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General News: The Laramie Project - Riveting Drama
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| The action unfolds beneath the stained glass windows of St. John's. |
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| Devlin Shand first appears on stage as a local rancher. |
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| Alison Theis plays a female rancher, one of her many roles. |
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| Some of the townspeople at the bar where Shepard was last seen as played by P.J. Ward, Danny Distasio and Kerry Briscoe. |
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| Kate McKeon's character recalls finding Shepard near death. |
July 21, 2008
An exploration of a community’s search to understand its response to a tragic event took to the stage this Friday in a dramatic production by the dynamic Admit One Productions theater group.
The Laramie Project tells the story of how the people of Laramie, Wyoming, a small western city, reacted to the brutal murder of Matthew Shepard, a young gay college student who was attacked by two men after leaving a bar and left to die on a fence outside town.
There are only ten actors in the production, but each one portrays several of the eighty-two people whose views of homosexuality and tolerance are explored in this riveting drama. The characters are based on the Laramie residents interviewed by playwright Moises Kaufmann and his troupe following Shepard’s death.
“The play is all about teaching people about tolerance and diversity,” says Admit One director Susanne Shand, who founded the troupe three years ago. Shand also directed the powerful play several years ago at the Vineyard Playhouse. The Admit One production is being staged at St. John’s Episcopal Church and the proceeds will benefit the restoration of the Ritz Theater in Newburgh.
The Admit One troupe is composed largely of college students, including Shand’s son, Devlin, who is studying photography at Fordham University. Kaitlyn McKeon, a 2007 graduate of Cornwall high school, attends the same school and says that she feels fortunate to be part of The Laramie Project.
“I’m a huge proponent of tolerance and gay rights,” McKeon explained, noting that her college studies focus in part on peace and justice issues. “The show’s message is that you can overcome hate and intolerance with hope. If we affect just one person with this show, it is worth the effort we have put into it.”
The cast and crew have been rehearsing the drama since early June and it was clear at a recent rehearsal that they have internalized the emotion-packed dialogue that creates this moving portrayal of a community forced to come to terms with its prejudices and stereotypes.
The drama moves quickly as the young actors speak in the voices of local citizens like those who recognize the two men accused of the crime as “local kids that nearly everybody’s got a relation to.” Local pastors are portrayed with a range of responses, from the liberal Unitarians to the Mormans, whose leader denies there is any “sexual deviation” in his church.” A conservative Baptist preacher pickets Shepard’s funeral (and later in real life pickets productions of The Laramie Project.)
No one in Laramie is happy when the national media descend on town and nearly all the locals condemn the reporters’ characterization of their home as a bastion of intolerance. But at the same time, this portrayal prompts many of the residents to probe their own beliefs.
The investigation into the murder provides dramatic tension as witnesses describe how Shepard was in a local bar one moment, then left with two other men close behind. Hospital staff members recount his grave medical condition when he was brought in. The head of the hospital becomes a spokesperson for the family.
Devlin Shand, who has been in drama productions since the third grade at Cornwall Elementary School, believes that all his fellow actors have been impacted by this emotionally hard-hitting play. “It has helped me grow so much, not just in accepting tolerance, but as an actor,” he explained. “We get to play real people and have been able to research them directly.”
Director Susanne Shand hopes that people who come to see the production, which is being performed from July 18 through the 27th, will experience the high-level of emotional impact that the actors do. She also thanks many people in the Cornwall community, including Reverend Tom Margrave, who offered his church for the production, for their involvement in the production.
As part of the fund-raising effort for the renovation of the Ritz Theater, gift baskets that include memorabilia from the historic Hotel Newburgh, will be raffled as well.
Click here for full details on the performance times and dates.
Click on any photo for a larger view.
Comments:
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I saw the Saturday night performance and was blown away.This is a powerful, powerful story and this theater troupe has done it justice. It is not a stretch of the imagination to think that on a bad day, a really bad day, this could be our town. It should be part of the curriculum in our schools. Bravo, Admit One, Bravo!
posted by kate benson on 07/21/08 at 9:15 PM
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