While i was directing the laramie project i dreamt about matthew constantly, this play is the voice of matthew telling a very poignant, universal and distinctly devastating story and is one of the best most life changing pieces of theatre that exists in a modern context. The laramie project questions and answers discover the community of teachers, mentors and students just like you that can answer any question you might have on. The laramie project opens with its narrator describing how, from 1998 to 1999, tectonic theater project made repeated trips to laramie, wyoming to conduct interviews with people from the town. It was next performed in the union square theatre in new york city before a november 2002 performance in laramie, wyoming. You and the straight people of laramie and wyoming are guilty of the beating of matthew shepard just as the germans who looked the other way are guilty of the deaths of the jews, the gypsies, and the homosexuals. However, i found one scene to be strikingly different. Jul 09, 2017 one of the most frequently performed plays in america today, the laramie project, is now on view at the atlas performing arts center, where the bare stage of the lang theatre has been transformed.
It is so boring and i only have until tomorrow to read the entire book and when i dont like what i am reading it takes me forever. Ten years later, this historic double bill examines a communitys shaken selfunderstanding in the aftermath of tragedy and the temptation to rewrite history in the name of moving on. The laramie project by lisharry betancourt on prezi. The laramie project is a documentarystyle play created by the venezuelan playwright moises kaufman and members of the tectonic theater project, an experimental company whose work has often touched on social themes.
The author wanted to learn more about why matthew shepard was murdered and about laramie. This detailed literature summary also contains bibliography on the laramie project by moises kaufman. Dramatists play service, one of the premier playlicensing and theatrical publishing agencies in the world, was formed in 1936 to foster national opportunities for playwrights by publishing affordable editions of their plays and handling the performance rights to these works. To create the stage version of the laramie project, the eightmember new yorkbased tectonic theatre project traveled to laramie, wyoming, recording hours of interviews with the towns citizens over a twoyear period. The laramie project quotes showing 15 of 5 and its even in some of the western literature, you know, live and let live. The next person who was interviewed was jedadiah schultz a student who won a theater scholarship.
The laramie project summary from litcharts the creators of. The laramie project at the play group theatre who is matthew shepard. The laramie project study guide contains a biography of moises kaufman, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes. Dps offers an extensive list of titles that includes many of the most significant plays of the past century. The laramie project is set in and around laramie, wyoming, in the aftermath of the murder of 21yearold matthew shepard. Tigner contends that the laramie project was written in the style of a narrative although it tries to present itself as a true story. How does the laramie project fit under the category of ethnographic theater. The play is edited from those interviews, as well as from journal entries by members of the. If there is a sparknotes, shmoop, or cliff notes guide, we will have it. Born on december 1st, 1976, to judy and dennis shepard, matthew shepard left was a gay, university of wyoming student who on the morning of wednesday, october 7th 1998, was severely beaten, tied to a fence, and left. In moises kaufmans, the laramie project the under lying theme of the novel is people are afraid of change.
Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides for challenging works of literature. Although when originally reading the laramie project, this idea did not come to mind, i agree with tigners criticism. Kaufman and tectonic theater members have constructed a deeply moving theatrical experience from these interviews and their own experiences in laramie. The laramie project is a breathtaking collage that explores the depths to which humanity can sink and the heights of compassion of which we are capable. Originally written as a play, and developed using the transcripts of real interviews with the people of laramie, wyoming, the film version of the laramie project tells viewers the story of matthew shepard, a 21yearold gay man living in laramie who was viciously murdered in 1998 due to his sexuality. The laramie project rachael butris, allyson rogers, jolene perales, heather lawson gay rights in america 1969 first step for gay rights with the stonewall riot gay rights in the 90s 1992 colorado becomes the 1st state to rid itself of protection laws 1993 dont ask dont. Stephen belber, greg pierotti, barbara pitts, stephen wangh, amanda gronich, sara lambert, john mcadams, maude mitchell, andy paris, and kelli simpkins about the reaction to the 1998 murder of gay. The matthew shepard foundation supports dozens of productions of the laramie project and its epilogue the laramie project. Stephen mead johnson describes how the fence where matthew shepard was found in a coma became a sort of pilgrimage site. Moises kaufmans the laramie project is most often referred to as a docudrama, a play that is largely based on real facts. Therefore, he and members of tectonic theater group tectonic. If i dont tell you im a fag, you wont beat the crap out. The laramie project by moises kaufman and the tectonic theater project is a play that makes audiences shudder in horror and understand the true evil in the world.
