THE LARAMIE PROJECT and THE LARAMIE PROJECT: 10 YEARS LATER Begin at Chance Theater

Chance Theater presents the second show of its 2013 season with the Orange County Premiere of THE LARAMIE PROJECT: TEN YEARS LATER by Moises Kaufman, Leigh Fondakowski, Greg Pierotti, Andy Paris and Stephen Belber, playing in repertory with the award-winning masterwork, THE LARAMIE PROJECT, by Moises Kaufman and members of Tectonic Theater Project, both directed by Chance Theater's Artistic Director Oanh Nguyen. THE LARAMIE PROJECT will preview tonight, April 18 & Saturday, April 20 at 8pm and will open on Tuesday, April 23 at 8pm. THE LARAMIE PROJECT: 10 YEARS LATER will preview on Friday, April 19 at 8pm & Sunday, April 21 at 7pm and will open on Wednesday, April 24 at 8pm and both shows will continue playing in repertory through Sunday, May 19 at Chance Theater, 5552 E. La Palma Ave. in Anaheim Hills.

THE LARAMIE PROJECT, adapted from a collection of real-life interviews, is a cultural pulse-taking play that examines the murder of Matthew Shepard and its aftermath.

THE LARAMIE PROJECT: TEN YEARS LATER, its companion piece, explores how Laramie has changed, asking us to look at a town -- and a nation -- wrestling with its legacy and its place in history.

ABOUT THE CREATIVE TEAM AND CAST

Oanh Nguyen (Director/Artistic Director) co-founded Chance Theater in 1999. He also serves as the Producing Associate at South Coast Repertory. Oanh was awarded the Outstanding Artist Award by Arts OC and is a recipient of the TCG's Nathan Cummings Young Leaders of Color fellowship and New Generations Grant. He's a proud member of SDC, SAG and AFTRA. Directing credits include: West Coast Premiere of Po Boy Tango at East West Players, and at the Chance - the world premieres of The Boy in the Bathroom (Back Stage Critic's Pick) and The Girl, The Grouch, and The Goat by Tony Award winner Mark Hollmann, Porcelain (GLAAD Media Award Nomination, Back Stage Critic's Pick), Jesus Hates Me (remounted at South Coast Repertory), Rabbit Hole (Back Stage Critic's Pick), HAIR (LA Weekly GO!, five Ovation Award and six LADCC Award nominations, including Best Director for both), Welcome Home, Jenny Sutter (Ovation Recommended), The Who's Tommy (remounted at Segerstrom Center for the Arts, five Ovation Award nominations, including Best Director, three LADCC nominations, two Back Stage Garlands), the Southern California Premiere of Reborning (Back Stage Critic's Pick), and West Side Story (LA Times Critic's Choice and Back Stage Critic's Pick).

MOISES KAUFMAN (Writer) is a Tony- and Emmy-nominated director and playwright. Most recently he directed the Broadway revival of The Heiress, with Jessica Chastain, and wrote and directed 33 Variations on Broadway, starring Jane Fonda, which received five Tony nominations. Kaufman also directed Rajiv Joseph's Pulitzer Prize finalist Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo, on Broadway in the spring of 2011. Prior to that, Kaufman directed the Pulitzer and Tony Award-winning play I Am My Own Wife. His plays Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde and The Laramie Project are among the most performed plays in America over the last decade. Kaufman recently directed his first opera, El Gato con Botas (Puss in Boots). Other credits include: The Nightingale (La Jolla Playhouse), A Common Pursuit (Roundabout), Macbeth with Liev Schreiber (Public Theater), This Is How It Goes (Donmar Warehouse), One Arm by Tennessee Williams (New Group and Steppenwolf Theater Company), Master Class with Rita Moreno (Berkeley Repertory Theater), and Lady Windermere's Fan (Williamstown Theater Festival). Kaufman also co-wrote and directed the film adaptation of "The Laramie Project" for HBO, which received two Emmy Award nominations for Best Director and Best Writer. He is the artistic director of Tectonic Theater Project and a Guggenheim Fellow in playwriting.

The cast of THE LARAMIE PROJECT & THE LARAMIE PRJECT: 10 YEARS LATER features: Chance Theater Resident Artists Jocelyn A. Brown, David McCormick, Erika C. Miller and Karen Webster, as well as Robert Foran, James McHale, Karen O'Hanlon, and Brandon Sean Pearson.

THE LARAMIE PROJECT has assembled an award-winning design team. The Scenic Design is by Fred Kinney. The Costume Design is by Erika C. Miller. The Lighting Design is by KC Wilkerson. The Video Design is by Joe Holbrook. The Sound Design is by Ryan Brodkin. The Production Stage Manager is Courtny Greenough.

THE LARAMIE PROJECT will preview tonight, April 18 & Saturday, April 20 at 8pm and will open on Tuesday, April 23 at 8pm and continue through Sunday, May 19.

THE LARAMIE PROJECT: 10 YEARS LATER will preview on Friday, April 19 at 8pm & Sunday, April 21 at 7pm and will open on Wednesday, April 24 at 8pm and continue playing in repertory through Sunday, May 19 at Chance Theater, 5552 E. La Palma Ave. in Anaheim Hills.

THE LARAMIE PROJECT will perform Thursdays at 8pm; Saturdays at 3pm and Sundays at 2pm.

THE LARAMIE PROJECT: 10 YEARS LATER will perform Fridays at 8pm; Saturdays at 8pm and Sundays at 7pm.

FOR AGES 13+: These productions are for mature audiences as they contain strong language and subject matter. This play contains hate speech that may be inappropriate for children under 13.

Tickets for all general performances are $27 - $35. Preview ticket prices are $25. All tickets can be purchased by calling (714) 777-3033 or by visiting www.chancetheater.com. Student, Senior, military and group discounts are available. (Groups call 1-714-900-3284).

CHANCE THEATER is located at 5552 E. La Palma Ave. in Anaheim Hills, Calif., 92807.
Parking is free.

Proud to be one of the leading ensemble-based Contemporary Theatre companies in Southern California, CHANCE THEATER has received the Ovation Award for Best Musical (Intimate Theatre) and a Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award for its Southern California premiere of "Jerry Springer: The Opera." Twice named "Outstanding Arts Organization" by Arts Orange County, Chance Theater is also a recipient of the Los Angeles Drama Critics
Circle's Polly Warfield Award for Excellence. Founded in 1999, Chance Theater is focused on its goal of being Orange County's premiere mid-size contemporary ensemble theater. As a constituent member of Theatre Communications Group, Network of Ensemble Theaters, and the LA Stage Alliance, Chance Theater continues to bring national attention to the Southern California and Orange County theater scenes.

To post a comment, you must register and login.