Introduction The Laramie Project is a three-act play made by the Tectonic Theater Company that tells the story of the people of Laramie, Wyoming, and how the brutal murder of Matthew Shepard has impacted their way of life. The play is split up into different “moments” instead of scenes, with the moments being characters expressing their thoughts on a particular topic at a certain point in time. This Laramie Project has always been a very popular play for high schools to perform ever since its debut at the Ricketson Theater in 2000, especially because of its unique style and the evenness of its cast. The production that I watched was the 2024 Lynbrook production that took place on April fourth, fifth, and sixth. Plot The Laramie project begins …show more content…
While many people are there to mourn for Matthew, a few people are there to protest against Matthew’s homosexuality, and tensions soon flare up between the two groups. Russel Henderson, the person who drove Matthew Shepard to the fence and tied him up, is put on trial, and is sentenced to two life sentences. The next trial is for Aaron McKinney, who was the person that beat Matthew Shepard to death. Because he technically committed murder, he has a possibility of being sent to death row, a prospect that unsettles many in the town, who are sick of the bloodshed. Aaron is taped confessing to the crime, and he claims that he beat Matthew after Matthew tried to “hit on him”. He was found guilty of first degree murder by the jury, which means that he would be sent to death row if Matthew Shepard’s family desired so. The father of Matthew, Dennis Shepard, makes a statement commemorating his son’s life and the fact that he was able to start such a massive movement, before deciding to spare McKinney’s life, shocking everyone. A few people are happy that the entire ordeal is over, while others are concerned that Laramie has not learned from Matthew’s death. The theater company tearfully says farewell to the friends they made in the town, before returning to New
Most of the time when hate crime happen in the society, everyone got feared and questions the environment they living in. Same happened in the case of Matthew Shepard's, when everyone in Laramie got the news of the inhuman behavior incident happened with him. Due to Matthews nice and cheerful personality it was hard for his family and friends to believe on that news. This mishap left a feeling of distrust and insecurity in the society which can be conducted by the way many people used the phrase, “Live and Let Live”in the project. If we interpret this phrase
The setting in both Lord of the Flies and I Only Came to Use the Phone contributes to the dehumanization of the characters in each of the readings. The settings are both isolated, which is the cause of all the chaos that takes place because when you take a human being out of the comfort of society, they go back to their natural animalistic tendencies in order to survive. Survival of the fittest is present in these quotes. Also, the island archetype plays a huge role in both of the stories.
... experienced by his wife Ruth Fowler. This story is a tragic tale of how love for another person translated into murder, and there is no moral distinction between these acts. Since there is no explicit difference between these two murders, the audience understands that vigilante justice reduces an individual into a criminal – blind to ethics in an effort to attain retribution. Vigilante justice also comes at a hefty emotional price – loneliness and regret. For example, after Matt Fowler kills Richard Strout, he experiences a great deal of isolation and hidden shame, which is evidenced by his inability to make love with his wife and his internalized sadness. Matt Fowler will forever have to live on knowing that he compromised his morals to commit the gruesome act of murder to appease others. In an effort to please others, he became the murderer he sought to end.
The Laramie Project Critique * No Works Cited The Laramie project captured the audience's attention by utilizing different design methods on stage. This included sound, stage and hand properties, light, and music. With an ensemble of 10 actors playing over 30 roles, this proved to be an amazing play to experience. The playwright was constructed in a clear manner, which eliminated the confusion of "who is who." Through the usage of the stage elements as well as the dynamics of each character, this brought about an effective plot.
With wonderful learning opportunities, a team of sharp and intelligent classmates and teachers, and specialized equipment, the Governor’s School at Innovation Park is the ultimate dream of all determined math/science devotees. With my natural curiosity for mathematics and science and eagerness to take on challenging ideas, I can collaborate with the team at Governor’s School to develop our wide spectrum of ideas and abilities into a highly sophisticated product.
