Asolo Rep To Premiere THE LARAMIE PROJECT: TEN YEARS LATER, EPILOGUE On 10/12 Simultaneously With Over 100 Theatres Worldwide

Asolo Repertory Theatre and theatres around the world will present the simultaneous global premiere of The Laramie Project: Ten Years Later on October 12, 2009, at 8 p.m. This landmark event is free and open to the public, and a national and international interactive online presence.

The Laramie Project, which since 2000 has been one of the most performed plays in America, will premiere a compelling and groundbreaking epilogue to the original piece. Entitled The Laramie Project: Ten Years Later, the play will be performed simultaneously at Lincoln Center (NY), Asolo Repertory Theatre and over 100 theaters around the world. The writers of this play are Tectonic Theater Project members Moisés Kaufman, Leigh Fondakowski, Greg Pierotti, Andy Paris, and Stephen Belber. The play will be directed by Asolo’s Producing Artistic Director, Michael Donald Edwards.

The epilogue focuses on the long-term effects of the murder of Matthew Shepard on the town of Laramie. It explores how the town has changed and how the murder continues to reverberate in the community. The play also includes new interviews with Matthew’s mother Judy Shepard and Mathew’s murderer Aaron McKinney, who is serving two consecutive life sentences. The writers also conducted many follow-up interviews with Laramie residents from the original piece, including, Romaine Patterson, Reggie Fluty, Jedediah Shultz, Father Roger Schmidt, Jonas Slonaker, Cathy Connoly and others.

When: October 12, 2009, from 7 to 9 p.m.

Doors open at 7 p.m. for A Night of Non-violence, a community expo to be held in the lobby of the FSU Center for the Performing Arts. Local non-violence groups and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT) organizations will be present to support topics surrounding the epilogue and answer questions regarding their organizations. Call 941-351-9010 ext. 4820 to reserve a table for your organization.

Starting at 8 p.m. in the Mertz Theatre, a live pre-show broadcast from Lincoln Center immediately followed by the Asolo Rep performance of The Laramie Project: Ten Years Later.

After the play, stay for a post show discussion, where audiences are encouraged to twitter questions or comments to Lincoln Center.

In tandem with the Premiere, an online interactive community is to be launched where participants can Blog, upload video and photos and share their stories about the play, experiences in preparing and presenting the Epilogue in their communities. The members of Tectonic Theater Project will be active participants in the online community, offering participants feedback and encouragement through the Laramie Project website (laramieproject.org).
 
Free, general admission seating, call (941) 358-0810; reservations recommended.

For more information visit: www.laramieproject.org; www.tectonictheaterproject.org; www.asolo.org.

To post a comment, you must register and login.