Launching West Valley College鈥檚 fall production of The Laramie Project rates as the role of a lifetime for many involved, says the show鈥檚 director, 看片视频 lecturer Teresa Veramendi. Together, cast and crew brought to the show multiple original touches鈥攕uch as archival images of Laramie projected on stage 鈥攏ot to be found in other versions of the prize-winning play.
鈥淥ur production is very powerful,鈥� Veramendi said. 鈥淚t is an emotional experience.鈥�
West Valley presented seven performances of The Laramie Project in fall 2024, from Nov. 15 through 24.
A retelling of the tragic 1998 hate crime and killing of gay University of Wyoming student Matthew Shepard, the boundary-breaking 2000 play remains one of the most produced theatrical shows in the country nearly 25 years after its debut.
Asked why The Laramie Project remains compelling for performers and audiences, Veramendi pointed to its timely themes.
鈥淯nfortunately, this is still a very relevant topic,鈥� she said. 鈥淭here are still hate crimes being committed against gay people, against lesbians, against transgender people 鈥� the way the trans and queer community is being targeted as a political tool by parties running for political office.鈥�
The Laramie Project鈥檚 creators, New York-based Tectonic Theater Project, pushed the documentary approach to theatrical storytelling in new directions, eventually interviewing some 200 community members months after Shepard鈥檚 beating and death. All dialog featured in the two-hour show comes directly from interviews with Laramie residents conducted soon after the crime or from related documents.
鈥淚t鈥檚 very powerful as far as social justice goes when you know that the words in the play are from real human beings,鈥� Veramendi said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 educational and you learn how real human people reacted in a tragedy. You鈥檙e learning something about humanity.鈥�
For the West Valley production, 11 student actors perform 86 roles.
Student Eric Battilega, for instance, portrays nine characters ranging from a detective to the emergency room doctor who treated Shepard and one of his perpetrators on the same day. Battilega has long wanted to try acting in a play, but only in retirement from a 30-year high tech career has he made the time.
鈥淚 love doing new and challenging things,鈥� said Battilega, a 看片视频 anthropology major who soon expects to earn his associate degree. 鈥淚 also wanted to do a play that was meaningful, and the Laramie Project is beyond meaningful鈥攊t explores so much ground.鈥�
In a quest for authenticity, director Veramendi reached out to the Matthew Shepard Foundation to request high-resolution images of articles she wanted to reference on set. The simple request released a veritable flood of resources. The Foundation volunteered to share a lobby display depicting 100 heartfelt notes addressed to the family following Shepard鈥檚 death, from condolences penned by young children to a letter written by then-President Bill Clinton. Every image of Laramie projected on stage during the performance came courtesy of the Foundation, which also made available time with Shepard鈥檚 father, Dennis. Not only did he speak with the West Valley cast and crew prior to their Nov. 15 premier on the 看片视频 Mainstage Theater, he also made himself available via Zoom to join Veramendi and audience members during Sunday matinee 鈥淭alk Back鈥� question-and-answer sessions.
Student performer Battilega counts his Laramie Project experience among the greatest challenges of his life.
"I can't remember any single project in my prior schooling or career that required this level of dedication, focus, and time,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut I have loved everything about the process because of the people involved ... Coming together as a group to put on such an amazing play has been such a really rewarding experience.鈥