I should be selected to attend Georgia’s Governor’s Honors Program because I have a true passion for my subject area, social studies, specifically government. I enjoy watching the local and national news, learning about political, foreign, social, and economic issues, and staying up to date on the current activities of Congress and our politicians. I have developed a particular interest in the presidential candidates and upcoming election. This interest lead me to attend an event in Savannah in which I was able to listen to Senator Bernie Sanders, a Democratic candidate whose plans and policies have appealed to me, give a speech and further discuss his ideas for his campaign and potential presidency. This passion for social studies, specifically government, which I realized because of my AP Government
‘The Laramie Project’ is a play written by Moises Kaufman about the murder of University of Wyoming gay student Matthew Shepard. It was interesting to see the outrage that this caused. The murder of Shepard was considered a hate crime and I agree with this. I can see the hostility that this murder caused because of the amount of questions it left. The scary thing is that we live in a culture where hate crimes exist. This murder was a reminder to the country that being “different” is something that people do not accept. This put “hate” crimes on the map and made people realize how serious hatred was. Being yourself can cause you to become murdered because someone else doesn’t agree with who you are. Hate crimes are a serious problem and Shepard was killed because he was homosexual. His murderers hated gays and that is the only reason a college student was murdered. A few observations I have that came out of this play was prejudice and the culture of hate.
"You robbed me of something very precious and I will never forgive you for that. Mr. McKinney, I give you life in the memory of one who no longer lives. May you have a long life and may you thank Matthew every day for it. " Those were the words said by Dennis Shepard at the sentencing of Aaron McKinney, one of the men who tortured, robbed, and murdered his son Matthew Shepard. He was given a life sentence.
As time goes on he becomes more and more passionate and seems to be somehow personally involved with the case. At one point, he tells the other jurors about an argument between him and his son. Juror 3 and his son had an argument which made his son run away. When his son returned to apologize, Juror 3 hit him for leaving the first time thus leading him to run away once more. He has not seen his son in two years and this has left him somewhat bitter inside. His anger toward his supposed ungrateful son is projected toward the young man on trial. Juror 3 has no concern for the life of the defendant. He makes it clear that he would have been an executioner and would have pulled the switch on the boy himself. His personal troubles have imposed on his ability to come to a verdict.
The first way that the play shows that the people in Laramie, Wyoming have a social issue with gays is through their personalities. When the members of the Tectonic Theater Project go to a church in Laramie, they find that there are a lot of people who do not support gay rights.
Four years of my life have passed away in a blink! I remember entering freshmen year of
When I found out I qualified to be a candidate for the NJHS, I knew I had to take this chance. This group is made up of people who depict leadership, character, citizenship, academic success, and service and I would love to join. These characteristics wouldn't just be valuable for a candidate to have, but for everyone to have to exceed in life. If I were to be in the National Junior Honor Society, it would give me an opportunity to ameliorate my future and motivate me to do better.
The ending of this play comes to the conclusion that this family can never be a normal Middle American family. This family is at a loss, and will probably never see life the way that they have before. I believe the message Shepard is trying to reach out to the reader is that secrets and dishonesty can tear a family apart and make them go insane. Unfortunately for this play, the terrible secret was exposed too late.
My experience watching a live theatre performance on stage was a fascinating one, most especially since it was my first time. I attended a staged performance of “The History Boys” in a small theatre called “The Little Theatre of Alexandria” at 8:00 pm on Wednesday June 8, 2016 in Alexandria, Virginia. The overall production of the play was a resounding experience for me particularly the performance of the actors and the design of the scene made the play seem real.
Social Studies education is a subject in today’s schools that is undervalued. The study of social studies in schools help young people develop the ability to make informed and reasoned decisions as citizens of a culturally diverse, democratic society in an interdependent world (Seefeldt, Castle, & Falconer, 2010). When participating in social studies class children are learning so much about who they are, where they came from, how to succeed in the world, and more. Most of what we teach daily includes an aspect of social studies. But, since the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2001 de-emphasis or nonexistence of elementary social studies is the national focus because of high stakes testing (Sunal, & Sunal, 2008). Social studies