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| Stage
Manager |
Derek
Michael Bertelson |
| Assistant
Stage Manager |
B.J.
Warren |
| Assistant
Costume Designer |
Ali
Bayer |
| Assistant
Lighting Designer |
Katy
Atwell |
| Technical
Director |
Brian
Marshall |
| Production
Manager |
Merel
G. Ray |
| Shop
Foreman |
Nick
Adelsberger |
| Master
Carpenter |
Brian
Wussow |
| Properties
Master |
Amanda
Koons |
| Paint
Charge |
Maggie
Crawford |
| Costumer |
Barbara
Mangrum |
| Costume
Crafts |
Ali
Bayer/Barbara Mangrum |
| Wardrobe
Supervisor |
Kyle
Van Sant |
| Master
Electrician |
Joe
Spratt |
| Assistant
Master Electrician |
Vicki
Podlin |
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| On
a clear, cold, Wyoming morning in October 1998, a young man was
found tied to a fence in the middle of nowhere, left for dead. The
Laramie Project is a dramatic compilation of interviews taken directly
following that cruel and ruthless slaying of Matthew Shepard, a
University of Wyoming student. Largely a communal effort by the
Tectonic Theater Project led by Moisés Kaufman, The Laramie
Project examines the aftermath of this particular hate crime and
its effect on a small, tight-knit and rural community. Through the
over 200 interviews from Laramie citizens and people directly involved
and affected by Matthew Shepard’s life and death, a theatrical
event brings awareness to the key components of his murder and the
crucial weeks that followed. Moisés Kaufman and his company
members traveled to Laramie several times over the course of two
years to speak with people ranging from local religious officials
to University of Wyoming students and professors. The media scrutiny
and response from the town of Laramie following Matthew Shepard’s
death fuels this theatrical event and reminds us of the cruelty
and humanity which are present in our society today. |
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| Notes |
| from the Director |
It
was very cold during the rehearsal period for this production. Wyoming
nights, even in the summers, can also be very cold. October evenings,
especially in and around Laramie, can dip to very chilly temperatures.
Often, as I left rehearsals to walk to my car, I would note the
coldness of the night air and try to imagine the pain Matt Shepard
felt strapped to that fence the October night he was killed. I could
not imagine for very long. To do so was to realize a condition unbearable,
one of only loneliness, unimaginable cruelty, and unanswerable injustice.
-Barry
Pearson. |
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| from
the Dramaturg |
“Hate
is not a Laramie Value,” in many ways was a true statement.
Until October 7, 1998, Laramie, Wyoming, was barely known at all
except as a former railroad and cowboy town, and as the place Louisa
Ann Swain cast the first women’s vote. Mostly, it remained
a small town with a strong identity boasting “diversity and
tolerance” while surrounding cities like Denver and Fort Collins
grew into urban areas. In this small, Western town in rural Wyoming,
Matthew Shepard was left for dead, tied “crucifixion style”
to a buck fence – a victim of a hate crime and the immediate
focus of an entire country.
The media frenzy that devoured Laramie, Wyoming, in the months following
Matthew’s slaying alerted the country that Laramie was indeed
a place that harvested hate and promoted intolerance. This depiction
by such major news organizations as CNN, NBC, CBS, and ABC left
the residents of this small university town frustrated, angered,
and damaged; The Laramie Project aims to truthfully represent a
community in need of just depiction. This community was scrutinized
for the action they took in 1998, reacting to an unbelievable event,
from which even today, the wounds have barely begun to heal. Matthew’s
death and the remarkable work of a New York theatre company remind
us daily that The Laramie Project could easily apply to any town
in America, and it becomes our duty to learn from the mistakes of
the past.
-Angie Balsamo
Loffreda, Beth. Losing Matt Shepard: Life and
Politics in the Aftermath of Anti-Gay Murder. NY: Columbia
UP, 2000.
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