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Laramie, Wyo. prides itself on the motto "Like No Place On Earth."
After the death of Matthew Sheppard, people begin to ask if the town is actually like every other place on the earth.
The play graphically describes the beating and killing of Matthew Sheppard by Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson. Sheppard was lured by two men into the east of Laramie. There he was tortured, beaten and tied to a split-rail fence because he was gay.
"The emotional and controversial affects of the play hit home for a lot of people and it made the outside world seem closer," ...Read More
Laramie, Wyo. prides itself on the motto "Like No Place On Earth."
After the death of Matthew Sheppard, people begin to ask if the town is actually like every other place on the earth.
The play graphically describes the beating and killing of Matthew Sheppard by Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson. Sheppard was lured by two men into the east of Laramie. There he was tortured, beaten and tied to a split-rail fence because he was gay.
"The emotional and controversial affects of the play hit home for a lot of people and it made the outside world seem closer," Frank Muster III, freshman biology major, said.
The play was collaborated by Moises Kaufman and the members of the Tectonic Theatre Project. In a year-and-a-half, the group traveled to Laramie six times and conducted over 200 interviews with several residents, and the outcome of the play is each cast member does not have one role to play.
The NSU production of the play is set on a curvy, fence-like stage. The stage was set close to the audience, so actors could interact with everyone.
There are only eight people in the show, therefore costumes were kept with simple khakis and white shirts. This made it very easy for the eight cast members to change quickly into several different roles.
Act I begins with an introduction of Laramie, a small town like Natchitoches, where everyone knows each others business.
As Act I began to focus on Sheppard's death, Dr. Cantway, the doctor who had been working on Sheppard, issued a moving statement from the Sheppard family during the time of death that said, "Go home and give your kids a hug."
Act II begins with the funeral of Sheppard. Many residents began to take action on gay rights and also the exposure of many gay individuals in town. An emotional speech from Patterson set the scene for many Laramie residents who were afraid to express being gay or stand up for their own gay rights.
The last scene rendered the verdict on McKinney and Henderson.
"It was an emotional roller coaster throughout the whole play. The entire cast did an awesome job of playing multiple characters," Selese McPhie, junior nursing major, said.
"The Laramie Project" is a play described by Scott Burrell, the director, as a play that sits on your mind.
"I wanted a play that applied to the real world, controversial, and appeals to the students," Burrell said.
This play explores many political, moral and emotional views of everyday life.
"I didn't know it was going to have such an emotional effect. Everyone has a little bit of Matthew in them, and it really is taken to heart," cast member Annie Fackler said.
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