“Hurt’s hurt and pain’s pain, and I think people in Laramie see that now.” These are the words of Reggie Fluty, a local policewoman in Laramie, Wyoming, the setting of Theatre Huntsville’s latest production, The Laramie Project. It is also the setting of a horrific crime. Fluty is one of the real-life characters whose words, collected on tape, make up the script for The Laramie Project, Theatre Huntsville’s latest show, which opens March 16th at the VBC Playhouse.

Real Life Connection

In October 1998 twenty-one-year-old Matthew Shepherd, a gay college student, was severely beaten and left to die, tied to a fence in the middle of the prairie outside Laramie, Wyoming. His bloody, bruised and battered body was not discovered until the next day, and he died several days later in an area hospital.

Moisés Kaufman and fellow members of the Tectonic Theater Project made six trips to Laramie over the course of a year and a half in the aftermath of the beating and during the trial of the two young men accused of killing Shepard. They conducted more than 200 interviews with the people of the town. Some people interviewed were directly connected to the case, and others were citizens of Laramie, and the breadth of their reactions to the crime is fascinating.

Kaufman and Tectonic Theater members have constructed a deeply moving theatrical experience from these interviews and their own experiences. The Laramie Project is a breathtaking theatrical collage that explores the depths to which humanity can sink and the heights of compassion of which we are capable. Click here to learn more about how Kaufman and the Tectonic Theater members created The Laramie Project.

“If this play teaches us anything, it teaches “acceptance”…we don’t all have to embrace a person’s lifestyle choices as our own, but acceptance of our diversity as a human species is what ‘humanity’ is all about.”

-Director Robbie Shafer

Special Event

Theatre Huntsville will be partnering with GLBT Advocacy & Youth Services’ Save Lives! Stop the Bullying! campaign to host a community panel discussion to raise awareness of bullying and violence among and against our youth.

“Bullying must be taken seriously. Bullying takes many forms and our youth are attacked with hatred and intolerance from many directions. One of our volunteers recently told me, “Everyone I know who has survived either cut themselves or attempted suicide.”

-James Robinson, Executive Director at GLBT Advocacy & Youth Services

Event Details:

Date: Saturday, March 10, 2012
Time: 2:00pm
Location: Spirit of the Cross
Click here for directions
Adress: 3015 Sparkman Dr NW
Huntsville, AL 35810

Cast and Crew

Cast includes: Ann Sowby, Carlos Bofill, Christopher K. Carter, Enzie Willett, Gaylen Pugh, Jason Graham, Jeff White, Jeremy Woods, Jim Zielinski, Laurie Kellogg, Leslie Bofill, Samantha Musto, Sandy Federico, Shawn Tracey, and Tripp Karrh.

The Production staff includes: Director Robbie Shafer, Assistant Director Donny Becht, Producer Mark B. Moore, Technical Directors Russ Willet and Scott Trites, Scenic Artist Fred Sayers, Stage Manager Peter-John Sligting, with Stage Properties by Vielka Pride.

Show Information

This production contains some mature language and is recommended for teens and adults.

Show Dates
March 16, 17, 19, 22, 23 and 24 at 7:30 p.m
March 18 and 24 at 2 p.m.

Location: Von Braun Center Playhouse

Tickets Information:
Prices: $18 for adults and $15 for seniors (65+), students, and active duty military

Purchase Tickets:
Buy online at www.yourseatiswaiting.org.
Call the box office at 256-536-0807 for group rates and handicapped seating.

We’re giving way a pair of tickets! Enter below!

 About Theatre Huntsville

Theatre Huntsville is a non-Equity, non-profit community theatre dedicated to presenting quality productions for the enrichment of the community and is a member of the Alabama Conference of Theatre and the American Association of Community Theatres. You can get involved with Theatre Huntsville by becoming a member, becoming a sponsor, or auditioning for a show.

Find them on Facebook, Twitter, buy tickets online.

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