INDIANAPOLIS — A compelling play inspired by the 1998 beating death of Matthew Shepard gets a multimedia makeover in a new production at the University of Indianapolis.
Opening April 22 at UIndy’s Ransburg Auditorium, The Laramie Project will place the limited-seating audience on stage, with the main actors arranged in an arc around them and video cameras feeding live images to three projection screens.
“It’s an experience that the audience is having,” faculty director James Leagre said. “It’s not going to be the typical ‘sit back in your seat and watch theater.’ You could come back and see this show again and have a completely different experience.”
In conjunction with the run, which continues through April 30, the Department of Theatre will host filmmaker Michele Josue for a discussion and screening of her award-winning documentary Matt Shepard Is a Friend of Mine, which had its Netflix premiere last year. That free event will begin at 7:30 p.m. April 25 in Ransburg Auditorium, 1400 E. Hanna Ave.
The Shepard incident, which took place in Laramie, Wyo., drew attention to anti-gay violence and led to federal hate crime legislation. Playwright Moisés Kaufman and his collaborators in the New York-based Tectonic Theater Project traveled six times to Laramie and interviewed over 200 people, finding a broad range of reactions to the crime. From transcripts of those interviews and other experiences, they created a unique stage experience that explores the highs and lows of human nature.
The original script calls for eight actors who remain on stage throughout the play to portray more than 70 characters. The UIndy production adds five more actors to take the roles of the two perpetrators and other people in their lives.
Performances are scheduled at 8 p.m. April 22-24 and 28-30. Admission is $12 for the general public and $10 for alumni, senior citizens, groups of eight or more and non-UIndy students with ID. A free preview is set for 8 p.m. April 21, and a “Half-Price Second Thursday” with $6 general admission is at 8 p.m. April 28. Tickets may be reserved through the Event Ticketing Center at Ransburg Auditorium or by visiting www.uindy.edu/arts/ETC or calling (317) 788-3251.
As a courtesy to the cast and other audience members, families are asked not to bring infants or preschoolers to the productions. This production contains mature themes that may not be appropriate for some audiences.
