The Laramie Project: Ten Years Later

THE LARAMIE PROJECT: TEN YEARS LATER by Moises Kaufman, Leigh Fondakowski, Greg Pierotti, Andy Paris and Stephen Belber

THE STORY: On October 6, 1998, gay University of Wyoming student Matthew Shepard left the Fireside Bar with Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson. The following day he was discovered on a prairie at the edge of town tied to a fence, brutally beaten, and close to death. Six days later, Matthew Shepard died at Poudre Valley Hospital in Ft. Collins, Colorado. On November 14th, 1998, ten members of Tectonic Theatre Project traveled to Laramie, Wyoming and conducted interviews with the people of the town. Over the next year, the company returned to Laramie six times and conducted over 200 interviews. These texts became the basis for the play The Laramie Project.

Ten years later on September 12th, 2008, five members of Tectonic returned to Laramie to try to understand the long-term effect of the murder. They found a town wrestling with its legacy and its place in history. In addition to revisiting the folks whose words riveted us in the original play, this time around, the company also spoke with the two murderers, McKinney and Henderson, as well as Matthew’s mother, Judy Shepard. The Laramie Project: Ten Years Later is a bold new work, which asks the question: How does society write its own history?

CALENDAR INFORMATION & ONLINE FORMS

First Staff Meeting September 14 @ Lunch
Auditions September 15 @ 330p

Crew Application September 16 @ 6p
Callbacks September 17 @ 330p
First Cast Call September 23

Stage Crew Orientation September 28

Tech Rehearsals November 29-30, December 1-2
Performances December 3-6, 10-13
Pick Up Rehearsal December 9
Set Strike December 14

CETA Festival January 15-17, 2027

The rehearsal schedule (found here) is tentative – occasionally changes may need to be made, please be flexible. Weekly rehearsal schedules will be posted on TEAMS no later than Monday morning each week. 

Production Staff and Stage Crew Information

PRODUCTION STAFF
Assistant Director, Stage Managers, Asst. Stage Managers, Interns & Dramaturgs Applications
If you are interested in applying for Assistant Director, Assistant Stage Manager, Production Intern or Dramaturg, please fill out the online application., Due September 9 @ 330p (Applications available September 3);
Interviews, as needed, will be conducted September 9-11
The first production meeting, for all AD’s, SM’s, Interns and Dramaturgs will be on Monday, September 14 at lunch in the PAC

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR: Tessa Belke

STAGE MANAGER: Keira Kendall

DRAMATURG: Anya Chachra

Production Crew (AD/SM/ASM/Dramaturg) Applications - Due September 16, 6pm
Any student of PV Peninsula High School can apply for and serve on the stage crew. 
Crew Applications are required so be submitted by the deadline for any students interested in working on stage crew.
Crew calls vary by department (see job descriptions below). Most crew departments meet two days/week (1-2 weekdays for two hours, or one weekday for 90 minutes - see below in job descriptions for more details)

Sample Crew Schedule:
Note, this is a SAMPLE, actual production schedule for THE LARAMIE PROJECT: TEN YEARS LATER may vary.

All departments except Set Construction are called for all tech/dress rehearsals and performance. 
Lighting - Tuesday & Thursday, 530-7

Sound - Tuesday & Thursday, 4-530

Costumes - Monday & Wednesday, 5-7pm

Props  - Tuesday & Wednesday, 4-6pm

Publicity - Monday & Thursday, 4-6pm

Set Construction - Friday 330-530, Saturdays, 10a-4p

CREW POSITIONS (15-34 students chosen)
Note: Some students may be staffed into multiple departments, depending on need.

Assistant Director(s) – 2-3 chosen. Must be 10th,11th or 12th grader. AD’s participate in the audition and casting process and work alongside Mr Cohen throughout the rehearsal process. AD’s take blocking notes, work with actors on their character development process, run some of the rehearsals and provide additional support to cast in their preparation. Assistant Directing a production with Mr. Cohen is a pre-requisite for anyone hoping to direct the annual Student Production.

Stage Manager – 1-2 chosen. Must be 11th or 12th grader. The SM works with Mr Cohen in helping to lead the stage crew through the production process. They deal with much of the production business and, with their ASM’s, oversee most of production. During the rehearsal process, they track the technical elements that are being introduced to the staging to ensure prop and costume lists are up to date. The Stage Manager is expected to be a part of the crew interview process.

