Capital University is currently putting on a production of “The Laramie Project”, a play that centers around a real-life hate crime in the city of Laramie, Wyoming.
Theatre has long been separated into categories of comedy and tragedy by the ancient Greeks. However, when venturing to see “The Laramie Project”, do not expect the comedic works of Aristophanes. Rather, prepare for important social matters and difficult conversations.
“The Laramie Project” is a three-act play written by Moisés Kaufman in response to the murder of 21-year-old Matthew Shepard who was a student at the University of Wyoming, a gay man and victim to a hate crime.
In Laramie, Wyoming 1998, Shepard was lured from a gay bar to a parking lot where he was ultimately robbed and beaten by Russell Henderson and Aaron McKinney.
The perpetrators later drove to a remote area, tied a nude Shepard to a fence where he was tortured and left in frigid temperatures. The reasoning behind such actions? Shepard’s sexual orientation.
The harrowing event led Moisés Kaufman to begin conducting interviews with the help of his team. By the end, they managed to interview over 200 residents of the town of Laramie. The result would be a play that continues to be performed 20 years after the fact.
“The Laramie Project ” is unlike any work that the theater department has done before.
“It is a very dense text. So I think that it’s very dense emotionally and also it’s quite long. If you look at the script, the spacing is like nothing I’ve ever seen,” Jordan Willis, stage manager and fourth-year, said.
The play covers heavy topics, primarily hate crimes, homophobia, discrimination and toxicity found in religion throughout. The density of the text and the extended emotional drain of the production posed a challenge to the cast and crew.
Another struggle the cast faced was portraying characters that oppose their views, an example being offensive language/slurs.
“You hear these things, it’s so hard to say them, it feels impossible to say these words out loud because it’s uncomfortable,” Brandon “B” Karl said.
The ability to portray characters with truth also presented itself as a challenge.
“My preparation was hoping that I can portray these people accurately as I go forward because these are living people, they’re not fictional characters, so it’s more intense in that aspect.” Catherine VanDine, said.
Students all have their reasons for auditioning for a show, but one person, in particular, felt compelled to.
In Brandon “B” Karl’s words, “I hear about this person [Matthew Shepard] that was brutally murdered who was a gay man now, currently, how old I am I’m almost 21 and Matthew was 21 when he died. It feels very personal to me almost — It’s a lot to wrap my mind around — So that’s partially why I wanted to do it because it feels like you know, I got to do this for him.”
The cast found themselves making new discoveries the further into the project they dove.
“Along with doing the show, Dr. Croft actually did mini-history lessons along the way. So we were kind of exposed to some queer history events that some of us might not have known about before,” Jordan Willis said.
Amongst the numerous lessons the cast learned, one of the most prominent was the importance of activism.
“I think in terms of activism and anti-discrimination practices. We often stray away from a lot of things or we stay away from a lot of really difficult topics.” Karl said. “It’s easy to let some of these things go until you’re put right in the middle of it”
When coming to the show you should have an open heart and open mind. Everyone is welcome to attend “The Laramie Project”. The cast hopes to sway others to have a great sense of support, compassion and empathy. They also hope to see those who are set in their ways begin to open up.
Karl said, “I think this [show] might send the message that by not talking about it, by not engaging in the conversation, you’re in essence not helping anything.”
Next showtimes will be Saturday, Feb. 12 at 8:00 p.m. and Sunday, Feb. 13 at 2:00 p.m. Tickets will be free for all Capital students with a show of ID. Reservations can be made by calling (614) 236-7174. Free pronoun pins will be available at the show.
