WOOLWICH TWP. — The Kingsway Regional High School Drama Department presents “The Laramie Project” by Moises Kaufman and directed by Kingsway faculty member Andrew Young.
The “Laramie Project” is about the kidnapping in October 1998 of a 21 year old student at the University of Wyoming who was 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 an area hospital. His name was Matthew Shepard. 
Kaufman and fellow members of the Tectonic Theater Project made six trips to Laramie over the course of a year and a half in the aftermath of the beating and during the trial of the two young men accused of killing Shepard. They conducted more than 200 interviews with the people of the town. Some people interviewed were directly connected to the case, and others were citizens of Laramie, and the breadth of their reactions to the crime is fascinating.
Kaufman and Tectonic Theater members have constructed a deeply moving theatrical experience from these interviews and their own experiences. The Laramie Project is a breathtaking theatrical collage that explores the depths to which humanity can sink and the heights of compassion of which we are capable.
The Laramie Project opens Dec. 5 and runs through Dec. 6 and 7 at 7 p.m. with a special Saturday matinee on Dec. 7 at 2 p.m. A question and answer session with the cast, crew and director will immediately follow the matinee performance. All performances of Laramie are in the Eitel Theatre at Kingsway Regional High.
To reserve tickets email younga@kingsway.k12.nj.us. Please type “Tix for Laramie” in the subject line of your email and state the date of the performances you wish to attend. General admission is $10 and $5 for Senior Citizens (60 +) and children under 12. Middle School students with an I.D. are free.
The cast includes Kingsway students Sarah Reynolds, Marissa Lilley, Steve Stein, Avery Kershaw, Connor Fesili, Priyanka Chatterjee. Alyssa Miller, Bella Ingemi, Blaine Grey, Connor Schmiegel, Emily Bruce, Eric Salera, Giovanna DiGiacomo, Imani Carthan, Josh Smith, Julia Campbell, Justine Josue, Katie Golias, Kayla DeDann, Kelly McCool, Blaine Grey, Michael Young Laura Foley, Leana Washington, Loretta Condon, Matt Sacca , Michael Young, Nick Doyle, Sabrina Hall and Tyler Monaco. The production stage manager is Emily English.
