Directed by Patrick Gendusa, the staged reading of “The Laramie Project: Ten Years Later,” fell on the 11th anniversary of the death of Matthew Shepherd, the infamous victim of a hate-driven assault and murder in Laramie, Wyo. The original stage play, follows Moises Kaufman and his Tectonic Theatre Project crew through their interviews of Laramie officials and citizens, friends and family of Shepherd and even the assailants, Russell Henderson and Aaron McKinney. Loyola performed “The Laramie Project” in the fall of 2007, and the entire cast reunited Monday night for Kaufman’s epilogue.
“The Laramie Project: Ten Years Later” is a sequel to Kaufman’s original play. He and the members of his Tectonic Theatre Project returned to Laramie 10 years after their original interviews immediately following Shepherd’s death and interviewed many of the same people. One narrator guides eight actors through the portrayal of a multitude of characters. Caitlin Clifford, mass communication senior, was especially memorable and brilliant in her role of Catherine Connelly, the first openly gay person in the Wyoming Legislature. Josh Eichhorn, theater senior, also played the gut-wrenching and heartbreaking role of killed Aaron McKinney.
Priscilla Jenkins, theater junior, brought an almost tangible freshness to the reading with her strong, crisp voice and commitment to distinguishing between her different characters. Yakitha Egana, theater communications junior, also added serious depth to the show with her obvious sincerity and empathy, not just towards the characters, but the subject matter in general. Gendusa orchestrated such a wonderful bond between the cast members in 2007 that the chemistry between them still resonates with audiences two years later.
The underlying theme to Monday’s “Laramie” was the question of whether Matthew Shepherd’s murder was a hate crime. Police officer Reggie Flutty, played by psychology senior Tracy Cochran, answered simply, “I think everything is a hate crime.” To do harm to another, she says, requires explosive levels of hate. But many residents of Laramie, according to Kaufmen, have written the crime off as a robbery gone wrong, or the product of overdosing of methamphetamines on the part of the killers.
Father Roger, a character played by theater communications junior David Hanks, explains that as a “desire for communities to own and control their history.” The “Laramie” epilogue succeeded in its mission of proving beyond a shadow of a doubt that Matthew Shepherd was targeted and brutalized for his homosexuality.
Monday night was a sheer triumph for not only the cast of “The Laramie Project: Ten Years Later” but for gay rights activists and empathizers across the country. Gendusa’s cast delivered a breathtaking performance that swept the audience off its feet and hit them with a heavy message of acceptance, tolerance and determination. It is with this in mind that one could say they paid a very respectable homage to their fallen hero, Matthew Shepherd.
Melanie Ziems can be reached at [email protected]
