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kareader's review
4.0
My first reaction was "Wow." I've never read a play that has affected me as much as The Laramie Project has. There are so many emotions, so many thoughts that this play evokes that you'll be exhausted when you finish. It's fabulous--a work of art.
lisaortiz1221's review
5.0
on October 7, 1998, just outside the small town of Laramie, Wyoming, Matthew Shepard was found beaten and left for dead, very literally. both the play and the movie, The Laramie Project, are responses to that murder.
"The essential facts are that the defendants, Aaron James McKinney and Russell Arthur Henderson, met Matthew Shepard at the Fireside Bar, and after Mr. Shepard confided that he was gay, the subjects deceived Mr. Shepard into leaving with them in their vehicle to a remote area. Upon arrival at said area, both subjects tied their victim to a buck fence, robbed him, tortured him, and beat him."
as you can see, it isn’t pleasant and it will probably make you suffer as you read (or watch). the hate and brutality that was exercised is staggering, and it rocked the foundation of that small town in Wyoming.
what is unique about the presentation by the Tectonic Theater (and subsequently the movie rendition) is that the play doesn’t focus on the murder, but rather on the town and people of Laramie in the aftermath of Matthew’s murder. the theater members interviewed and chronicled the lives and reactions of the Laramie people over the span of a year and half, breathing life into the town that the media had previously stripped of all humanity. the town had been portrayed as an antiquated small town where prejudice and hatred were natural byproducts, but the truth was much more complex. the Tectonic Theater brings these carefully constructed ‘moments’ that are within and beyond the deep-seated prejudice, tolerance, confusion, acceptance, and resulting solidarity towards Matthew Shepard and the gay community.
"There are moments in history when a particular event brings the various ideologies and beliefs prevailing in a culture into sharp focus." ~ Moises Kaufman
ultimately, under Kaufman’s direction, The Laramie Project is beautiful and artistic. although it is tragic and will break your heart, it is also hopeful and triumphant. it brings exposure to a national conversation that needs more attention, and it asks the difficult questions that need to be asked of us as individuals. the Tectonic Theater group took a daunting (and potentially dangerous) task and brought Laramie to the world in a very tangible way.
i only read the play (didn’t see it), but it was absolutely phenomenal. at just about 100 pages, it’s the kind of book you could pick up in the book store and read over coffee. just remember to bring some tissues (and maybe hide in the corner somewhere)! it is poignant and powerful and will leave you simultaneously crushed and uplifted.
the film rendition is almost entirely true to the play version and brings an all star cast to boot (Steve Buscemi, Christina Ricci, Janeane Garofalo). i wasn’t sure what to expect of the movie, since the play is so unique in its presentation, but it was actually very very good. i definitely recommend both the book/play or the movie version.
"The essential facts are that the defendants, Aaron James McKinney and Russell Arthur Henderson, met Matthew Shepard at the Fireside Bar, and after Mr. Shepard confided that he was gay, the subjects deceived Mr. Shepard into leaving with them in their vehicle to a remote area. Upon arrival at said area, both subjects tied their victim to a buck fence, robbed him, tortured him, and beat him."
as you can see, it isn’t pleasant and it will probably make you suffer as you read (or watch). the hate and brutality that was exercised is staggering, and it rocked the foundation of that small town in Wyoming.
what is unique about the presentation by the Tectonic Theater (and subsequently the movie rendition) is that the play doesn’t focus on the murder, but rather on the town and people of Laramie in the aftermath of Matthew’s murder. the theater members interviewed and chronicled the lives and reactions of the Laramie people over the span of a year and half, breathing life into the town that the media had previously stripped of all humanity. the town had been portrayed as an antiquated small town where prejudice and hatred were natural byproducts, but the truth was much more complex. the Tectonic Theater brings these carefully constructed ‘moments’ that are within and beyond the deep-seated prejudice, tolerance, confusion, acceptance, and resulting solidarity towards Matthew Shepard and the gay community.
"There are moments in history when a particular event brings the various ideologies and beliefs prevailing in a culture into sharp focus." ~ Moises Kaufman
ultimately, under Kaufman’s direction, The Laramie Project is beautiful and artistic. although it is tragic and will break your heart, it is also hopeful and triumphant. it brings exposure to a national conversation that needs more attention, and it asks the difficult questions that need to be asked of us as individuals. the Tectonic Theater group took a daunting (and potentially dangerous) task and brought Laramie to the world in a very tangible way.
i only read the play (didn’t see it), but it was absolutely phenomenal. at just about 100 pages, it’s the kind of book you could pick up in the book store and read over coffee. just remember to bring some tissues (and maybe hide in the corner somewhere)! it is poignant and powerful and will leave you simultaneously crushed and uplifted.
the film rendition is almost entirely true to the play version and brings an all star cast to boot (Steve Buscemi, Christina Ricci, Janeane Garofalo). i wasn’t sure what to expect of the movie, since the play is so unique in its presentation, but it was actually very very good. i definitely recommend both the book/play or the movie version.
jessknelson1's review
5.0
This is the first of 3 summer reading books I have to read for my AP Language class. I chose The Laramie Project to be one of these books based on a quickly read summary. I am so glad that I did! Despite it's short length, it carries many messages about society and the different views that people can hold about a significant event. It was so interesting to hear the opinion of three different Churches as well as many locals on the murder of a gay man in their town. The theater company obviously felt passionate about this project and did everything they could to shed light on the controversial and important topic. They did everything they could to reveal the truth and the different sides of the argument regarding the acceptance of gay people in this particular community as well as the rest of the nation. I feel that this will be a great piece of work to discuss and debate with my classmates in the fall. I'm going to encourage as many people as I can to read it! I would love to see the play performed and will look forward to a movie coming out in the future.