Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Publication
Vintage (2001), Edition: 1st Vintage Books ed, 128 pages
Description
"On October 7, 1998, a young gay man was discovered bound to a fence in the hills outside Laramie, Wyoming, savagely beaten and left to die in an act of brutality and hate that shocked the nation. Matthew Shepard's death became a national symbol of intolerance, but for the people of Laramie the event was deeply personal, and it is their voices we hear in this stunningly effective theater piece. Moises 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 conducted more than 200 interviews with people of the town. From these interviews as well as their own experiences, Kaufman and the Tectonic Theater members have constructed a deeply moving theatrical experience. The Laramie Project chronicles the life of the town of Laramie in the year after the murder, using eight actors to embody more than sixty different people in their own words--from rural ranchers to university professors. The result is a complex portrayal that dispels the simplistic media stereotypes and explores the depths to which humanity can sink and the heights of compassion of which we are capable"--Jacket. Contains Death, Homophobia, and Murder.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member whitewavedarling
This is a powerful play, worth reading and/or performing. It holds together much better than other plays I've read which were worked together from interviews, and the characters, many as they may be, resonate with readers on multiple levels. Highly recommended.
LibraryThing member smohri
This was a powerful play about a very tragic event. I remember hearing about this on the news but vaguely remember the details. But what I do remember is the media frenzy that followed the incident. I thought that having the play based on the interviews with Laramie residents and the focus on the
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effects an event like this can have on a town was what made this play so powerful. Moises Kaufman did a good job of taking an incident many of us know about and giving it a new face. It made me realize again how powerful and affecting the media can be. Probably the best part for me, was that it made me want to read more plays. Show Less
LibraryThing member trishaj
We were required to read five plays this semester and The Laramie Project was, by far, my favorite. It was the most evocative, thought provoking, and poignant piece of literature I've read and not just for this class.
It reads like a docudrama. The members of the Tectonic Theater Group conducted
The play was also divided up into "moments" and not scenes. These moments were snapshots into the minds and lives of the people of Laramie. These moments served to make the drama more memorable and brings the audience into the play by making it seem like these moments were being shared the same way as if you were the one sitting down with each individual and having a conversation.
Moises Kaufman's method and vision brings the play to life and the horrible tragedy of Matthew Shepard's death in such a unique way. It left an indelible impression on me and I count myself lucky that this was required reading.
Final Notes: I am embarrassed to admit that I have absolutely no memory of this happening and didn't know anything about it until I read the play last week, 15 years after the fact. The Mister and I were talking about it and thinking back, all the drama happened when I was pregnant with the Youngest child, moving back to Ohio after running from a hurricane in Florida, and dealing with all that change. I was also staying with my mom in Ohio who refuses to watch the news. Still, considering the vigils and demonstrations that were held nationwide in honor of Matthew and the incident in New York that led to civil disobedience and hundreds of arrests, you would think that I would have heard something.
It reads like a docudrama. The members of the Tectonic Theater Group conducted
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something like 200 interviews with the people of Laramie and those that were involved in the case. The theater group then transcribed the interviews and composed them into dialogue for the play. They also related their own experiences and reactions to the events and people of Laramie, thus, becoming an integral part of the play themselves. Eight actors of the theater group were used to act out the parts for the 60 different people interviewed.The play was also divided up into "moments" and not scenes. These moments were snapshots into the minds and lives of the people of Laramie. These moments served to make the drama more memorable and brings the audience into the play by making it seem like these moments were being shared the same way as if you were the one sitting down with each individual and having a conversation.
Moises Kaufman's method and vision brings the play to life and the horrible tragedy of Matthew Shepard's death in such a unique way. It left an indelible impression on me and I count myself lucky that this was required reading.
Final Notes: I am embarrassed to admit that I have absolutely no memory of this happening and didn't know anything about it until I read the play last week, 15 years after the fact. The Mister and I were talking about it and thinking back, all the drama happened when I was pregnant with the Youngest child, moving back to Ohio after running from a hurricane in Florida, and dealing with all that change. I was also staying with my mom in Ohio who refuses to watch the news. Still, considering the vigils and demonstrations that were held nationwide in honor of Matthew and the incident in New York that led to civil disobedience and hundreds of arrests, you would think that I would have heard something.
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LibraryThing member payam-tommy
If you have a message, go to the post office then.
If you are a gay-movement's member (or any other fucking movements), write an article. why do you write a play or shoot a film?!
I hate to see someone's fucking ideology STRAIGHT in front of my fucking face.
(I just gave it 2 stars because I care
If you are a gay-movement's member (or any other fucking movements), write an article. why do you write a play or shoot a film?!
I hate to see someone's fucking ideology STRAIGHT in front of my fucking face.
