A few weeks ago, members of Queer and Allied Activism (QuAA), presented The Laramie Project: Ten Years Later, an epilogue to The Laramie Project, a play written in response to the tragic death of Matthew Shepherd.
Eleven years ago, Matthew Shepherd was murdered in Laramie, Wyoming. Two men he had met at a bar, Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson, beat and tortured Matthew, eventually tying him to a fence and leaving him for dead. The violent murder shocked the small town of Laramie, especially when witnesses testified at Matthew's murder trial that they believed that Matthew had been targeted because he was gay. His murderers are currently each serving two consecutive life sentences in prison.
The Laramie Project, written by Moises Kaufman and other members of the Tectonic Theater Project, showcases the effect this murder had on the small community by using a series of interviews conducted with residents of Laramie. Ten years later the authors of the original play decided to go back to Laraime to re-interview members of the community to see if anything had changed in the ten years. The Laramie Project: Ten Years Later, is the epilogue of the original production.
The Laramie Project: Ten Years Later premiered worldwide on Oct. 12, 2009, which marked the eleventh anniversary of Matthew's death. The play premiered simultaneously in all fifty states and even a few countries. QuAA was fortunate enough to be able to take part in this great event, as the organization was chosen to take part in the world premier. The premier, which QuAA presented in McLeod, featured a live video feed, with speeches by Glenn Close, Moises Kaufman, and Judy Shepherd, Matthew's mother. Then the news feed ended and the audience was treated to a truly moving performance by members of the University community. All the while thousands of people around the world were experiencing the same production.
This play was thought-provoking - not just about Matthew and Laramie, but about our own community and ourselves. The truth is Laramie could have happened anywhere. The director of the play performed here at the University, Eudora Chua, believes that is was important for the University community to experience this play. "U.Va. as a community needs to see plays like The Laramie Project. We need to acknowledge that we are a diverse population in so many ways, that there is so much social injustice and prejudice here at U.Va., and we need to overcome apathy to address these issues." She also believes that live theater is an extremely effective way to get people thinking. "You can't go to a play and veg out the way you can when you go to a movie. A theatrical performance requires you to be engaged, to form a relationship with the actors in what you are seeing and to think about what you saw."
The performance did a great job of getting people thinking about not just homophobia, but prejudice in general. Jacqueline Jones, a fourth-year cast member, thought the play did a good job of bringing attention to a different type of prejudice. "I really like the new play because it shows that in addition to the strong, in-your-face hateful type of homophobia exhibited in the original play ten years ago, homophobia and prejudice in general can also be more subtle and cloaked, but still dangerous."
Plays like The Laramie Project are important because they cause the audience to think about and question their own beliefs and assumptions. I know this performance certainly got me thinking. Change, especially regarding issues brought up in the play such as acceptance, is something that sometimes comes slower than we want, and is something that certainly can't be forced. But it is performances like these that get people thinking and talking, that cause people to question themselves and their community. And it is what starts to bring understanding and acceptance.
I would like to congratulate the cast and crew and everyone involved in the University's performance of The Laramie Project: Ten Years Later, on not only a wonderful performance, but on bringing this important production to the University. It certainly got members of the audience thinking, talking, and questioning. And that is a great place to start.
Megan Stiles is a Viewpoint writer for The Cavalier Daily.
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