2021: The Laramie Project
The Appleton North High School Theatre Department presented the powerful and poignant play THE LARAMIE PROJECT, by Moises Kaufman and members of the Tectonic Theatre Project, April 29 - May 2, 2021. The live performances were streamed from the North High School stage. The play focuses on the 1998 brutal beating and murder of Matthew Shepard, a 21-year-old gay resident of Laramie, Wyoming. The particulars of the hate crime and subsequent trial polarized the nation to the issue of sexual discrimination and violence.
The New York-based Tectonic Theater Project, traveled to Laramie in the aftermath of the murder with the intent of creating a theatrical portrait of a town coming to grips with horrible, hate-fueled intolerance. Over the course of a year and a half, the group interviewed over 200 subjects, some directly related to the case and some regular citizens of Laramie. Out of these interviews, journal entries, and found texts, the documentary-style play THE LARAMIE PROJECT was born. Hailed as one of the most captivating and encompassing pieces of contemporary theatre, the production shocks, challenges, and moves all who watch it as it reveals the lowest depths of hatred and greatest heights of compassion that lies within all human beings in any seemingly average community. The New York Post said, "…an amazing piece of theatre…leaves us sadder, wiser and tentatively more hopeful…"
North Theatre Director Ron Parker stated, “The message of THE LARAMIE PROJECT is one that continues to be relevant today: that only by standing up to injustice and bigotry through example and education can there be hope for change. The students who make up the cast and crew of THE LARAMIE PROJECT have taken such a stand. They believe change is possible and that the legacy of Matthew Shepard's story must live on.”
All streamed performances were followed by a talk back on the issues raised by the play and how they impact our community. THE LARAMIE PROJECT deals with mature subject matter and is recommended for ages 13 and older. For further information, contact Ron Parker, director at 832-4300 or via e-mail parkerronaldc@aasd.k12.wi.us .