(I just gave it 2 stars because I care
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about racism/hate crimes. unless it was an absolutely poor play) Show Less
LibraryThing member SoulFlower1981
I had previously watched the HBO drama that was made of this script and found it fascinating. I had to read this particular script for my Theatre class and was taken by the fact that it was significantly different from the movie in many contexts. Characters said things in the movie that was not
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said by them in the play and some scenes were cut entirely. I enjoyed the play more than I enjoyed the movie because it felt like a more organic truth than the movie did after reading this. I enjoyed that someone actually took the time to talk to people of this town that has a profound single moment in their own history that defines them. I think it gave voice to a large group of people that may have never had that opportunity before. This was probably one of the best scripts I have had to read for this particular course to date. Show Less
LibraryThing member BrokenTune
Thought-provoking.
Review to follow later.
Review to follow later.
LibraryThing member deckla
I love docudrama; it does what I think theatre should do, which is examine the context of our lives. This work, both personal and political, based on interviews with the townspeople in the place where Matthew Shepard was the victim of a homophobic murder, does just that.
LibraryThing member Carol420
Seems there is no end to man’s inhumanity to his fellow man. I remember reading about his when it happened and everyone I encountered, that had read about it, or had seen the report on TV news…speechless and horrified. The book is a quick read and very well presented. I read a lot of horror and
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graphic murder books but this one was so much worse because it was real>. One thing that impressed me about it was that the author didn’t take sides, thus leaving the reader to make up their own mind…but I can’t image even the most staunchly homophobic individual not finding something terribly wrong or being able to make a case to justify what happened here. Just a side note…this is also on DVD. Show Less
LibraryThing member thoroughlyme
I had to read this play for my Playscript Analysis class in college and it was one of the best plays we read the entire semester. From start to finish, The Laramie Project is a gripping, entertaining read that makes you think deeply, tugs at your heartstrings, and stretches the bounds of what you
The Laramie Project tells the story of how the small town of Laramie, Wyoming reacts to the brutal murder of Matthew Sheppard in 1998. It's a really difficult read about the impact a hate crime can have on a small community. Folks often feel as though it "could never happen here" up until the moment it does and they're forced to take an introspective look at themselves and their community and how they possibly could have allowed for such a tragedy to occur.
The Laramie Project offers a surprisingly sympathetic look at the town. It would have been very easy for Kaufman and the other members of the Tectonic Theater Project to have painted the residents of Laramie as a bunch of bigots, but they don't do that. They show the residents as they are, warts and all, but also grant them a light of sympathy. Many of them harbor no ill-feelings towards LGBT people and are utterly appalled that such a hate crime could've taken place in their midst.
It's a really fascinating look into how tragedies can impact the lives of more than just the immediate family of the victims. It's a hard read and will likely make you emotional, so do be prepared for that. But, all in all, it's a really good one and you'll be a better person after having read the play.
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can do in a modern piece of theatre.The Laramie Project tells the story of how the small town of Laramie, Wyoming reacts to the brutal murder of Matthew Sheppard in 1998. It's a really difficult read about the impact a hate crime can have on a small community. Folks often feel as though it "could never happen here" up until the moment it does and they're forced to take an introspective look at themselves and their community and how they possibly could have allowed for such a tragedy to occur.
The Laramie Project offers a surprisingly sympathetic look at the town. It would have been very easy for Kaufman and the other members of the Tectonic Theater Project to have painted the residents of Laramie as a bunch of bigots, but they don't do that. They show the residents as they are, warts and all, but also grant them a light of sympathy. Many of them harbor no ill-feelings towards LGBT people and are utterly appalled that such a hate crime could've taken place in their midst.
It's a really fascinating look into how tragedies can impact the lives of more than just the immediate family of the victims. It's a hard read and will likely make you emotional, so do be prepared for that. But, all in all, it's a really good one and you'll be a better person after having read the play.
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LibraryThing member jonbrammer
The murder of Matthew Shepherd led many Americans to search their feelings about homosexuality and the gay men and women in our midst. But this play (written in "moments" instead of acts or scenes) shows us how mundane and banal anti-gay violence can be. The two young men who murdered Shepherd were
Kaufman and the Tectonic Theater Project want to capture the soul of Laramie, Wyoming, and by interviewing various townspeople, we get a sense that there is nothing unusual about the town that would cause its children to commit hate crimes. The same underlying homophobia can probably be found in most high schools in our country. The strong majority has a tendency to victimize the weak, different minority. The audience gets a sense that Shepherd was in the wrong place at the wrong time, but to make his death meaningful, we need to better understand ourselves and better love each other.
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not the monsters we would like them to be - instead they were young, desperate, and stupid. Kaufman and the Tectonic Theater Project want to capture the soul of Laramie, Wyoming, and by interviewing various townspeople, we get a sense that there is nothing unusual about the town that would cause its children to commit hate crimes. The same underlying homophobia can probably be found in most high schools in our country. The strong majority has a tendency to victimize the weak, different minority. The audience gets a sense that Shepherd was in the wrong place at the wrong time, but to make his death meaningful, we need to better understand ourselves and better love each other.
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Subjects
Awards
Stonewall Book Award (Winner — 2002)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2001
Physical description
128 p.; 5.19 inches
ISBN
0375727191 / 9780375727191