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By: Kay Kipling
Examining Laramie at the Sugden.
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It would be easy to think of The Laramie Project, Moises Kaufman's examination of Laramie, Wyo., in the aftermath of the murder of young gay college student Matthew Shepard, as a visit to a town without pity. Too easy, says Naples Player artistic director Dallas Dunnagan, who'll direct the play this month at the Sugden's intimate Tobye Studio.
"It's about how it [the murder] affects the town, and it translates into a universal whole," she says. "It makes you see the hidden chinks there are in any town. It could be our town."
The piece came into being shortly after Shepard's murder in 1998, when playwright Kaufman and members of his Tectonic Theater Company came to Laramie and began a yearlong process of interviewing the town's residents- those who knew Shepard and those who did not. Combined with trial transcripts and reflections from the actors and creators themselves, the interviews add up to what Dunnagan calls "a terrific theatrical piece. I love the topical nature of it. In the studio space we need to stretch our boundaries a little; it's what the subscribers for Tobye Studio plays want."
Ten actors essay multiple roles ranging in age, gender and background in the play, which will be staged with minimal set changes and scenery. But Dunnagan promises The Laramie Project won't be just actors sitting reading lines: "It has to move from moment to moment; it never stops. The actors have to change locations for us, to create the dynamic of the piece. Our membership is excited about it."
The Laramie Project will be onstage Oct. 29-Nov. 15 in the Tobye Studio. For tickets call 263-7990.
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