ended, there was a sense of breathlessness throughout the audience. The portrayal of many young adults in the play was particularly striking.
College students bring their friends to the fence where Matthew was beaten and. Even though the fence is torn down, they still go. On stage, one of the cast members played a Tectonic theatre member interviewing one of the college students. He asked why they go see the place if the fence isn’t there. The boy responded, “Well, that’s what we’re famous for.”
While the show was emotional, there were things that didn’t go so smoothly, which took away from the feelings. There were quite a few times when actors were jumping on each other’s lines and seemed a little unsure of what to do. This was probably due to the fact that the actors were receiving changes to the script up until through the day it was performed.
Seeing it done as an actual play, where actors are in costume and move around the stage might have changed these things. However, this was strictly done, nation-wide, as a staged reading. There was minimal movement; however, there were also solid character choices.
Fargo’s involvement with this global event is significant. As technology is more understood, the theatre is able to incorporate it into every aspect. The satellite was used to bring the globe together for a premiere. Though the show was moving, this seemed to be the most unique piece: that all over the world, thousands of people were watching and experiencing the same thing.
