Young Actors Give Moving Performance

The chatter in the Williams Hall Library auditorium began to lessen as the lights dimmed. Ten young actors filled into the auditorium, all making their way to their prospective spots and standing with their backs to the audience. As each actor’s character was announced, they turned, spoke and turned back around all in one synchronized action.

The play they were presenting was a story of tragedy and about the dangers of being true to yourself.

On October 12, 1998, Matthew Shepard died after being brutally beaten because of his homosexuality. Most consider this act a hate crime but there are still some who dispute this statement. Before his death, Shepard attended at the University of Wyoming in Laramie.

After hearing about the event and realizing the lack of hate laws in various U.S. states, the Tectonic Theatre Project set out collecting interviews and information which they then turned into the acclaimed play, The Laramie Project.

Ten years after the murder, the Tectonic Theatre Project set out once again in search of whether or not the community had changed due to this event. Their findings were turned into The Laramie Project: 10 Years Later.

In 2009, readings of the play were done in 100 theaters across the United States. The Young Actors Ensemble of RI brought this play to the stage.

“This is a play that I wanted to do,” said director Robert DiMartino. “Something the kids can get into, has challenges.”

The Young Actors Ensemble is a group combined of high school actors and young seasoned actors. The goal of the ensemble is to teach and allow students to learn from their peers as they grow as actors.

Choosing a play like The Laramie Project: 10 Years Later gives young actors flexibility and forces them to push themselves. It involves becoming a different character who is completely unlike yourself and moving out of your comfort zone.

The Young Actors Ensemble brought to light a controversial topic that has often been brushed aside. Through their portrayals of the characters in The Laramie Project: 10 Years Later they introduced Matthew Shepard to a new audience and reminded everyone else what happened in Laramie. 

“It’s what we’re famous for… I just hope the community remembers how truly ugly hate is.”