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The Ensemble Theatre presents: The Laramie Project Thursday, October 15, 2009
This Friday marks the Ensemble Theatre’s opening of the historic and heartfelt docudrama The Laramie Project, which focuses on a mid-size Western town after one of the most horrendous hate crimes ever committed. Four performances of the play will be staged this weekend— Friday and Sunday night, as well as Saturday and Sunday afternoon.
The factual play by Moisés Kaufman and members of the Tectonic Theater Project draws on hundreds of interviews by the theatre company to dramatize the 1998 death of Matthew Shepard, a young gay man. Shepard was beaten nearly to death and left tied to a fence in a remote area of Laramie, Wyoming. His death five days later drew national attention.
“This is a truly unique piece of theatre that is revolutionary in the way we use our craft as a means to turn a mirror onto society,” says director and cast member Garry Lee Posey, who was acquainted with Shepard when both attended college in North Carolina.
The play mixes real news reports with actor portrayals of friends, family, police officers, killers, and other Laramie residents. The cast includes Posey, Amy Sue Austin, John Thomas Cecil, E’tienne Easley, Becki Jordan, Jonathan Nichols, Stephanie Smith, and Joey Tipton.
The professionally staged production will be presented at the St. Andrews Center at 1918 Union Avenue, behind Highland Park Baptist Church. Performances are Friday, October 16 at 7:30 pm, Saturday, October 17 at 3:30 pm, and Sunday, October 18 at 3:30 pm and 7:30 pm. Tickets are $10 general admission and $8 for student with an ID.
The Laramie Project production will be followed by the play OUT, which Posey himself wrote about his own struggles in dealing with the same incident. OUT will be presented as a staged reading on October 21st (the Wednesday following The Laramie Project) and again on the 29th. Both performances will be held 7pm at St. Andrews Center. Tickets are $4.
For more information on either event, call Garry Posey at (423) 987-5141 or visit www.ensembletheatreofchattanooga.com.
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