THEATRE: THE LARAMIE PROJECT
“The issues at the heart of this piece are still very universal … we’ve got that interesting circumstance that has crept into Australian schools in the last ten years where if something doesn’t work or it’s defective or we don’t like it, then teenagers have a tendency to say it’s ‘gay’,” says Fraser Corfield, the director of the upcoming ATYP production The Laramie Project. It’s a piece of verbatim theatre – or documentary drama – that Corfield believes is, “A contemporary classic.” Based on 400 interviews collected from the backwater town of Laramie, Wyoming, it brings to stage the true story of a vicious 1998 murder, driven by an extreme case of deep-seated homophobia. The victim was a 21-year-old gay man, tied to a pole and brutally beaten before being left to die miles from town by two equally young perpetrators. The huge part youth has to play within the tragedy was one that both further troubled the public – and made it a perfect choice for ATYP (Australian Theatre for Young People). American productions were dogged by debate for using genuinely young actors to grapple with the material, but Corfield counters, “There’s nothing in the play itself that’s overly controversial … so what the controversy reflects is just discussing these issues at times can still be considered a potent political choice.” And it’s as relevant today as then. “Has anything really shifted in terms of attitudes towards homosexuality over the last ten years?” asks Corfield. Visit a highschool classroom, do something ‘uncool’ and see their response – you might agree.
Mar 11-27, atyp Studio 1, The Wharf, Pier 4/5 Hickson Rd, Walsh Bay, $17-20, 9270 2400 or atyp.com.au
