Serendipity's "The Laramie Project" Tells of Tragic Reaction/Treatment to/of Gays

The Laramie Project is being presented by Serendipity Players in downtown Vancouver. This Obie award-winning play is written by Moises Kaufman and directed by Tony Broom and Kate Flanagan at the Serendipity Players location on Washington and 5th. It runs through August 17th. For more information go to their website at www.serendipityplayers.org or call 360-834-3588 for tickets.

This is event is part of the Gay Pride month in Vancouver. The horrific incident happened in Laramie, Wyoming in the Fall of 1998. The author and the Tectonic Theater Project descended for 18 months on this small town conducting over 200 interviews. This play is the result of that endeavor.

Aaron Filyaw, Maury Evans and Jordan Mui

The facts, simply put, were that two drunken young men, residents of Laramie,
kidnapped Matthew Shepard, a gay student from the University, and took him to a secluded location, robbed him, tied him to a fence post, beat and tortured him and left him to die. And for one reason only. He was Gay. The ultimate hate crime.

But that is only part of the story. The other part deals with the townsfolk and their reactions to Gays, as well as a breeding ground for the two thugs that murdered him. You hear from the religious factions, the college, the long-time residents, his friends and family, as well as the killers and their people. What is surprising is that, in the end, it is pretty much a typical American town. Divided, yes, with rednecks and ultra religious conservative on one side and the students and the more progressive thinkers on the other. As I said, typical American town.

The Production and Players

The production is done more like a Reader’s Theatre than a conventional presentation. It is performed by ten individuals, dressed in black, with occasional accessories to identify characters, playing a variety of roles. They are all seated onstage during the entire show, standing and conversing when the situation suggests it. This might sound tedious but the material is so rich in actual testimonies from the real people that it becomes riveting most of the time.

Andres Houseman

Some of the story focuses in on the various religious factions. The most zealot condemning him for sinning against God’s Word (but it’s all right to torture and murder him?! I don’t think so). Some of it narrows in on the family and friends of both parties, being very articulate on how this incident has affected their lives. The most moving being from Matthew’s father (Maury Evans) in a painful recall on his son’s thinking in his final hours. And, of course, the painful growth that has taken shape in this country for the Gay Movement, triggered, in part, by this event.

I admire actors that can take on the mantle of several characters relying, almost exclusively, on their own abilities. For the most part, they do well. Some seemed to be struggling with lines at times and the pacing should be picked up in places, especially in Act II. But, by in large, they did very well with some difficult material.

Mimi Wilaki, Aaron Filyaw, Mara McGreevey, Mason Hall,
and Rebecca Rowland Hines

Especially effective were Mara McGreevey as the Muslim woman, Rebecca Rowland Hines as various townspeople and Aaron Filyaw as the student who defies his parents by performing in Angels In America at the school.

Outstanding were Maury Evans as a long-time Gay resident, a Catholic priest, an examining policeman
and, as mention, powerful as Matthew’s father. Also impressive is Gene Biby (head of Clark’s drama dept.) in various roles. He brings an ease and inevitability in approaching his characters. He was extremely effective as George in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf and the director of Rent, both at Clark College. A talent I hope we’ll see involved in many more productions.

Ia Solis "is captivating."

And Ia Solis, as various characters, is amazing. She owns the stage when she speaks! She is articulate, concise and totally captivating. She is a talent to be reckoned with and I hope to see more of her “on the boards.”

Broom (Serendipity’s Artistic Director and co-founder) and Flanagan’s direction is quite compelling, letting the dialogue and characters dominate the stage. They have assembled a fine cast to tell a difficult and complex story. As mentioned, all it requires is to be tightened up in places. A brave choice that needs to be seen.

I recommend this play as it is both educational and engrossing. But it is about very adult situations so may not be for everyone. If you do go, please tell them Dennis sent you.

Tickets are $15 general admission and may be purchased online at www.serendipityplayers.org, or reservations can be made by calling 360-834-3588. Tickets are also available at the door. Doors open 30 minutes before the performance.

By Dennis Sparks, Guest Reviewer
www.dennissparksreviews.blogspot.com

All photos provided

Murdered for Being Gay is Subject of Serendipity's "The Laramie Project"

"THE LARAMIE PROJECT" written by Moises Kaufman and directed by Tony Broom opens next month at Serendipity Playhouse.  It will run July 26 - August 18 and our review by Dennis Sparks will run here July 27.

THE STORY: In October 1998 a twenty-one-year-old student at the University of Wyoming was kidnapped, severely beaten and left to die, 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, and others were citizens of Laramie, and the breadth of their 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. "THE LARAMIE PROJECT" is a breathtaking theatrical collage that explores the depths to which humanity can sink and the heights of compassion of which we are capable.

We imagine that due to subject matter viewer discretion is advised.

"One of the ten best plays of the year. A pioneering work of theatrical reportage and a powerful stage event."—Time Magazine. "Astonishing. Not since Angels in America has a play attempted so much: nothing less than an examination of the American psyche at the end of the millennium." —Associated Press. "…nothing short of stunning…you will be held in rapt attention." —New York Magazine

AUDITIONS: For "The Laramie Project" at Serendipity Playhouse

In October 1998 Matthew Shepard was kidnapped, severely beaten and left to die, tied to a fence on the outskirts of Laramie, Wyoming. 

Five weeks later, Moisés Kaufman and fellow members of the Tectonic Theater Project went to Laramie, and over the course of the next year, conducted more than 200 interviews with people of the town. From these interviews they wrote the play which chronicles the life of the town of Laramie in the year after the murder.

Serendipity Players is holding open auditions for men and women of all ages and ethnicities for The Laramie Project. Auditions will be held 1 p.m. May 18 and 19 at the Serendipity Playhouse, 500 Washington St., Vancouver, Wash. 

Auditions will consist of cold readings from the script, no prepared pieces are required. Headshots and resumes will be accepted but are not required. Upon being cast, actors should be prepared to perform 8-10 roles. Rehearsals will begin 7 p.m. June 3. Performance dates are weekends July 26 - August 18.

If you have any questions, please contact the director, Tony Broom at 971-563-3661 or at serendipityplayers@yahoo.com