Usually this kind of story would be reserved for the crime channel on cable, not a theatre stage. But, when the Tectonic Theatre members went to Laramie in 1998, they knew there was more to this than the crime committed. The Laramie Project went on to become one of the most produced plays of the decade. After returning in 2008, wanting nothing more than to create a short epilogue to the original play, the theatre makers walked away with an entire new production.
Red Stitch Theatre Company was contacted in 2009 by the rights owners of the script in their attempt to create worldwide productions of The Laramie Project – Ten Years Later. Ella Caldwell, founding ensemble member and actor in Red Stitch’s rendition, tells why this play is more than just another play and the reason Red Stitch decided to include it in their 2011 season.
“The original play was written in response to the brutal murder of Matthew Shephard, a crime driven in response to Matthew’s sexuality. For some reason this crime was really latched onto by the US media and they flocked to the town. I suppose in some way, that was a good thing because it brought awareness to the country and to the lack of legislation to prosecute perpetrators of hate crimes, but it was hard on the community,” explains Caldwell.
Tectonic arrived at the tail end of the media whirlwind and found a town torn apart by sensationalism. “It was interesting, because the members of Tectonic later went on to say they had reservations about going to the town because of what the media had created, but when they arrived (after the media had left) they found out so much more than they expected. They [Tectonic Theatre Group] were able to speak to the people of the town in an honest way and realised there was more to this story than what the media had portrayed about the crime.”
Well known for their pursuit to create meaningful dialogue and propel change through their work, Tectonic Theatre Company produced an amazing documentary-style theatre piece that was completely new for its time. The sequel is no exception. “Ten Years Later was only meant to be a short epilogue to the original play. When the theatre makers went back ten years on they were surprised with what they found and realised there was still a lot to be told. The sequel, like the original is scripted verbatim. The actors are speaking the words of real people from Laramie, including people very close to the crime – such as Matthew’s mother.” says Caldwell.
The sequel is no exception to the original in many ways. The piece was created entirely from interviews with the community and delves into more than just the murder of Matthew. It also stands on its own as a great piece of unique theatre. “Ten Years Later is a universal play. It’s as much about our need to control our history than it is about what happened in ‘98. To want to rewrite history to make it more acceptable than it truthfully was is human nature. I think it’s especially relevant to us here in Australia,” says Caldwell.
“What the play strives to do is hold a mirror to the audience and the greater community to cause reflection on our ability to take responsibility for things that have happened in our past.”
