In 1998 in the town of Laramie, Wyoming, a twenty one year old named Matthew Shepard was brutally beaten and abandoned. He was found tied to a fence eighteen hours later, in a remote, rural area. He died in the hospital, a few days afterwards. Matthew Shepard wasn’t killed for revenge or money. Matthew Shepard was savagely tortured because he was a homosexual. This is a difficult topic to discuss, but Timber Creek High School recently confronted this issue in their presentation of The Laramie Project.
The Laramie Project was created by Moises Kaufman and the members of the Tectonic Theatre Project, and opened in 2000. They traveled to the town of Laramie and conducted hundreds of interviews with residents of the town.
Timber Creek’s production was very strong, and the cast helped deliver a powerful message. The actors were challenged with multiple roles, and they were all very successful.
JohnMichael McDonald did a wonderful job vocally and physically transitioning between characters. He had extremely impressive inflection and emotional commitment. Miola Aganovic’ had very solid characterization with each of her roles. Her transition between accents was flawless.
Although there were some articulation and projection issues, the majority of the cast did a great job portraying the people of Laramie. Chris Leary showed his versatility in his multiple characters. Amanda Milanetti had very powerful inflection and emotional connection to her roles. Ryan Bernier also delivered a very strong performance with his natural facial expressions.
This production of The Laramie Project didn’t have any set changes, but the tech was very strong. The basic set consisted of a few blocks and raised levels. The most visually striking set piece was the fence, resembling the one that Matthew Shepard was tied to. This piece wasn’t used until the actors carried it out to the lobby at the end of the show, which was a very powerful choice. The lighting was very effective. The choices of colors really set the mood for each scene, and the dimmed lights were perfect for this production.
The Laramie Project is an extremely difficult show for a high school to put on, but Timber Creek did a wonderful job tackling such a mature subject.
by Bella Cellucci of Oviedo High School
