CSPS is among the 150 sites presenting the
nationwide premiere of The Laramie Project: 10 Years Later this
October 12.
Presented by a cast of local actors, the play is an 80-minute epilogue to
The Laramie Project, the acclaimed play about the 1998 murder of
21-year-old college student Matthew Shepard. The staged reading is being
presented on the 11th anniversary of Shepard’s death by Legion Arts in
cooperation with Urban Theater Project of Iowa, Stage Left Productions and
Theatre Cedar Rapids.
The local cast includes Barb Arceneaux, Al Boettger, J. David Carey, Carrie
Fattig, Ryan Foizey, Scott Humeston, Jess Link, David Morton, Philip Schramp,
Susie Streit, Mike Wilhelm and Alex Williams. Jason Alberty of Urban Theatre
Project of Iowa is directing.
The evening will feature a pre-show live webcast hosted by actor Glenn
Close, welcoming remarks by Matthew’s mother Judy Shepard and a
post-production Q and A moderated by National Public Radio Arts and Culture
correspondent Neda Ulabay.
Moisés Kaufman, the playwright and director who, with his Tectonic Theater
Project company, wrote and produced the first Laramie Project, said
the epilogue focuses on the long-term effects of the murder on the town of
Laramie, Wyo, where the murder occurred. It explores how the town has
changed and how the murder continues to reverberate in the community. The
play also includes new interviews with Judy Shepard and Mathew’s murderer
Aaron McKinney, who is serving two consecutive life sentences. The writers
also conducted many follow-up interviews with Laramie residents from the
original piece.
Tectonic has managed to recruit more than 150 sites for the premiere, from
high school stages to New York’s Lincoln Center, where members of the
original cast will perform.
Matthew Shepard’s murder helped rally support for comprehensive hate crime
legislation and raised awareness about violence against gays in general.
One of the most presented plays in the country, the original Laramie
Project was also made into a film for HBO starring Peter Fonda, Laura
Linney, Christina Ricci and Steve Buscemi. It opened the 2002 Sundance Film
Festival and was nominated for four Emmys.
Theatre Cedar Rapids will present the original Laramie Project
January 15-24, 2010. That production will also be directed by Jason Alberty.
Ticket information can be found
here.
Mon Oct 12
| 7 pm CSPS | 1103 Third St SE | Cedar Rapids
Free | Donations welcome
Admission to Laramie Project: 10 Years
Later is free, though donations are accepted. Donations will be split
equally between Legion Arts, One Iowa, and the Iowa Safe Schools Task Force.
