The Laramie Project Cycle @ BAM

[edjames]

In 1998, Matthew Shepard was tied to a fence, beaten, and left to die on the outskirts of Laramie, Wyoming. He had been the victim of a homophobic hate crime that left the small town of Laramie reeling. His murder became a watershed moment in America, highlighting the violence and prejudice LGBT people face in contemporary society.

 

Meticulously crafted from hundreds of interviews conducted with the town’s residents over the course of a decade—including Matthew's mother, Judy Shepard, and his convicted killer Aaron McKinney—The Laramie Project Cycle is presented by Moisés Kaufman and members of Tectonic Theater Project. Pairing the company's acclaimed work The Laramie Project alongside its 2008 epilogue, The Laramie Project: Ten Years Later, this historic double bill examines a community's shaken self-understanding in the aftermath of tragedy and the temptation to rewrite history in the name of moving on.

 

Reviewers for the NYTimes and NYPost have give their acclaim for this powerful and intense production:

 

http://www.nypost.com/p/entertainment/theater/laramie_lengthy_but_worthwhile_project_9EOi8k2NPZ3PJVPcwGI4qO

 

http://theater.nytimes.com/2013/02/15/theater/reviews/the-laramie-project-at-bams-harvey-theater.html?_r=0&adxnnl=1&hpw=&adxnnlx=1360941242-nIKqNqmkLaZiA/PPYgp7jA

 

I saw Part One last night and can attest to the power and intenseness of this production. Audible sobs were heard around the audience attesting to the moving stories and emotion that it evokes. It's a lenghtly Part One, running 2 hrs and 45 minutes with two intermission but well worth the riveting impact the show has. It was tough to relive the moments from 1998 when this event occured and the outcry and anquish from the gay communities across the country. Tonite is Part Two and it is a bit short running at just under two hours with one intermission.

 

The BAM Harvey Theater is a bit off the Broadway track but a visit to see this show is well worth it.

 

Check the website for the show schedule (Note: It is not necessary to see both shows, Part One deals with the aftermath of the crime and ends with the trial. Part Two takes up ten years later in Laramie and how the community there dealt with it.)

 

http://www.bam.org/theater/2013/the-laramie-project

 

Discounted seats are available through several websites., such as TDF and Goldstar.

 

Performances end Feb 24!!

 

ED