The Laramie Project

Directed by: Mr. Jace Smykil | Student Directed by: Caroline Eldridge

Show Synopsis

In October 1998, a twenty-one-year-old student at the University of Wyoming was kidnapped, severely beaten, and left 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, while others were citizens of Laramie, and the breadth of the 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 in Laramie. The Laramie Project is a breathtaking collage that explores the depths to which humanity can sink and the heights of compassion of which we are capable.

The Laramie Project Cast Headshots

The Laramie Project Cast List

Daniel Blackburn - Doc O'Connor, Father Roger Schmit, Dennis Shepard, Jeffrey Lockwood, Priest, Narrator

Dylan Duffy - Greg Pierotti, Sergeant Hing, Conrad Miller, Rev. Fred Phelps, Narrator, Ensemble

Lorena Franklin - Marge Murray, Newsperson, Lucy Thompson, Judge, Narrator, Ensemble

Clara Frey - Rebecca Hilliker, Baptist Minister's Wife, DJ Shadow, Kerry Drake, Andy Paris, Juror, Narrator, Ensemble

Luke Gilchrist - Dr. Cantway, Jonas Slonaker, Phil LaBrie, Harry Woods, Aaron McKinney, Bill McKinney, Narrator

Emma LeBlanc - Leigh Fondakowski, Kristin Price, Tiffany Edwards, Juror, Bailiff, Mormon Home Teacher, Narrator, Ensemble

Sophie Luther - Amanda Gronich, Matt Mickleson, Waitress, Reggie Fluty, Reporter, Narrator, Ensemble

Neve Maud - April Silva, Catherine Connolly, Murdock Cooper, Stephen Mead Johnson, Newsperson, Foreperson, Narrator, Ensemble

Breton Mendez - Jedediah Schultz, Rulon Stacy, Juror, Narrator, Ensemble

Zeek Mesa - Jon Peacck, Barbara Pitts, Alison Mears, Aaron Kriefels, Zackie Salmon, Judge, Narrator, Ensemble

Liam Morton - Stephen Belber, Philip Dubois, Baptist Minister, Gov. Jim Gerigner, Russell Henderson, Narrator, Ensemble

Emiko Mukai - Romaine Patterson, Sergeant Detective DeBree, Newsperson, Email Writer, Narrator, Ensemble

Shakti Maya Pollara - Eileen Engen, Doug Laws, Trish Steger, Sherry Johnson, Narrator, Ensemble

Liam Roarty - Matt Galloway, Moisés Kaufman, Gil Engen, Cal Rerucha, Juror, Narrator