Jedediah schultz interview answers
The Laramie Project
MOISÉS KAUFMAN
2000
AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY
PLOT SUMMARY
CHARACTERS
THEMES
STYLE
HISTORICAL CONTEXT
CRITICAL OVERVIEW
CRITICISM
SOURCES
FURTHER READING
INTRODUCTION
Research for the The Laramie Project, Moisés Kaufman's internationally successful play, began one month after a horrific crime occurred in the city of Laramie, Wyoming. Members of Kaufman's theatrical group, Tectonic Theater Project, volunteered to travel with their director from New York City to the wide-open ranges of the West in order to gather in-person interviews from Laramie's populace. The idea was to capture the emotions, reflections, and reactions of the people who were most closely related to the crime—a brutal beating and subsequent death of a young college student. Was this a hate crime? Or was it a random, senseless assault and robbery? No matter which, Kaufman's objective was to learn through the town folks' raw responses how the issues of homosexuality, religion, class, economics, education, and non-traditional lifestyles were reflected through this crime. How did this crime define the culture, not just of this Western town, but of the entire United States?
In 1998, Matthew Shepard, a twenty-one-year-old gay student registered at the University of Wyoming, was tied to a cattle fence, beaten about the head, robbed, and left to die on a bitterly cold night in October. Eighteen hours later, he was accidentally discovered by a biker, who had trouble believing that the figure he saw attached to the fence was human. Police and ambulances were dispatched, and Shepard was taken to a local hospital; but this was all done to no avail. Shepard was beyond recovery. He never regained consciousness and died several days later due to his head injuries. Two local young men were charged with the crime.
The play is based on over 400 interviews with about 100 Laramie residents, as well as journal entries from the members of Tectonic Theater Project and Kaufman, as they re
Understanding The Laramie Project
There's a great deal to uncover about the compelling work of drama, The Laramie Project. It is a play that's based on real-life incidents occurred in the small town of Laramie, Wyoming, in 1998. Its core focuses on themes like hate crimes, prejudice, and community.The Laramie Project Play: An Overview
The Laramie Project, written by Moisés Kaufman and the members of the Tectonic Theater Project, is unlike any average play. It's a docudrama, a type of drama that is written in a documentary format. It was conceptualized based on hundreds of interviews conducted by the theatre company with the residents of Laramie.Text Definition of a docudrama: A docudrama is a genre of radio and television programming, feature film, stage play, and video game, which features dramatized reenactments of actual events
Key Details about The Laramie Project Play
The key details of the play are as follows:- It was first performed in February 2000.
- The plot revolves around the aftermath of the murder of Matthew Shepard, a gay student at the University of Wyoming.
- The play is divided into three acts.
Dive into The Laramie Project Plot
Through a detailed exploration of The Laramie Project's plot, a deep understanding of the intricate storylines and thematic elements can be achieved. The plot takes its audience on a journey of the people of Laramie's reaction and reception to Shepard's murder.The Laramie Project: A Synopsis
The Laramie Project's plot follows a chronological structure. It starts with interviews conducted immediately after Matthew Shepard's death and carries on through the subsequent trials of the two young men accused of his murder, concluding a year after his death. Each act deals with a particular phase in the timeline.Act one introduces the audience to the social climate of Laramie, act two moves into the murder and trial, and act three explores the aftermath of these events.
The Laramie Proj On Stage in Natomas: The Laramie Project
BY TRINA DROTAR
THE NATOMAS BUZZ | @natomasbuzz
In October of 1998, the university town of Laramie, Wyoming made headlines nationwide when a young man was murdered for being gay.
The following month, Moisés Kaufman and members of the New York based Tectonic Theater Project conducted more than 200 interviews with Laramie’s residents. The result was The Laramie Project, which opened Thursday, March 27 at the Black Box Theatre in Natomas.
The Natomas Charter School did not shy away from the opportunity to present this award-winning work which continues to be one of the most-performed plays in the country. The non-traditional structure works more like a montage or ensemble, bringing together many voices and stories. The main character is Laramie’s residents following the murder of twenty-one year old Matthew Shepard in October of 1998.
While Shepard is at the center of the play, his voice is never heard and he is never seen. What is learned about him, the events of October 7 and the following months comes from the voices and words of people who had contact with him and people who never met him. It is the story of what happened in Laramie, why it happened in Laramie and how the town’s residents react.
Richard Gott directs.
The play is, he said, an “examination of hatred.” Hate, he added, is a living thing that – if fed – will grow.
“It is about freedom and the ability to be who you are in America in the 21st century,” said Gott.
Gott’s changes to Kaufman’s original production include pre-show music, beginning at 6:30 p.m., set in a bar on open-mic night. Leading into the 7 p.m. production is a performance of The Allman Brothers Band’s “Ramblin’ Man.”
