The Laramie Project to Be Performed at Simsbury High School

SIMSBURY, CT — Simsbury High School students present The Laramie Project, running April 26-28 in the school auditorium at 34 Farms Village Road. Friday and Saturday performances begin at 7 p.m., and the Sunday performance begins at 2 p.m.

Tickets are $10 for adults and $8 for students, and will be sold at the door. This play is PG-13 due to mature content and language. There will be a talk back following the Friday and Saturday performances.

The students take on this heavy piece about what happens to a town after a tragedy. In October 1998, a 21 year-old student at the University of Wyoming was kidnapped, severely beaten, and left tied to a fence in the middle of the prairie outside Laramie, Wyoming. His bloody, bruised, and battered body was not discovered until the next day, and he died several days later in an area hospital. His name was Matthew Shepard and he was the victim of this assault because he was gay.

Moisés Kaufman and fellow members of the Tectonic Theater Project made six trips to Laramie over the course of a year and a half, in the aftermath of the beating and during the trial of the two young men accused of killing Shepard. They conducted more than 200 interviews with the people of the town. Some people interviewed were directly connected to the case, while others were citizens of Laramie.

The breadth of the reactions to the crime is fascinating. 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 (from Dramatists Play Service).

The directing team of Dr. Stuart Younse, head of theatre at Simsbury High, and Dr. Sherry Boyd of Hartford Stage, have been working with the Matthew Shepard Foundation. The foundation supplied film and pictures, helping the students understand and connect with the play. The directors hope to bring awareness to LGBTQ plus issues in school and around the community.

Dr. Boyd, the artistic director for the show, said “The Laramie Project looks at not just the hate toward LGBTQ people, but also at a community and asking ‘Could something like that happen here?”

Emmalee Richards, a senior, added, “I think it's really going to make people think about their actions and the kind of people we are raising.” Another senior, Andrew Savarese believes it will be, “eye opening for a lot of people.”

Liam Tagliatela said, “I think they’re going to love it, but also hate it because it’s going to make them think.” Gus Glick, who plays one of the murderers, explains that “playing one of the murders has been very difficult for me because it’s not someone I’d like to play, but I’ve learned to realize that’s it’s more about the character, show, and the cause.”

“The production of this play will bring awareness to the issues regarding social injustice occurring in our community,” said Aminah Carrington.

Story and photos courtesy of Simsbury High School