Theatre South will present The Laramie Project Cycle on Wednesday, Feb. 8, through Saturday, Feb. 11, each evening at 7:30 p.m. in the Great Neck South High School auditorium, 341 Lakeville Rd.
The Laramie Project Cycle consists of two plays in this series, with two separate casts. The Laramie Project will be performed on Feb. 8 and 10, and Laramie: 10 Years Later will be performed on Feb. 9 and 11.
The dramas tell the story of how in 1998, Matthew Shepard, a gay student at the University of Wyoming, was tied to a fence, beaten and left to die on the outskirts of Laramie, Wyoming. Shepard had been the victim of a homo-phobic hate crime that left the small town reeling. His murder became a watershed moment in America, highlighting the violence and prejudice LGBTQ people face in contemporary society.
Meticulously crafted from hundreds of interviews conducted with the town’s residents throughout a decade—including his mother, Judy Shepard, and his convicted killer, Aaron McKinney—The Laramie Project Cycle was written by Moisés Kaufman and members of Tectonic Theater Project. The acclaimed work, which was written in 2000, and its 2008 epilogue, examines a community’s shaken self-understanding in the aftermath of tragedy and the temptation to rewrite history in the name of moving on.
Due to strong content and language, performances may not be appropriate for younger audience members. For tickets, contact Tommy Marr, South High drama teacher/Theatre South director, at 516-441-4873 or at tmarr@greatneck.k12.ny.us.
