The Laramie Project — special anniversary performance
Image: THE LARAMIE PROJECT. Image: supplied
By HOPE PRATT
The Laramie Project will return to Sydney on May 14 to commemorate International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, and Transphobia as well as the 25th Anniversary of the play’s development.
Written by Moisés Kaufman and first performed in 1999, the production explores the aftermath of the 1998 murder of Matthew Shepard, a young gay man living in Laramie, Wyoming. The play is based on a series of interviews the Tectonic Theatre Project conducted in Laramie after the horrific murder and tells the story of a small-town community grappling with a heinous hate crime and the subsequent media fallout.
For decades, Matthew Shepard’s story has inspired advocacy and spurred legislative reform for LGBTQIA+ individuals in America. That of which, culminated in the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act in 2009. As The Laramie Project returns to Australia, the hope is it may act as an opportunity of reflection and action.
The Laramie Project confronts the reality of bigoted violence, while also showing the triumph of the human spirit. The play’s goal is to start conversations about LGBTQIA+ issues and to build communities of acceptance, compassion and understanding through art and performance.
Led by award winning director Dean Bryant, the one-off Sydney performance will feature a cast from New York’s Tectonic Theatre Project as well as Aussie all-stars Tony Sheldon, Casey Donovan, Lyndon Watts, Benjamin Law, Zindzi Okenyo, and Nicholas Brown. And for the first time in Australia, Dennis Shepard, the father of Matthew, will star as himself and deliver the courtroom address he made in Wyoming 25 years ago.
The evening performance will be followed by a Q&A session about the role of arts in social justice movements and advocacy. The panel will feature Dennis Shepard and the project’s Creative Team.
The production is a collaboration between the American Australian Association and the Tectonic Theatre Project, The Matthew Shepard Foundation, and the US State Department.
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