Garreth Cruikshank
Twenty years after New York’s Tectonic Theater Project first went to Laramie following the brutal murder of gay university student, Matthew Shepard, their work, The Laramie Project remains incredibly potent to today’s audiences as we continue to fight for acceptance and equality for all Australians. This year, Theatre Travels is proud to bring back The Laramie Project and to present to Sydney audiences’, The Laramie Project: 10 Years Later. Detailing a community’s reaction in the aftermath of a small town hate crime, both plays focus on universally important stories of acceptance, community, intolerance and legacy.
Producer and Co-Director, Carly Fisher said, “this story is set in Laramie in 1998 but the truth is that we know it could just as easily happen here, in Australia, in 2018. Last year’s plebiscite was a harsh reminder that intolerance and baseless hatred continues to exist. These plays remind us of the importance to talk about our beliefs and to peacefully speak out for what is right – to speak up for equality.” Co-Directed by Rosie Niven, The Laramie Project and The Laramie Project:10 Years Later will play in repertoire at Seymour’s Reginald Theatre. Bringing to life over 75 characters between the two productions is an outstanding ensemble cast including John Michael Burdon, Laura Djanegara, Andrew Hofman, Francisco Lopez, Linda Nicholls-Gidley, Matthew Pritchard, Dominique Purdue, Emily Richardson & Charlotte Tilelli. The shows will play a strictly limited run from November 28th – December 8th 2018 at the Seymour Centre, Sydney.
Recently I had the opportunity to interview Carly Fisher, producer & co-director of this new production, and John Michael Burdon, one of the cast members:
What has prompted you to stage these two plays 20 years after the event? Was it in response to the recent plebiscite debate?
Carly: The recent plebiscite debate was certainly one reason for wanting to bring these plays to the stage this year, however the reasons were many. In the thick of the debate last year I felt that everything that I was seeing on social media and hearing from my friends and family was about how hurt they were and how attacked they felt. How could we believe that anyone has the right to vote on a basic human right of another person – and that is what marriage is, a basic human right. I feel like often when things like this happen, we feel that there is little that we can do to improve the situation or to make a difference of any sort. We leave that to our politicians but in this case, those were some of the very people at the heart of the issue.
So what could I personally do to contribute? Well I’m not a politician, I’m a theatre maker and so I quickly decided that I wanted to use the platform that we as artists have to show my audiences the importance of overcoming baseless hatreds, the need to stand up and reconsider attitudes and how possible it is to see change in yourself and your views. The Laramie Project covers all of that and so much more and I hope that audiences leave the theatre and continue to talk about it and the issues that it raises.
The Laramie Project:10 Years Later makes it’s Sydney debut with this production and I really wanted to bring these shows together to the stage because I think that there is such value in seeing the whole story through. 10 Years Later shows multiple reactions to not only the initial crime but also to the ten years that have passed but two really stick out – there are those that were changed by the experience, that opened their minds and their hearts to learn to be more accepting of those different from themselves and those that have gone about advocating for change for the last decade. Then there are those who have tried to deny it was ever a hate crime and have protested that his being gay has nothing to do with it so that the issue can die. The show shows us how people try to change their legacy by rewriting history and that aspect made me feel a need to put this show on beyond anything else – how can we explain our actions and how do we move forward? One day we will need to explain that plebiscite – will we take stoke or try to rewrite history and overshadow the pain that that vote caused so many people?
It’s the 20th anniversary of Matthew Shepard’s death but the issue is far from being 20 years old.
You quote statistics that indicate that in the years from 2015 to 2017 reported hate crimes in America have increased 16%, despite victories such as same sex marriage being passed into law. How do you account for these apparent contradictory social forces and does a play like “The Laramie Project” make a difference to the debate?
Carly: Oh wow – well there are so many layers to this question. You could consider the demographic of, in this instance, America and even compare it to the way that each state voted in the last election to see that certain areas – including Washington, D.C. where marriage equality was essentially voted in – are more progressive in their attitudes whilst a large majority of the country remains more conservative, etc. It is also important to remember that Hate Crimes are crimes committed against a number of minority groups of which the LGBTQI community is one. But I raise these statistics mainly to show that the fight is far from over and the issue is far from resolved.
Even here in Australia, it has taken until this year for many crimes committed against the LGBTQI community decades ago to be reopened and reconsidered and not just passed of as suicide or as a ‘missing person.’ These cases have been closed for 30 or so years because being gay used to be a crime in and of itself. For decades their families have had no answers – just a hole in the family where their loved one was.
I believe that it is really important to remember that victories like the Marriage Vote need to be celebrated because they show progress. But progress in one area doesn’t mean progress across the board and though the right to marry was a big win, there is still so much that the LGBTQI community still must fight for. And the more time I spend learning about the struggles of this community and hearing first hand from my friends and family within the community, the more I realise how desperately we need ways to open the channels of conversation and communication. Theatre is one of those ways and shows like The Laramie Project which directly address the plight of this community, but also the reactions and dilemmas of other communities in response, are critical to the continuation of this discussion. We need to recognise the value of art in supporting change and I wholeheartedly believe that these two plays do that…and I am so proud to bring them to the stage accordingly.
More generally, I suppose one could ask, “Does art, and theatre in particular, play a part in shaping the discourse around important social issues such as homophobia, intolerance, acceptance or religious bigotry?
