The Laramie Project: 10 Years Later @ Redtwist

I loved The Laramie Project's original script & its’ execution; this new epilogue of that script provided the same social commentary & insight into the insane while simultaneously offering contemporary insights, an update on the facts, & the answering of some lingering questions. Only the greatest of scripts & stories warrant an epilogue, but I didn’t realize the necessity for this non-fiction epilogue until I saw the play itself. The murder of Matthew Shepard was a horrific crime that gained national-attention & the aftershock of that crime on a community could never expire in anything less than a decade. I respect & admire the dedication of Moises Kaufman & the members of the Tectonic Theatre Company for their commitment to this project & insight to realize the necessity of this second script.

This script addressed the following effects on the community:

• The resistance & hesitation of locals to acknowledge the event of Shepard‘s murder. It seems similar to how talking about the Holocaust is taboo in Germany, the people of Laramie see this crime as the defining & humiliating factor that tarnished their hometown.
• The residual rumors permeating the community relating to the catalyst of Shepard’s murder. Certain people think it was a simple drug deal or robbery gone bad & completely unrelated to a hate crime. There is a very blurry line between memory & history that this script faces with a clean, clear, insightful perspective.
• The identity of the killers. There were 2; one was vile & the perfect picture in one’s mind of a creature capable of committing this crime; one slightly became a victim himself during that terrible night (due to his own weaknesses). It is dirty & upsetting, but the curious mind wants to find the facts behind what seems like fiction. The staged interviews of the killers actual words provided the answers to those questions.

The use of a Dialect Coach was evident & very much appreciated; I liken the plight of the Dialect Coach to that that plagues The Dramaturge. Dialect coaches are an asset that should be more heavily utilized in theatre because their presence causes such a richer sense of authenticity. I first interacted with a Dialect Coach when I played the title role in Jane Eyre; not only did she substantially improve my performance, but she allowed me further insight into my character & made me more confident in my performance.

The Costume Design was simple but stellar & incorporated smart, slight changes to differentiate between characters. The costume designer had a sense of humor & conscious perspective in design scheme that could have been flat-lined; the costumes were largely neutral in tone and used vests, glasses, & cardigans for snippy, quippy changes. This production was textually-based & the smart subtlety of the costumes communicates the artistic insight of the production staff & production as a whole.