Assistant Stage Manager/Crew Leads – 2-5 chosen. Must be 10th,11th or 12th grader. ASMs work with the SMs and Mr Cohen to help make sure that the staging side of production is in coordination with the technical side. Maintaining prop lists, managing small crew departments and build groups and house management fall under the purview of the ASM’s. As Department leads, ASM’s will are expected to be a part of the crew interview process.

Production Interns – 1-2 chosen. Production Interns work with the Assistant Directors learning from them and assisting in the business side of the production as well.

Dramaturgs – 1-2 chosen. A dramaturg is the expert on the show, conducting in-depth research about the text and the playwright to understand references made in the script. This may include additional research of any source material used in the creation of the show, consulting on design, directing or acting choices. Dramaturgs are at most cast calls.

Lighting – 2-5 chosen. All grades. Members of the lighting crew will learn about how our lighting system works and about the concepts of lighting design and implementation. Student lighting crew will work with the lighting designer and electrician team from StreetLite, LLC on the light hang and focus days. 1-2 students from lighting crew will run the light board during performances.

Sound – 3-6 chosen. All grades. Members of the sound crew will learn about how our sound system and about the concepts of design and implementation. Student sound crew will receive training in mixing and microphone maintenance. Two students will be working in the sound booth during performances mixing and cue-ing the show. In addition, an A3 from sound crew will work backstage as additional microphone support.

Props – 3-5 chosen. All grades. Working with an AD and a crew lead, the Props team will build and maintain a props list for the production. They will built or coordinate acquisition of props from off campus. As props are brought in, they will work to organize and track props and provide prop support to cast.

Running Crew – 2-5 chosen. The Running Crew works backstage during performance executing scene shifts. Most members of Running Crew also serve on Set Construction.

Publicity – 2-5 chosen. All grades. Working with a crew lead, the publicity helps to implement the publicity plan for the production; including, but not limited to poster/program/artwork design, advertising creation and trailer creation.

Costumes/Makeup – 4-8 chosen. All grades. Working with a crew lead, the costume crew helps to track costume needs of actors. Working with our costume designer, they help to track and maintain costume pieces throughout the tech and performance weeks, as well as help with makeup/hair design and implementation. Basic sewing skills are a plus, but not a must.

Set Construction Crew – Up to 10. All grades. At PVPHS we build our own set pieces. Working with Mr. Cohen, the entire stage crew is involved in this process. Depending on interest and number of crew applications some members may be brought in as set construction only. If anyone has the experience and interest, a construction foreperson will be assigned.

Casting Information

AUDITION TO BE IN THE CAST OF THE LARAMIE PROJECT: TEN YEARS LATER
(Character details are below)
Any student in Drama 2, Drama 3 or Drama 4 may audition to be a part of the cast of THE LARAMIE PROJECT: TEN YEARS LATER
Auditions: Tuesday, September 15, 330pm in the PAC
Please prepare a monologue from any play, TV show or film, other than Metamorphosis. Choices should reflect familiarity with the style of the show and a clear preference for role(s).

Callbacks: Tuesday, September 17, 330pm in the PAC
Callbacks will consist of cold reading, available on September 17 and possible improvised character work.

Online Audition Forms  - Due September 14, 5pm (Click here to fill out the form)

Cast Rehearsals:
First rehearsal, Tuesday September 22

Most weeks, Monday, Wednesday and Thursday. See attached calendar for details.

 THE CHARACTERS

This play is written for 8 actors with doubling, though some expansion may occur. There are 58 roles in total for this show.

The Tectonic Theater Project Members (The Interviewers)
The playwrights and company members who return to Laramie a decade after the murder to conduct follow-up interviews:

Moisés Kaufman – Company founder and lead interviewer/director.

Leigh Fondakowski – Head writer and investigator.

Greg Pierotti – Company member conducting sensitive follow-up dialogues.

Andy Paris – Actor/creator documenting shifting community perspectives.

Stephen Belber – Playwright and interviewer
Key Figures & Returning Laramie Residents
Citizens and officials who appeared in the original play or return to discuss how the town's legacy has evolved:

Judy Shepard – Matthew Shepard’s mother, who speaks powerfully about her son's legacy and the ongoing fight against hate crimes.

Reggie Fluty – The heroic Laramie police officer who first responded to the horrific scene and interacted with Matthew.

