A town processes a tragedy in The Laramie Project
“We’ve become Waco, we’ve become Jasper. We’re a noun, a definition, a sign. We may be able to get rid of that … but it will sure take a while.”
— Laramie resident Jedadiah Schultz
In October of 1998, in Laramie, Wyoming, Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson kidnapped, beat, and tortured Matthew Shepard, tying him to a fence and then leaving him for dead. Shepard would indeed die of his injuries after miraculously being discovered 18 hours after his attack. An out gay man — unusual for the area — Shepard had been targeted for his sexuality, and his death was marked as a hate crime in a time when laws related to hate crimes weren’t as expansive as they would be.
In the aftermath of this unspeakable event, members of the Tectonic Theater Project traveled to the town to make sure that the people of Laramie did speak about it. Now, their words have been echoing for nearly 30 years in The Laramie Project, a play that captures a snapshot of a community processing a tragedy, wrestling with what it could mean that two of their own citizens were capable of something so monstrous.
Understudies left to right: : Brad Alemao, Kaelynn Miller, Marie Tjernlund
Lakewood Playhouse’s production of The Laramie Project, directed by Joseph C. Walsh, has the members of the Tectonic Theater Project and the citizens of Laramie portrayed by a talented ensemble: Darryin B. Cunningham, Zack Fowler, Mykahla George, Ty Halton, Aya Hashiguchi, Brookelyne Peterson, Jason Sharp, and Stefanie MeiFang Van Rafelghem, each of whom gets around half a dozen roles to quickly switch in and out of.
Crucially, all of the dialogue from the Laramie residents is taken, verbatim from interviews conducted with the residents of town in the days following Shepard’s attack. The actors treated these interviews like a fact-finding mission, trying to understand the how’s and why’s of what happened. Meanwhile, Laramie is painted as a town at a precarious moment of possible change: reasonably liberal for a rural Wyoming town in the ‘90s, but in a don’t-ask-don’t-tell way; uncomfortable with open homosexuality, but quick to qualify that it has nothing to do with hate.
When Fred Phelps — the ghoul behind the Westboro Baptist Church, famous for their “God Hates Fags” protests — rears his ugly head, he is met with resistance, but there’s still the queasy feeling that a number of Laramie’s residents might agree with him, even if they’re reluctant to admit it in polite company. Still, the brutality and senselessness of Shepard’s murder seems to inspire grief and reflection in some Laramie citizens who had previously thought ill of LGBT people.
The overwhelming sensation in The Laramie Project is not one of anger or of sorrow, but of a kind of cautious hope. Because of our society’s “one step forward, two steps back” approach to LGBT rights, any one of The Laramie Project’s performances since its opening in 2000 could be said to be unfortunately timely, and now is no different. The sad fact is that, while Shepard’s death was eye-opening and attention-grabbing, it is not uncommon. But, The Laramie Project seeks to reinforce the idea that decent people vastly outnumber the bigots, even if there is still much more work to be done.
The Laramie Project is not an easy watch, but it remains an important one; and, while the subject matter is heavy, the play avoids becoming dour, so suffused is it with humanity and even humor. The cast, made up of a wide range of ages and experiences, is effective at portraying more than just quick sketches of their many roles, imbuing even small parts with internality. In 2025, The Laramie Project is likely to be preaching to the choir, but it’s an important reminder that, in many cases, humanizing the “other” is enough to change even the most closed of minds.
All photos courtesy of Lakewood Playhouse.
WHAT:
The Laramie Project
WHEN:
7:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday through March 9
WHERE:
Lakewood Playhouse, 5729 Lakewood Towne Center Blvd., Lakewood
COST:
$25-$30, “Pay What You Can” March 2
LEARN MORE:
https://olyarts.org/speaking-for-laramie-at-lakewood-playhouse/
(253) 588-0042