Written by Communications Department Intern Emery Yates
The Maine South Fine Arts Department is set to put on its fall play The Laramie Project. Show dates are October 24, 25, and 26 at 7:30 pm and October 27 at 2 pm in the school’s auditorium. The show is recommended for those 13 and older as it handles topics that may not be suitable for a younger audience.
The Laramie Project is the true story of the community of Laramie in Wyoming, and the aftermath of the brutal death of one of its citizens, Matthew Shepard. The show focuses on the reaction of the people in the town rather than the actual act itself.
Each line in the play was taken from a direct quote from interviews with the people of Laramie. A company called The Tectonic Theater Project traveled to Laramie the year after the murder to interview the townspeople. This type of play is called verbatim theater.
The play is directed by Joey Fitzpatrick and has a cast and crew of 79 people. The crew is working to build a more immersive experience for the audience. This is accomplished by creating a stage extension that moves the actors further into the auditorium. Some seats in the back of the theater will be unavailable, making it so that audience members are closer to the actors, which will make the audience feel like they are a part of the play.
Within the ensemble of this production, there are actors who are dedicated solely to creative movement. This movement ensemble acts as a guiding presence between different moments in the show.
“I’ve created this movement ensemble that is representing the elements of nature that Dennis Shepard (Matthew Shepard’s father) said he feels brought Matthew comfort at the end of his life,” says Fitzpatrick.
During rehearsal for the play, Fitzpatrick had the cast meet with Matthew’s father, Dennis Shepard. They met on a Zoom call and the cast was able to ask questions. Fitzpatrick also had the cast dive deep into the dramaturgical research of the events in this play so they could understand the importance of what they were performing.
“I have to remind the students that these are real people that they’re playing. They’re not characters, and so to channel those people in an authentic and respectful way is of utmost importance,” says Fitzpatrick.
“I play one of the Tectonic Theater members, so I was able to find them online and learn some new things about them,” says junior cast member Peter Sagmeister. “Things like where they were born, where they grew up, how long they’ve been doing theater. Little things like that influence how a person behaves, which will help to make it the best show possible.”
“The play needs to have the intent of making life better for everyone,” says Fitzpatrick, “It needs to show people where hope lives. It needs to show people the different perspectives that are going to be out there in the world.”