It's The Weekend!!!
The weekend is finally here. Get yourself a drink (be it alcoholic or non), sit back, throw on some Kronos Quartet (or other mellow music) and just relax. I know that's what I plan on doing. Hopefully for most of the weekend :)
Review: The Laramie Project
The Laramie Project present by Studio 180
What can I say about a show that tackles as delicate an issue as hate crimes against homosexuals, in specific the case of Matthew Shepard in the small sleepy town of Laramie, Wyoming. In October of 1998 the town was torn apart by the kidnapping, beating and eventual death of Matthew Shepard, an openly gay college student. The initial reaction of most of the town’s folk to the incident was “who would do something like this” which was followed by disbelief when it was revealed that two men from Laramie had preformed this heinous act. The play is a compilation of conversations that members of the Tectonic Theater Project after the Matthew Shepard incident. The play itself is split into three acts. The first revolves around the personal recollections of Matthew and the incidents that led up to his murder. It ends with two characters – the biker who found Matt tied to the fence 18 hours after he was beaten and the police officer that was the first on the scene. For me this was the most moving and emotional scene of the play. The girl who played the role of the biker was amazing. The feeling that she portrayed in this character, questioning why he was the one that found him and why God chose him to find Matt, was amazing and emotional. The police officer performance was also amazing. When she explained how she had found him and how his face was covered with blood except for the where he'd been crying and the tears went down his face I had tears in my eyes.
The second act centered on the reaction of the community and the city leaders. Religious viewpoints were taking into account, with support for Matthew coming from the Unitarian minister and the local Catholic priest. The doctor who took care of Matthew talked about what was happening in the hospital, with the family and the hospital staff. Throughout the second act he would occasional appear to update Matthew’s condition. The second act ended with the announcement that Matthew Shepard had passed away 3 days after the beating.
The third act opens with Matthew Shepard’s funeral and the attention it received, both good and bad. Thousands of people showed up for the funeral along with a large group of anti-homosexual protesters. This was followed with the murder trials for the two who beat Matt. The play ends with all of the Techtonic Theater Project making one last trip to the fence that Matthew was tied to and their feelings about the incident and the experience.
The play itself was just short of brilliant. It left you thinking, both about yourself and about the world in general. It immerses you into the experience making you like you were a member of the Laramie community. This immersion into the incident forces you to question what you’d think if this happened in your community. One of the most powerful points made by the play is how it affected the real-life characters presented in the play. More than one of them changed their views on homosexuality from “tolerating them” to “accepting them for who they are”. My hope is that this play moves beyond theaters in New York, Toronto and Waterloo. I hope that more people are exposed to it so that they too question what they would have thought if they were in that situation. For those that can’t see the play there is a HBO movie based on the play also called “The Laramie Project”. I haven’t seen the movie but if it is true to the play it’s well worth a view.
Friday Five - March 7th, 2003
Another Friday Five with the Laramie Project Review later today:
1. What was the last song you heard?
"No Other One" By Weezer off of their Pinkerton album. I was listening to it on the drive to school.
2. What were the last two movies you saw?
Those would be Igby Goes Down and Akira. I really liked Igby Goes Down while Akira wasn't all that spectacular for an anime.
3. What were the last three things you purchased?
Tony Hawk 3 for the X-Box, Munch's Odyssey for the X-Box and groceries for my stomach.
4. What four things do you need to do this weekend?
Relax, watch movies, relax and relax.
5. Who are the last five people you talked to?
My two housemates, my brothers girlfriend, two grad students.
Short concise answers. Yipee!
