UD Arts Department to Present The Laramie Project: Ten Years Later
Feb 21, 2012 | University of Dubuque Theological Seminary
The University of Dubuque Fine and Performing Arts Department and the UD Drama Club will present the Tectonic Theatre Project's The Laramie Project: Ten Years Later as its spring 2012 production. The show begins each evening March 1-3 at 7:30 p.m. in Alumni Hall on the University of Dubuque campus.
On October 6, 1998 Matthew Shepard was beaten and left to die tied to a fence in the outskirts of Laramie, Wyoming. He died 6 days later. His torture and murder became a watershed historical moment in America that highlighted many of the fault lines in our culture.
A month after the murder, the members of Tectonic Theater Project traveled to Laramie and conducted interviews with the people of the town. From these interviews they wrote the play The Laramie Project, which they later made into a movie for HBO. The piece has been seen by more than 30 million people around the country. Ten years later, the members of Tectonic Theater Project returned to Laramie to find out what has happened over the last 10 years. Has Matthew's murder had a lasting impact on that community? How has the town changed as a result of this event? What does life in Laramie tell us about life in America 10 years later? This groundbreaking piece was written by Moisés Kaufman, Leigh Fondakowski, Greg Pierotti, Andy Paris and Stephen Belber, directed by Kristopher Doss, and is produced by Amy Ressler.
The show's cast includes Mark Stevens, chair of the department of psychology (Dubuque, IA) as Childers and Jerry Parkinson; Dale Easley, chair of the department of natural and applied sciences, (Dubuque, IA) as Dennis Shepard, Father Roger, and Peterson; Travis Zajac, CORE faculty member, (Dubuque, IA) as Governor Freudenthal and Aaron McKinney; Tyler Robey (East Dubuque, IL) as Greg Pierotti, Jedidiah Schultz, University Official, Matt Michelson, and Dave O'Malley; James Thomas (Milwaukee, WI) as Moises Kaufman and John Dorst; Amy Ressler, professor of theatre, (Dubuque, IA) as Marge Murray, Lucy Thompson, and Judy Shepard; Nate Coppernoll (Stillman Valley, IL) as Jim Osbourne and George; Miguel Silva (Los Angeles, CA) as Jeffrey Lockwood, Cowboy, and Glen Silber; Ricky Perez (Los Angeles, CA) as Republican Man and Ben; Melissa Whitney (Davis, IL) as Leigh Fondakowski and Romaine Patterson; Jed Omernik (Ellison Bay, WI) as Andy Paris and Russell Henderson; Lindsey Reiter (Dubuque, IA) as Boomerang Editor and Deb Thompson; Molly Barczak (East Dubuque, IL) as Rental Car Agent, Zackie Salmon, and Jane; Kayla Hamilton (Eldridge, IA) as Narrator; Carmen Turnbough (St. Louis, MO) as Catherine Connelly and Susan Swapp; Jon Grobstick (Dubuque, IA) as Stephen Belber, Jonas Slonaker, and Rob DeBree; Katelyn Jolivette (Newton, IA) as Rebecca Hilliker and Reggie Fluty; and Zoe Muehleip (Dubuque, IA) as Beth Loffreda and Jan Lundhurst.
The show will run three nights, March 1, 2, and 3 at 7:30 p.m. in Alumni Hall. This event is free and open to the public.