Find summaries for every chapter, including a the laramie project chapter summary chart to help. On november 14, 1998, members of tectonic theatre project traveled to laramie, wyoming, and conducted interviews with the people of the town. The the laramie project community note includes chapterbychapter summary and analysis, character list, theme list, historical context. Journal entries the first moment or section of the play is titled a definition and begins with the narrator explaining that, over the course of a year, the theatre company travelled to laramie several times and conducted over two hundred interviews. Get all the key plot points of moises kaufmans the laramie project on one page. This study guide consists of approximately 25 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of the laramie project. Although the movie follows the play, i noticed some differences between the two from the beginning. Kaufman along with his theater troupe made six visits to laramie, wyoming, where the murder.
Essay about the laramie project 1907 words bartleby. This book is filled with quotes from the people of laramie, wyoming who believed they were living in a friendly town until the brutal murder of matthew shepard. The laramie project analyzes the death of matthew shepard, an openly gay college student who was brutally murdered in laramie, wyoming, in. The laramie project study guide from litcharts the creators. The laramie project kindle edition by kaufman, moises. You have taught your straight children to hate their gay and lesbian brothers and sistersunless. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. The narrator states that the play the audience is about to see is comprised of shortened and edited versions of those interviews and other primary source texts. The theme of prejudice is an undercurrent in the laramie project. The lowdown on the laramie project play group theatre. The laramie project study guide consists of approx. The laramie project summary and study guide supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides for challenging works of literature. This can be proved from the novel with the character cathy connolly and the struggle that homosexuals have to live in there own society.
The laramie project is a play by moises kaufman and the members of the tectonic theatre project. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. The laramie project summary and analysis like sparknotes free. Doc oconnor, the taxi driver, recalls that matt was forthcoming about his sexuality, and stated i want you to know, i am gay and we are going to a gay bar kaufman 19. On november fourteenth, 1998, the members of the tectonic theater project traveled to laramie, wyoming and conducted interviews with the people of the town.
The laramie project quotes from litcharts the creators. By interviewing the townspeople, kaufman is able to address specific issues, which in turn act as themes to the overarching play. The laramie project summary from litcharts the creators. In my view, moises kaufman and the members of the tetonic theater project did a very good job at creating a captivating story, but that is all it is. Laramie project support matthew shepard foundation.
The laramie project by moises kaufman looks at the brutal attack and death of matthew shepard in laramie, wyoming in october 1998. Feb 15, 20 the laramie project, about the killing of a gay man, matthew shepard, in wyoming in 1998, returns to new york with the city premiere of the cycles second part. To this point, the play is all but a work of nonfiction. The laramie project is one of the most frequently performed plays in america, as its messages still resonate with audiences today. Specifically, she argues that the laramie project is biased through its presentation. But the talented actors project a core of human values that recognizes our uniqueness even as it embraces our common humanity. Pairing the companys acclaimed work the laramie project alongside its 2008 epilogue, the laramie project. The wilson players performance of the laramie project. A person who did get involved was rebecca hilliker, the head of the theater department in laramie and she hoped that art will help the people involved get some kind of closure and move on without hating those involved. One of the most frequently performed plays in america today, the laramie project, is now on view at the atlas performing arts center, where the bare stage of the lang theatre has been transformed. The film has its flaws of course, but it is a well made movie. The laramie project at bams harvey theater the new york. Moises kaufmans the laramie project chapter summary.
This 48page guide for the laramie project by moises kaufman includes detailed chapter summaries and analysis, as well as several more indepth sections of expertwritten literary analysis. Focusing on the interviews of townspeople, news coverage, and. Members of kaufmans theatrical group, tectonic theater project, volunteered to travel with their director from new york city to the wideopen ranges of the west in order to gather inperson interviews from laramies. Although the play was not intended to give the town of laramie a bad name, the interviews portrayed laramie in a somewhat eerie light that made the reader or viewer of the play think twice about small town life. It affected us on a base personal level, and we redirected this to the. According to the movie, shepard was at a bar when he was approached by two men, aaron mckinney and russell henderson, who proceeded to kidnap, rob. Jan 25, 2002 the laramie project is set in and around laramie, wyoming, in the aftermath of the murder of 21yearold matthew shepard. Sep 26, 2015 the wilson players performance of the laramie project. Litcharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in the laramie project, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
The laramie project begins as various members of the laramie community praise the town of laramie, wyoming, speaking glowingly about towns closeknit community and expounding on its natural beauty. The best study guide to the laramie project on the planet, from the creators of sparknotes. The kids who are bullied are the first to go into battle. Kaufman along with his theater troupe made six visits to laramie, wyoming, where the. I tell my friends thateven my gay friends bring it up sometimes. At first, i was not really excited to see this play.