The idea to include the band came from senior Nick Vegas. In addition to familiar tunes, the band performs original music created by Vegas. The accompanying “soundscape,” was also designed by the senior and adds an underlying texture which enhances t At this point, local law enforcement knew how to handle Robbie when he was in an anxious spell. Stalder, the police chief, told me that, during calls to Robbie’s apartment, officers stood outside the door and talked in a gentle voice until he calmed down. The department had a be-on-the-lookout alert set up for Robbie’s vehicles, so officers would know to respond with calm in the event of a traffic stop. “Because of the officers’ abilities to create that space and that time, things worked out,” Stalder said.
In November, 2018, Robbie drove his Ranger west on Grand Avenue, a commercial area near the university. He was travelling significantly under the speed limit, and soon a patrol vehicle from the sheriff’s office pulled in behind him. Robbie moved into the left lane, then turned across traffic, flipping on his signal a few seconds late. The patrol car followed. Robbie turned again, this time without a signal. The patrol car flashed its lights, and they both pulled over. Robbie was about a hundred yards from home.
Derek Colling is trim and muscular, with a blond crew cut that was, that day, covered by a dark beanie. He strode toward Robbie’s car. In college, Colling had been a two-hundred-and-fifteen-pound football player, and he still maintained an athletic build, training regularly in a form of martial arts called Krav Maga, developed for the Israeli military. When he reached the passenger’s side of the car, he told Robbie to roll down the window. Robbie refused, and pointed to his apartment building, which was visible across the street. Colling demanded again, and Robbie’s responses turned agitated. Then he started the car, and pulled away. (For someone fleeing the police, he drove slowly; before turning into his apartment’s parking lot, he used his turn signal.) Colling ran to his cruiser and followed in pursuit, calling for backup. Robbie parked next to his apartment, at the end of the parking lot, and got out. Officers trained in responding to calls invol
JEDADIAH SCHULTZ: I've lived On November fourteenth, 1998, the members
On Stage in Natomas: The Laramie Project
BY TRINA DROTAR
THE NATOMAS BUZZ | @natomasbuzz
In October of 1998, the university town of Laramie, Wyoming made headlines nationwide when a young man was murdered for being gay.
The following month, Moisés Kaufman and members of the New York based Tectonic Theater Project conducted more than 200 interviews with Laramie’s residents. The result was The Laramie Project, which opened Thursday, March 27 at the Black Box Theatre in Natomas.
The Natomas Charter School did not shy away from the opportunity to present this award-winning work which continues to be one of the most-performed plays in the country. The non-traditional structure works more like a montage or ensemble, bringing together many voices and stories. The main character is Laramie’s residents following the murder of twenty-one year old Matthew Shepard in October of 1998.
While Shepard is at the center of the play, his voice is never heard and he is never seen. What is learned about him, the events of October 7 and the following months comes from the voices and words of people who had contact with him and people who never met him. It is the story of what happened in Laramie, why it happened in Laramie and how the town’s residents react.
Richard Gott directs.
The play is, he said, an “examination of hatred.” Hate, he added, is a living thing that – if fed – will grow.
“It is about freedom and the ability to be who you are in America in the 21st century,” said Gott.
Gott’s changes to Kaufman’s original production include pre-show music, beginning at 6:30 p.m., set in a bar on open-mic night. Leading into the 7 p.m. production is a performance of The Allman Brothers Band’s “Ramblin’ Man.”
The idea to include the band came from senior Nick Vegas. In addition to familiar tunes, the band performs original music created by Vegas. The accompanying “soundscape,” was also designed by the senior and adds an underlying texture which enhances t At this point, local law enforcement knew how to handle Robbie when he was in an anxious spell. Stalder, the police chief, told me that, during calls to Robbie’s apartment, officers stood outside the door and talked in a gentle voice until he calmed down. The department had a be-on-the-lookout alert set up for Robbie’s vehicles, so officers would know to respond with calm in the event of a traffic stop. “Because of the officers’ abilities to create that space and that time, things worked out,” Stalder said. In November, 2018, Robbie drove his Ranger west on Grand Avenue, a commercial area near the university. He was travelling significantly under the speed limit, and soon a patrol vehicle from the sheriff’s office pulled in behind him. Robbie moved into the left lane, then turned across traffic, flipping on his signal a few seconds late. The patrol car followed. Robbie turned again, this time without a signal. The patrol car flashed its lights, and they both pulled over. Robbie was about a hundred yards from home. Derek Colling is trim and muscular, with a blond crew cut that was, that day, covered by a dark beanie. He strode toward Robbie’s car. In college, Colling had been a two-hundred-and-fifteen-pound football player, and he still maintained an athletic build, training regularly in a form of martial arts called Krav Maga, developed for the Israeli military. When he reached the passenger’s side of the car, he told Robbie to roll down the window. Robbie refused, and pointed to his apartment building, which was visible across the street. Colling demanded again, and Robbie’s responses turned agitated. Then he started the car, and pulled away. (For someone fleeing the police, he drove slowly; before turning into his apartment’s parking lot, he used his turn signal.) Colling ran to his cruiser and followed in pursuit, calling for backup. Robbie parked next to his apartment, at the end of the parking lot, and got out. Officers trained in responding to calls invol