Through over 200 interviews, Playwright Moises Kaufman along with the Tectonic Theatre, developed The Laramie Project to explore the "underlying origin and the community's attempt to heal" in response to the atrocity of Matthew Shepard's murder in October of 1998. And, although we recently marked the 22nd anniversary of this horrific event, national statistics reveal that hate crimes are increasing in frequency in our country.

When embarking on this project, Kaufman asked, "What can we do as theatre artists to respond to this incident, and, more concretely, is theatre a medium that can contribute to the national dialogue on current events?" In a February 2020 article from American Theatre, Kaufman answers his own question. “The idea that a company of theatre artists could go somewhere, talk to people, and return with what they saw and heard, interested me deeply. But there are moments in history when a particular event brings the various ideologies and beliefs prevailing in a culture into sharp focus,” he said. “The murder of Matthew Shepard was one of them. In its immediate aftermath, the nation launched into a dialogue that brought to the surface how we think and talk about homosexuality, sexual politics, education, class, violence, privileges and rights, and the difference between tolerance and acceptance.”

If you are interested in joining the F&PA as we immerse ourselves in this challenging content, please answer the questions below. By filling out this form you are not committing to take part in the play; We will add your name to the Teams invitation for auditions.

Virtual auditions will be held after school October 26, 27, 28. All auditions days are required unless you make other arrangements with the Director, Ian Duncan. Beginning November 9th, Virtual rehearsals will run Monday - Thursday 3:30-5:30pm, with performances scheduled the first week in February.

If you have any questions please contact Production Coordinator, Lisa Frystak at lfrystak@eastsideprep.org, Director Ian Duncan at iduncan@eastsideprep.org, or Director of Fine & Performing Arts, Ginger Ellingson at gellingson@eastsideprep.org.