On a sparkling Fall evening in 1998, 21-year-old Matthew Shepherd was coaxed from a bar, kidnapped, tied to a fence, brutally beaten and left to die in Laramie Wyoming.
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He was the victim of a horrendous gay-hate crime.
It was a tragedy that gathered worldwide media coverage at the time and has since inspired countless films, novels, songs and plays; most notably, The Laramie Project - a chronicle of life in the town in the year following the murder, drawn from hundreds of interviews conducted by members of the Tectonic Theatre Project.
The play is now one of the most commonly performed pieces in American theatre and has been seen by more than 30 million people around the country.
It’s with this in mind Lieder Theatre Artistic Director Chrisjohn Hancock took on the verbatim piece; and with this in mind the 15 strong cast took to the stage on Wednesday night for the premier performance.
It by no means looked easy. Each actor had more individual characters to portray than you could count on one hand, some as many as eight and nine; each with their own mannerisms, their own lines, their own accents.
Despite a few first-night jitters it was an impressive showcase of skill and would have been an all-out mess if it weren’t for some very clever blocking from Hancock and naming queues displayed for the audience.
It unfolded like a documentary and the cast created a real, genuine feeling throughout.
Despite the story being one of hate, discrimination and social justice there were some beautiful reflections of hope and mercy in the latter sequences - although admittedly not enough to completely settle the goose-bumps and cold shivers you can expect to experience.
Although you never meet Matthew Shepherd you find yourself completely engrossed in his life through the reflections of those in Laramie and in the end I felt a little disturbed by the play and the points it made about cultural and social attitudes to difference, which I think is part of the point.
All in all, The Laramie Project was yet again a brilliant piece of theatre by The Lieder Theatre. The company, and the community, should be incredibly proud of the skill in the cast and creative team.
If you are unsure about seeing the performance, don’t be. The Lieder has set the bar once again.
Speaking with a few members of the audience afterwards we asked ourselves “Was it really this bad?”, “Things must have changed for the better?”, “I never knew it was like this…”. I’ve since come to the conclusion ignorance is inexcusable.
The Laramie Project will continue every Wednesday, Friday and Saturday at 7.30pm till August 23. There will be one matinee at 2pm on Saturday August 16.
Take note: The performance was very descriptive at times of the brutality and is probably not suited for those under 15 years of age.
Tickets can be purchased online by following the links at www.liedertheatre.com or in person at Goulburn Medical Clinic, McKell Place, Goulburn.
For further information contact the Lieder Theatre in Goldsmith St, Goulburn on (02) 4821 5066 or email liedertheatre@gmail.com.