Carly: Definitely. I really believe that theatre, and all arts really, can bring current and often critical discussions to the forefront of people’s minds in a way that invites them to consider new ways of thinking through the eyes of the character that they have just met. In this way, theatre allows these important conversations to proceed free from politics and instead with a focus on the art at hand. As such, perhaps even without realising it, one is exposed to more open and accepting perspectives. I’ll add then that I believe that because of this, theatre makers have a huge responsibility in bringing positive and accepting themes and characters to the stage and must be careful to steer away from portraying prejudices.
The harshest critics of the LGBTIQ community are religious groups, be they in America, Russia, Africa, the Middle East … or Australia. Can theatre do any good, actually change people’s minds, especially when they claim to have God on their side? Is that the task of political theatre?
JM: I believe and have always believed that theatre is a way to hold a mirror to society and allow the audiences that see the work to be able to reflect on their own personal beliefs. Theatre does have the power to change an individual perspective and from those individuals it filters out to more and more people. I have family members that are devoutly religious however their personal views and belief systems have changed based on the work they have seen me in as well as my own personal life. I believe the task of political theatre is to be able to present an alternative ideology that can change or alter someone’s belief. I am a strong believer of the idea that one person can change the world.
Who are these plays aimed at, and who do you think will come to see them? If the audience is, by-and-large, the LGBTIQ community, are they therefore missing their mark, preaching to the converted, so to speak?
Carly: Both of these stories are about the community’s response to hate, to prejudice, to violence and of course, to this specific horrific crime. The Laramie Project asks us to look at this community in Wyoming like any other community and to consider how we may respond if a crime like that committed against Matthew Shepard was to happen in our own community, our own world. The Laramie Project:10 Years Later questions the issue of legacy, how we create it and then how we try to recreate it. It makes us consider the lengths we will go to to rewrite our own history.
Both of these plays, therefore, hold appeal to all audience members – these plays are some of the most influential examples of Verbatim Theatre written to date. I hope that members of the LGBTQI community come to see the show. I hope that theatre lovers come to see the show. I hope that thinkers come to see the show. I hope that those open to a really interesting story and to considering positive and important change on the home front come to see this show. I really think that these stories should hold appeal to so many Australians and so I hope that people from all walks of life come and open themselves up to these plays and then walk away thinking about the lessons we can learn from this one town.
JM: I believe that if this work is seen mainly by LGBTQIA community members and allies of the community, it still had the same intended effect as having the work seen from the “opposing viewpoint,” however the process is different.
If this work is seen by LGBTQIA individuals, it allows us to reflect on what we have achieved and what needs to be done. It can reinforce notions and strike people to action, it can re-set the passion alight for the cause which then again infiltrates into the mainstream ideology. Regardless of who views this work, it is the kind of piece that results in reflection and discourse and that to me in the end, is more important than anything else.
J.M, you have performed in a number of queer themed plays in recent years, including the controversial “Five Guys Chillin”. It was at times an uncomfortable experience to watch, for gay as well as straight audience members alike, and I believe that some of the cast found the graphic descriptions of sexual activity challenging. Do you feel that plays like that undermine the efforts of a play like “The Laramie Project” to advance understanding and acceptance within the straight community towards the LGBTIQ community?
JM: Absolutely not. Verbatim Theatre in particular like The Laramie Project and 5 Guys Chillin’ which is a new addition the queer canon, I believe, is the one of the best ways to show the issues that the queer community face. With a current constant focus at the moment on diversity in theatre and allowing for the voices of the disenfranchised to be heard, what better way than for it to come direct from those people themselves? Who is to say that one issue is more important than another? In each play of the queer canon, there is a reflection of society and issues of that time – and it is a great way to see how we have progressed and what new issues our community faces and what older issues are still being faced. I am an openly gay man and actor and I believe strongly that each piece of queer theatrical work in any medium is another voice we can add to the issues of or community – and to help find a way to combat them. The more voices that are added and heard, the stronger we become.
What are your hopes for this production, in terms of its impact? What would you like to see come out of it?
JM: I hope that when people see one or both of these plays that the audience walks out and starts talking, discussing, arguing – whatever it may be, but that it ignites the passion in these individuals about these issues. The Laramie Project is both a wonderful theatre event which allows for actors to be at their best but also a great piece of theatre that allows for so much debate afterwards – and that to me is the best kind of theatre to watch and to be involved in.
The Laramie Project
Moisés Kaufman, Leigh Fondakowski, Greg Pierotti, Andy Paris, Stephen Belber and Members of The Tectonic Theater Project
28 Nov – 7 Dec 2018
2:00PM – 28th November & 1st December
7:00PM – 29th, 30th November, 3rd, & 7th December
Venue: Seymour Centre: Reginald Theatre
Theatre Company: Theatre Travels
Duration: N/A
The Laramie Project:10 Years Later
Moisés Kaufman, Leigh Fondakowski, Greg Pierotti, Andy Paris, Stephen Belber and Members of The Tectonic Theater Project
1 – 8 Dec 2018
2:00PM – 8th December
7:00PM – 1st, 4th, 5th, 6th & 8th December
Venue: Seymour Centre: Reginald Theatre
Theatre Company: Theatre Travels
Duration: N/A