Marge Murray – A local Laramie resident offering candid, working-class perspectives on the town.

Jonas Slonaker – An openly gay Laramie resident reflecting on long-term social changes and lingering prejudices.

Beth Loffreda – University of Wyoming professor and author analyzing the academic and cultural aftermath.

The Convicted Murderers
Unlike the original play, Ten Years Later features direct or indirect contemporary insights and interviews regarding the perpetrators:

Aaron McKinney – One of the two convicted murderers of Matthew Shepard, interviewed regarding his evolving perspective on the crime.

Russell Henderson – The second convicted murderer, reflecting on the historical weight of the event.

Additional Townspeople and Officials
A rotating collection of local business owners, university staff, students, and church members who showcase the spectrum of denial, acceptance, and historical revisionism gripping the town a decade later:

Production Costs

Financing / Fees:

Each show has its own budget. Set construction, props and costumes vary in price. While we want to keep costs down for each student participating, there will be some expenses that need to be fee-based. Fees for Measure for Measure will be as follows:

Production Expenses

There will be a required activity fee and costume fee to help offset the some of our expenses; set/light design and staff, tech week dinners and closing party.

$90 for Cast; $50 for Production Crew*

Every student associated is asked to pay this non-refundable donation. This fee helps defray the cost of putting on the show and covers Tech Week Rehearsal Dinners, Costume Rental, the Cast Party, etc.

A costume deposit which will be refunded upon return of undamaged costumes.

Costume Deposit: $100 (cast only)

This is a refundable fee. This check will not be cashed, but held until the student returns his/her costume in the same reasonable condition in which it was issued. The check will then be destroyed or returned if requested. It is the responsibility of the student to check in all items of their costume to the Costume Director or Costume Volunteer Coordinator at the end of the last show. We reserve the right to cash the check if the above guidelines are not met.

An Ad Deposit of $25

All cast and crew are asked to pay a $25 ad deposit which can be used to pay for Business or Personal Tribute Ads in the production program. If students sell business ads or sponsorships to local businesses then their ad deposit will be returned.

Specialty Costumes and Make-up: A basic makeup kit will be provided for each cast member. However students may be asked to provide specific items.

* Scholarships and financial aid are available.

PENINSULA DRAMA Casting/Hiring Policies (For Main Stage Musicals / Dramas):

Grade and previous involvement are only factors in selection if multiple performers are determined to be equally qualified for a particular role.

Students are asked which roles they would especially like to be considered for but the production team reserves the right to place a performer in the role that best suits them and best serves the play.

The production team discusses and consults on casting but the Director takes final responsibility for all selections.

In addition to skill set, for some roles, look (not looks) matters - i.e. relative height of paired characters.

Cast members are asked to refrain for discussing the casting on social media for 48 hours after the cast list is posted. Students are asked not to create show Group Chats/Facebook pages etc. until at least 48 hours after the cast list is posted. Students are cautioned about social media back lash, and even hallway demeanor when the list is posted. Any behavior, either online or offline, that is considered inappropriate or disrespectful to the production, members of the production or Peninsula Drama may be removed from the production and this may affect future casting opportunities.

The guiding principle of all we do is to "Serve the Play".

While casting is based on what happens in the audition and callbacks, consideration is given to previous experience or classroom process and performance.

If a student misses the callback they cannot be considered for any role being cast out of the callback.

School attendance issues, even excused absences, may affect casting/staffing considerations.

Students must be dressed appropriately for all calls. Appropriate attire for work days includes; Closed-toed shoes, no excessively loose or baggy clothing, shorts/pants – no skirts or dresses, clothes that one doesn’t mind getting dirty. Arriving to a meeting without appropriate attire will result in an unexcused absence.

Consistent issues with student tardiness, defiance, or willful inactivity (laziness) at cast or crew calls, may result in dismissal from the cast or stage crew.

Mr Cohen is willing to give audition feedback to students who request it, no sooner than 72 hours after the cast list has been posted. Likewise, I only discuss their audition, not other students. I will verbally give some general feedback in classes.

I will discuss a performer's strengths and areas needing growth but will not discuss or defend the selection of other performers. If a student comes to see me about why they were not cast I will be honest, I may not sugar coat it.

Mr. Cohen does not engage parents in discussion about casting, nor will I reply to their “disappointed” e-mails or voicemails.