THE LARAMIE PROJECT
Play by: Moises Kaufman
and the Members of Tectonic Theater Project
© Dramatists Play Service, Inc
Director: Neil Truglio
Set Design: Neil Truglio
Light Design: Kurt Morgan
Costume Design: Chantelle Frazier
Photo Credits: Sean Dolan
The Laramie Project was presented in April of 2013.
"When I was in college I not only saw the premiere presentation of The Laramie Project, I also had the opportunity to be on set and appear in the HBO film. I had always felt close to the story and decided to stage it with a strong ensemble in 2013. I brought in a colleague who was at the University of Wyoming in 1998 who could give the cast proper context before we started the journey. In February, the entire team travelled to Laramie, Wyoming to trace the last 24 hours of Matthew Shepard's life and connect with the town. All costuming was chosen by the ensemble, purchased in Laramie, and brought back to Denver for the presentation. I wanted to present the show as a staged documentary, to do this four cameras were placed in the audience and four chairs were set-up for "interviews". The actors could give their performance straight to camera as though they were being interviewed and were live projected to both sides of the audience through screens hung above the playing space. The actors played multiple roles including members of Tectonic Theater Project in order to create dialogue out of a play that is almost exclusively monologues."
The show was staged in a tennis-court style with audience on two sides and a gangway through the center of the staging area. The floor was made of white-washed hardwood, the furniture was chrome and glass, and all props were white to offset the actors against the simple background. Two large screens were hung above the acting space that could be used to show projected scenery or the documentary images of the actors performing.