Year 13 Production - ‘The Laramie Project’
In October 1998 a twenty-one-year-old
student at the University of Wyoming was kidnapped, severely beaten and
left to die, tied to a fence in the middle of the prairie outside
Laramie, Wyoming. His bloody, bruised and battered body was not
discovered until the next day, and he died several days later in
hospital. His name was Matthew Shepard and he was the
victim of this assault because he was gay. This deeply moving theatrical
experience is based on more than 200 interviews with the people of
Laramie following this horrific hate crime.
| A talented group of 13 students
portrayed 69 characters with a strong understanding of character and
seamless direction. The result was a breathtaking theatrical collage
that explored the depths to which humanity can sink and the heights of
compassion of which we are capable. |
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The t-shirts made for the show are worn with pride
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“Working on “The Laramie Project” has been deeply
rewarding for both myself and the students. This play was a huge
challenge for all of us. The cast has grown greatly throughout the
process. As we learned more about why Matthew Shepard was murdered, we
began to explore our own ideas about community, education, beliefs,
violence, privileges and rights, and the very real difference between
tolerance and acceptance.” - Duncan Allan
The play drew widespread acclaim and it clearly had a lasting impact on all involved:
“This type of theatre is controversial & veers away from what is considered as normal in society. But then again, Selwyn is not what I consider a normal high school experience. I’ve truly appreciated Selwyn Drama for the five years I’ve been here, the whole journey was so worth it.” - Adele Miller
“Best subject I’ve taken at Selwyn – apart from PE, Maths, PAT, English, Science, Dance and Study. Jokes – love this class.” - JJ. Ioane
“The Laramie Project definitely united us all. Thanks to everyone who made my last year of Drama amazing!” - Gen Prescott
“Year 13 Drama classes, BAT BOY and The Laramie Project were the highlight of my year here at Selwyn & in New Zealand, in general. I really am going to miss the people here.” - Eike Schaefer
“I will miss all the wonderful times spent in Drama. No other subject has given me so much confidence and freedom of expression. I will never forget our times together.” - William Paul
“Drama has been great this year because of the musical , the monologues and The Laramie Project. Next year will not be the same without it. I am going to miss all of it and all of you.” - Amberlee Jones
“Laramie was a long journey of learning and the bringing about of acceptance. Nine weeks of work made us better people. Simple as that.” - Carmela Hughes
“The Laramie Project allowed the entire cast and audience to become emotionally drawn into the play and each other. Beauty mate.” - Jarrod Waiomio
“I’m so proud to be in such an awesome class. Love you guys!” - Betsy Flynn
“It has been a real honour to have Duncan for 5 years, and it’s become patently clear with the response to Laramie, and other productions that we’ve done recently, just what an amazing asset he is to our school and any student lucky enough to work with him. Thank you so much.” - Jack Barnard