The Laramie Project and Shakespeare

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Artistic creations can be a means for the exploration of human attitudes, feelings and behaviors. The performing arts are an example of an artistic media that can be utilized in this way. For example, the use of theatre and film can be applied as way to explore some of the human attitudes, feelings and behaviors that are related to topics such as tolerance, acceptance, anger, hatred and also forgiveness. Two such performing arts examples are The Laramie Project and Shakespeare as presented in the Secured Housing Unit (SHU) at the Wabash Valley Correctional Facility (WVCF), a super-maximum security prison in the state of Indiana. These productions offer their creators and viewers alike, the opportunity to learn much about the attitudes and actions concerning how people relate to each other. They also offer an opportunity for people to understand themselves better, as well.
The Laramie Project, developed by Moisés Kaufman and the Tectonic Theater Company, consists of both a theatrical representation and an HBO film based on the actual 1998 murder of twenty-one year old University of Wyoming student, Matthew Shepard. On October 6th, 1998, Mr. Shepard was bound to a fence and severely beaten and left to die in the outskirts of the small town of Laramie, Wyoming. He passed away as a result of the injuries he sustained six days later. This was a hate crime, since Matthew was targeted because he was gay. The Laramie Project originated when members of The Tectonic Theatre Company went to Laramie in order to interview the residents concerning the circumstances surrounding the murder of Matthew Shepard, as well as their reaction to this incident, in order to put on a production pertaining to these events.
Shakespeare, as presented...

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...ilm have the ability to impact our perceptions of others, and they also have the ability to impact the perceptions we have concerning ourselves. Performing arts can be used to create a space to for us to be able to examine areas of our lives, and the lives of others, that we might otherwise not wish to look at. When we do make a space to examine our attitudes, feelings and behaviors, including the outcomes that they may have on others, we may find in our own selves a greater degree of compassion and willingness to accept human imperfection. In doing so, we become more accountable to ourselves and to society as a whole.

References:
Scott-Douglass, A. (2007). Shakespeare Inside: The Bard Behind Bars. Bloomsbury Publishing.
The Laramie Project. (n.d.). [Audiovisual Material]. (Original work published 2002) Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1qiTmF0p4

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