The Victoria College Drama Society’s production of Moises Kaufman’s The Laramie Project opens with nine actors onstage wearing simple costumes of blue jeans and white t-shirts. Through a brief introduction, the play is revealed to be actual accounts of interviews with the population of Laramie, Wyoming, following the brutal 1998 murder of Matthew Shepard, a gay student killed because of his sexual orientation.
The play chronicles the virtual explosion of media attention following the murder by giving the residents of the town (particularly those involved with the case and those close to Matthew) a realistic representation. Not only that, but Kaufman’s inclusion of himself (as well as the other members of his production team) in the monologues of the play serves to endow the piece with a dimension of realism that enhances the credibility of the script.
Director Becca Mador’s vision for Laramie comes across from the opening sequences. Utilizing minimal props and costumes, Mador relies on the finely honed performances of her cast to convey the depth and complexities of such a powerful story. However, with each cast member playing several different characters, identifying each character proves a challenging task after the initial introductions made by the narrator. Although Mador does her best to counteract this by using distinguishing props or costume elements, differentiating between the characters becomes difficult midway through the performance.
In addition, the limitations of the Cat’s Eye performance space prove to have a negative effect on the production, with the stage area hard to see from several seats. The lighting also proves monotonous at times, with similar spotlight cues used to break up the scenes. Although the production deserves a stage the calibre of the Isabel Bader Theatre or Hart House, Mador makes the best of the limitations and presents a powerful production.
Although each performer delivers several moving monologues, Johnnie Walker is exceptionally outstanding in a multitude of roles, including that of the bartender who was the last to see Shepard alive; a limousine driver; and an evangelical preacher who pickets Shepard’s funeral. With his nuanced performances that vary from light and humorous to sharp and powerful, Walker proves to be a highlight of the production.
With all proceeds from the production going to T.E.A.C.H., an anti-homophobia organization, this performance will hopefully inspire similar projects to educate the public about homophobia. The strengths of the play greatly outweigh any limitations, and Laramie proves to be a powerful story of tolerance and acceptance that relates to much more than sexual orientation.
