In October 1998 Matthew Wayne Shepard was brutally attacked on the outskirts of his home town of Laramie in Wyoming, USA. Left for dead, and tied to a fence to ensure he was not able to escape, Mathew was miraculously discovered but succumbed to his horrific injuries in hospital just days later. Matthew Shepard was an openly gay university student, and his murder was considered a hate crime. It garnered both national and international attention.
Moisés Kaufman and members of the Tectonic Theater Project travelled to Laramie with the specific aim to interview the locals and create a theatre work. Hundreds of interviews and the theatre company members’ own journal entries were used to create The Laramie Project: a powerful play presented in three acts by eight actors who portray more than sixty characters. The Laramie Project premiered in 2000, and was adapted to film just two years later.
The Laramie Project is verbatim theatre, and this style choice ensures the audience can’t forget the fact this horrific event actually occurred, the shocking comments were spoken and the actions all took place.
Initially, characters are introduced, but as the play progresses there is less reliance on these introductions as some of the characters return, but a few props or costume additions are used. Admittedly, it’s hard to keep track of all the sixty or so characters, but ultimately the audience can follow the story even if they don’t recall exactly which of the many characters is sharing their thoughts. In fact, it’s probably easier to concentrate on what is being said more than trying to recall who is saying it.
The three acts present the complexity of this challenging real life story in manageable servings, allowing the audience to stretch and digest what they’ve just witnessed before returning for the next act. Piece by piece we finally uncover what actually happened and why – and the truth is shocking in its awful simplicity. However, despite the brutal reality of the story, the play does end with a glimmer of hope that will tug at your heartstrings.
The strong cast include Daniel Parton, Pia Magonov, Jennifer Rose, Tony Clayton, Josh Hayes, Nathan Williams, Donna Cleverley and Emily Beggs. They negotiate the challenging story with passion and purpose bringing the many characters to life – some very likeable and some downright disturbing. Although this is very much an ensemble and all performers deliver wonderful presentations, Donna Cleverley’s performance was mesmorising.
The set design (Liam Mitchinson) is somewhat reminiscent of a Wes Anderson film, adding a splash of colour and vibrancy to the otherwise dark storyline, and ultimately leaves the audience with a sense of hope at the end. Lighting design (Jenni Evans) and sound design (Liam Mitchinson) all work well to enhance the story.
Director Liam Mitchinson has delivered an excellent production that will leave audiences considering how far we’ve come as a society, but will also question just how far we still have to go. The reality is that this is not a “history” piece. The Laramie Project is an important work of theatre that sadly remains just as relevant today as it was when it first premiered.
The Laramie Project is now playing at the 1812 Theatre.
For more information and tickets: https://www.1812theatre.com.au/
Photography by PopPics Gold (Goldi Kaye & Adam Timms)
