The Laramie Project: Ten Years Later an Epilogue

theres a character in the play im doing for scene study who says that their father told them to never trust a man who thinks they can change the world. every time i see that line i think of laramie and say "well i guess we weren't to be trusted then"
we changed the world that night. we really did. i mean, changing the world is actually easy. i could go outside right now and throw a bigass rock at a car and that would change the world in some way. but helping to change the world in a profound, real way that fosters actual progress? for most that is once in a lifetime.
this event has become, for me, a perfect illustration of my evolving mindset. while i doubt i will ever truthfully silence that inner voice i developed in high school ("money money money mine mine mine!"), i will always have this to remind myself of why im really at emerson. this kind of magic does not have to be once in a lifetime, especially for artists, even more especially for artists who receive the kind of education my fellow students and i are receiving at emerson. i feel blessed everyday. the thought "dont let it be once in a lifetime" has become my mantra

I found this article written as a reflection of the national event. 50,000 people viewed the various productions!

In case you missed any of the Alice Tully Hall portions of Monday's event, here is a link to the pre and post show recordings:

http://laramieproject.org/livebroadcast/

Part of the extraordinary work the TECTONIC THEATER GROUP has done on this event are the audience guides. The final one (part 4) came out this afternoon, and it is "decided to provoke discussion and continue the Laramie Project experience following the performance" according to the executive director, Greg Reiner.

Here they all are:

Audience Guide to Laramie Epilogue - Part 1.pdf

Audience Guide to Laramie Project Epilogue - Part 2.pdf

Audience Guide to Laramie Project Epilogue - Part 3.pdf

At first I was reluctant to write on this blog, communicating personal thoughts and feelings via internet is still something that seems a little strange to me. But with an hour before our rehearsal, I figure late is better than never.

From the age of 8 to 13 I worked on this show called Terezin: Children of the Holocuast. It was a show about 6 jewish children in a cell block of the work camp Terezinstadht. We toured this show around to different high schools and communities center and after every show we would have discussion with the audience about hate and the repercussions of hate people may not be even aware of. After the show, we would always have at least one person come up to us crying, telling us how much the show affected them, and how while the show was so powerful, they were unsure if it really got though to the rest of the kids. At the time I believed that even if we could only affect one person, then it was still totally worth it, for that person would set off a chain reaction. But I have to believe that if you see a show like the Laramie Project, it has to affect you. Something inside of you changes. How people react to this change is another discussion. A story this potent cannot be ignored. It is our job and duty as human beings to tell these stories to make sure that they never happen again. The fact this is happening in over 150 locations at once is unbelievable. And maybe Obama's promises are still only promises and not actions, but I have to believe things are changing. 10 years ago, something like this would never have happened.

I've worked on new works before, but at school or a local theatre company. Not on a show that is going to be viewed by hundreds of thousands of people around the world simultaneously. 

Tomorrow night is going to be a very important night for the entire world. Over 150 theatre's worldwide are doing the same thing that we here at Emerson College are fortunate enough to be taking part in. For me personally I'm very humbled and gratified that I can be able to contribute to the progress that we are trying to make as a society. Knowing that tomorrow night we are going to be presenting Tectonic Theater Project's new work to a sold out audience is rewarding. And I'm not talking about rewarding to the actors that are presenting this piece but rewarding to the people who are effected by this event and want to help contribute themselves, or get involved in some way. To know that 1100 people will wake up Tuesday morning with a different look on life is rewarding. That is rewarding to me. These people are not coming to the theatre tomorrow to see a performance, they are coming to receive the message Moises Kaufman, Greg Pierotti, Leigh Fondakowski, Andy Paris, Stephen Belber and the members of Laramie's community are giving us. By no means is this the end, its the next step we are taking to acceptance. There is no going back, we move forward, as individuals and as a community. To hear that President Obama has urged to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act and pass the Domestic Partners Benefit and Obligations Act is uplifting. To know that change is coming. I am confident when I say that I believe tomorrow we will be messengers to help spread this message to our community. Once we have, the job of those 1100 people hearing it from us, is to be messengers themselves. Spread the word. Spread the story of Matthew Shepard.

Working on this project has really forced me to think about the nature of progress regarding gay rights.When I came home from rehearsal the other night I caught the tail end of Angels In America on HBO. And I was reminded of the inevitability of progress. Sure it is a slow progress but it is which cannot be stopped. We have reached a point where there is no going back. It is easy to be frustrated by the fact that we have not yet achieved everything we would like to as far as gay rights are concerned. Set backs like Prop. 8 make it extra difficult, but as we evolve and time passes I strongly believe that people can only become more open minded.

My uncle is gay. He his 55 now, and he came out to my grandparents in the late 1970's. My grandmother cried, my grandfather was cold and stoic, I can only Imagine how hard it must have been for my uncle. But by now they are absolutely fine with it. In fact they are incredibly supportive. My uncle met his long time partner at the pool of my grandparents condo. Now they all live in the same building, they eat dinner together several times a week.

My uncle's partner was married with two children when he came out. He was chastised by his friends and family, he was told he was going to hell.Several years have passed.Now he as found happiness, and recently, so did his daughter. I attended her wedding last spring in Virginia. I was very nervous about how I would be received by these conservative family members. I was not sure how to introduce myself, "Roger's partner's nephew" seemed long and complicated. To complicate things further my uncle, Yanni, was unable to attend the wedding because he was getting chemotherapy for his skin cancer. But when I met these people, I was amazed at the progress. Everyone expressed genuine deep regret for my uncle's cancer. Roger's ex wife and his in laws, the same people who once told him he would be going to hell, told him that no person should have to experience the pain he and Yanni must be experiencing. I was stunned.

I learned that anyone can come to respect what they once feared. The greatest proponent of hate truly is ignorant. Most people who are homophobic do not personlly know any gay individuals. And as soon as they do get know someone their opinions begin to change. Their preconceived notions dissolve. As people become more open minded over time, I cannot help but be hopeful for the future of gay rights in this country.

From a Twitter feed:

RT @TectonicTheater: We've created an account to field questions during Monday's live #Laramie10 Q&A, When event starts, send to @LaramieQA.

I pasted the whole tweet. Why? Because you should follow the Tectonic Theater Project, can find more tweets by searching on Laramie10, and should follow @LaramieQA for the talkback after the performance, which will be simulcast from Alice Tully Hall.

Tech rehearsals have also been on twitter. Social media used a lot of different ways on this event!

I went to buy tickets this past Friday and was told that the Majestic was sold out and there was a waiting list for this show!