Kaufman, i have recently read your play, the laramie project, in my humanities class while attending sage college of albany. It is hard to say for sure why the laramie project took off while the others are less recognized, but it is probably because it is the movie that was written and directed by the same person that wrote the widely popular play of the same name. The laramie project summary and study guide supersummary. Ethnographic theater aims to present and explore a particular culture, in this case the town of laramie, for analysis. It was a saturday night and i hate going to any kind of theatre, including movie theatres. Start your 48hour free trial to unlock this the laramie project study guide and get instant access to the following. The laramie project questions and answers discover the community of teachers, mentors and students just like you that can answer any question you might have on the laramie project. The laramie project, about the killing of a gay man, matthew shepard, in wyoming in 1998, returns to new york with the city premiere of the cycles second part. The laramie project premiered at the ricketson theatre by the denver center theatre company denver part of the denver center for the performing arts in february 2000.
It also gave the most closely unbiased view of the incident. The laramie project explains that matthews gender performance strongly indicated that he was homosexual. Welcome to the litcharts study guide on moises kaufmans the laramie project. Moises kaufman and his actors told the story of real people who were the subjects of research and interviews. The laramie project analyzes the death of matthew shepard, an openly gay college student who was brutally murdered in laramie. Out of these interviews, journal entries, and found texts, the laramie project was born. After the brutal murder of mathew sheppard in 1998. The laramie project at bams harvey theater the new. Engage your students during remote learning with video readalouds.
Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the laramie project. The laramie project, written by moises kaufman, is a compilation of interviews by the tectonic theater project, news publications, and journal entries. Ok, my professor is making us read the script of the laramie project and i just cannot get through it. Some people in the town did not give a care in the world to him dying because he was gay and thought he should have died. The laramie project follows the members of the tectonic theater project, a theater group from new york city, as they conduct interviews with citizens of laramie just after matthew shepards murder. After the residents of laramie introduce their town, members of tectonic theater project describe. Stephen belber, greg pierotti, barbara pitts, stephen wangh, amanda gronich, sara lambert, john mcadams, maude mitchell, andy paris, and kelli simpkins about the reaction to the 1998 murder of gay university of wyoming. It is realistic fiction that is based on a true event. This play, an epilogue to the laramie project, is edited from those interviews as well as journal entries by members of the company and other found text. The juxtaposition of antigay demonstrations sparked by religion at a homosexuals funeral, and. Directors diary the laramie project stage whispers. Hailed as one of the most captivating and encompassing pieces of contemporary theatre, the play 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. On saturday, october 5th, i attended the play, the laramie project.
Find all available study guides and summaries for the laramie project by moises kaufman. Created by the original team behind sparknotes, litcharts are the worlds best literature guides. The laramie project tells this story in a way that might appear as a journalistic derivative, since it is gleaned from actual interviews and court testimony. Does anyone know where i can go to get information on it. The laramie project plot summary, character breakdowns, context and analysis, and performance video clips. The laramie project is a 2000 play by moises kaufman and members of the tectonic theater project specifically, leigh fondakowski, writerdirector. He is best known for writing the laramie project with other members of tectonic theater project. The laramie project study guide from litcharts the. Stephen is a member of the tectonic theater project who went to laramie and conducted some interviews, stephen confessed that he felt that their presence was not welcomed and even had second thoughts about wheatear he was going to go to laramie or not. During the next year, we would return to laramie several times and conduct over two hundred interviews. The laramie project study guide from litcharts the creators of sparknotes. The laramie project will most likely have an impact on any viewer that will watch the film, and it is a film that you cant forget. The laramie project study guide from litcharts the creators of.
444 827 55 1052 455 153 1375 963 635 1155 972 1229 66 1043 1199 903 907 202 611 71 485 753 1554 395 685 161 789 888 1125 139