海角社区 Theatre Season Begins with 鈥楾he Laramie Project鈥� Oct. 3-6
The 海角社区Theatre Department launches the 24-25 Mainstage season with聽The Laramie Project, performing Oct. 3-6. One of the most frequently produced plays in the United States,聽The Laramie Project聽depicts the aftermath of the 1998 murder of Matthew Shepard, a young gay man in Laramie, Wyoming. The play aims to promote dialogue about equality, acceptance, and tolerance.
The Laramie Project will be performed Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, Oct. 3-5, at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, Oct. 6, at 2 p.m. in the Swanson Center Blackbox Theater in Demorest.
On Oct. 6, 1998, twenty-one-year-old Matthew Shepard was kidnapped, beaten, and left to die outside Laramie, Wyoming. His murderers targeted him because he was gay. Mois茅s Kaufman and members of the Tectonic Theatre Project traveled to Laramie to chronicle the reaction of the community to such a horrendous hate crime. They conducted 200 interviews over the span of two years uncovering reactions and opinions surrounding Matthew's murder. The New York-based theatre group then used these interviews to create聽The Laramie Project.
Bill Gabelhausen is directing The Laramie Project and he is excited and grateful to work on this production. 鈥淭he characters you will see on stage are based on real people unraveling their thoughts and feelings about the tragic death of Matthew Shepard and what it means for the future of their community. It is easy to slap a bumper sticker on your car that says, No Hate In My State, but can we support those words with our actions?鈥�
Gabelhausen directs the 海角社区 production, and Junior Kattie Smith is the stage manager.
Leading Players
Haylie Collins
Shelby Armentrout
Parker Skillin
Laurana Layton聽
Willow Cannon
Amanda Baker
Tyler Pellegrino
Josh Farmer
Ethan Spinks
Gabe Richman
Clayton Maddox聽
General admission seating is $10 for adults and $5 for seniors and students. Admission is free for 海角社区faculty, staff, and students. Tickets may be purchased online at piedmont.edu/tickets or by calling the box office at 706-778-8500 x1355.
Content Warning: This production explores the following themes which may be triggering for some audience members, including homophobia, hate speech and hate crime, prejudice and intolerance, death, violence, kidnapping, torture and murder.
About 海角社区 University
Founded in 1897, 海角社区is a private, comprehensive liberal arts institution offering a personalized higher education experience focused on student success, academic achievement, and professional development.听Offering a variety of career-oriented majors in the arts and sciences, business, education, and nursing,聽海角社区鈥檚 supportive learning environment is defined by small class sizes, with a 12:1 ratio, that allow students to create meaningful relationships with their professors, classmates, and the campus community. 海角社区鈥檚 idyllic, 390-acre residential campus is nestled in the foothills of the north Georgia mountains, with a satellite campus situated in the heart of downtown Athens.听For more, please visit聽www.piedmont.edu, or follow us on聽听补苍诲听.听