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Laramie Project makes the front page

posted by Chad Jones on Tue, Oct 6, 2009
in At the theatre

Berkeley Rep's October 12 staged reading of The Laramie Project: 10 Years Later was part of a front-page story that ran this week in the San Jose Mercury News and the Contra Costa Times.

Written by Karen D'Souza, the feature includes an interview with Tectonic Theater Project's artistic director, Moisés Kaufman, who is also one of the writers of this epilogue to The Laramie Project, which will be performed in more than 100 cities around the world on October 12.

Kaufman, who returned to Laramie, Wyoming, 10 years after the brutal murder of college student Matthew Shepard to document what had changed in the small town, explained to Karen why he embarked on this ambitious project: "I took a page from the Federal Theater Project because I wanted to explore what the theater is capable of doing. This is an experiment into the power of theater as a communal act where people can come together and recognize their shared humanity."

Berkeley Rep's managing director, Susie Medak, is also part of the story, and she told Karen: "As big and diverse as this country is, it's rare to have an opportunity to create a shared cultural touchpoint  ... Anniversaries are markers that make us want to look back. We need to reflect on what has changed. Have we made any progress?" 

Read the entire article.

Berkeley Rep's staged reading of The Laramie Project: 10 Years Later is at 8pm, Monday, October 12 in the Roda Theatre, 2015 Addison St., Berkeley.

The cast includes original members of Berkeley Rep's 2001 production of The Laramie Project, and the evening will include video presentations from the Tectonic reading at Lincoln Center, including their pre- and post-show discussions, as well as an onstage post-show discussion with director Mina Morita, Greg Miraglia, a board member of the Matthew Shepard Foundation, and Berkeley Rep's literary manager and dramaturg, Madeleine Oldham.

Tickets are $8 for students, $10 general admission, and $15 for reserved seating closer to the stage.

Proceeds benefit the Matthew Shepard Foundation.

Call 510 647-2949 for ticket information or visit our website for information. Tickets are only available by phone or in person at the box office, 2025 Addison St., Berkeley.

Visit the Laramie Project online community

Above photo: Amy Resnick, who appeared in the 2001 Berkeley Rep production of The Laramie Project, returns for the staged reading of The Laramie Project: 10 Years Later. Photo by Ken Friedman