Gowri Kanagarajah
In the early hours of October 7, 21-year-old student Matthew Shepard was found by a cyclist on the outskirts of Laramie, Wyoming, brutally beaten, bloodied and tied to a fence. Shepard, who had slipped into a coma, died in hospital 5 days later. His assailants, Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson were arrested and eventually sentenced to life imprisonment on the counts of felony murder, kidnapping and robbery. The case led the United States government to pass the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr., Hate Crimes Prevention Act in October 2009.
In November 1998, members of the Tectonic Project, a New York-based theatre company, travelled to the idyllic, relatively civic town of Laramie to interview over 200 residents – Shepard’s acquaintances and friends at school and common folk living in the town. These interviews formed The Laramie Project, which was performed by the Young Co. actors as part of their graduation showcase.
“Laramie is live and let live!”
The play opens with the Laramie townspeople praising their hometown. “Wyoming is like no place on earth!” enthused bartender Marge Murray. The implication that Wyoming is akin to paradise is hard to miss where a signboard on stage reads, “Hate is not a Laramie value”. On the contrary, Murray (played by Miriam Cheong) elaborates there is a class distinction in Laramie. “It’s about the well-educated and the ones that are not. And the educated don’t understand why the ones that are not, don’t get educated!”
“It’s hard to talk about Laramie now, to tell you what Laramie is, for us.”
One interviewee, Jedadiah Schutz (Benjamin Spratt) prefaces his story with the above line. A theatre student from the University of Wyoming, he recalls the time he auditioned for a scholarship, and how his traditional Christian parents were unsupportive of his chosen scene, which was from Angels in America, a homosexual-themed play. His story shows how deep the sentiments towards homosexuality run among the older generations of the Laramie people.
The play moves on to the accounts of the common townspeople. Some feel Shepard had come on to his attackers while others feel his attackers had approached him with an agenda. As the trials progressed, more theories reveal Shepard’s involvement in drugs and his alleged casual relationship with McKinney. Regarding the attitudes towards homosexuality in Laramie, Matt Galloway (Vignesh Singh), bartender at the pub where Shepard had allegedly left with his attackers, defiantly put it, “If I didn’t tell you I was gay, you wouldn’t beat the crap out of me!”
The people of Laramie didn’t take well to the sudden media attention, and preferred to think of it as a robbery instead of a hate crime. “We don’t grow children like that here. Well it’s clear we do grow children like that here!” an anonymous interviewee (Cheong) said.
A highlight of the play is when the emotions are highly charged. In a scene, Reverend Fred Phelps of the Westboro Baptist Church (played by Chin Rui Yuan) and other church members pickets Shepard’s funeral. Even as the funeral-goers sing Amazing Grace to drown Phelps’ protests, he continues to yell over their voices, a moving scene showing the stark contrast of serenity and hatred.
Multiple characters, minimalist set
The stage was spartan, consisting of two rows of chairs at the sides of the stage, and a raised platform in the middle. However, the actors effectively utilized the space by standing at different corners of the platform. This helped to isolate each character and his/her story, as most of the characters didn’t have conversations with one another.
Daniel Jenkins’s and Natalie Wong’s watertight direction ensured the effortless removing and retrieving of props and costumes, as well as the seamless transitions between characters, which was also a demonstration of the fruits of the cast’s labor.
What could have proved as a challenge was that the actors had to play characters from both sides of the fence; one side being members of The Tectonic Theatre project and the other, residents of Laramie.
Nevertheless, each actor visibly maximized their fullest potential. Almost every cast member played at least two characters, with some playing up to four. This writer felt the actors duly proved their mettle as they segued into each character, by changing their wardrobe, accents and even gait. For example, Spratt traded Schutz’s exuberant hand gestures for the priest’s subdued countenance. Chin Rui Yuan, who played the brash, hate-spewing Phelps, swapped his mostly-white wardrobe for parkas and jeans to play Moisés Kaufman, director of The Laramie Project.
At times, the play felt sluggish, but it was understandable considering the many developments, from Shephard’s life to after the court trials. To condense over 200 interviews and yet explore varying viewpoints is no mean feat, but satisfyingly achieved.
Incidentally, the play did not feature images of the crime scene. The characters’ detailed and unfiltered accounts were enough for viewers to picture what transpired.
In today’s age, the rise of hate-fuelled crimes has begun to expose the chasms in our society. Perpetrators are using violence against others because of choices they do not agree with. Bearing in mind that ‘hate’ is impactful a word as its meaning, what is one’s motivation to hate? Prejudice? Pressure? Or a fatal lapse in judgment?
Matthew Shepard was an ordinary student. Above that, he was a kind, loyal friend and a loving son. However, he left a void in the lives of those who knew and loved him, because of the ghastly motives that his assailants chose to act on that night. His story is a reminder that the valiant struggle for a completely accepting society is present, but violence is not, and never will be, the solution.
Rating: 4 / 5
Directed by: Daniel Jenkins and Natalie Wong
Lighting designer: Kimberly Kwa
Sound Designer: Guo Ning Ru
Projection Designer: Grace Lin
Venue: DBS Arts Centre, Home of the Singapore Repertory Theatre
Duration: 90 minutes without intermission
Date: 25-26 July 2014
Cast:
Egan Chan (Jonas Slonaker / Aaron Kriefels / Father Roger Schmit)
Miriam Cheong (Marge Murray / Anonymous / Judge)
Chin Rui Yuan (Moises Kaufman / Baptist Minister / Rev. Fred Phelps / Aaron McKinney)
Tiffany Ann Dass (Romaine Patterson)
Riley Huang (Rebecca Hiliker / Dr. Cantway / Minister’s Wife
Deborah Lee (Sherry Aanenson / Reggie Fluty)
Prabu Devaraj (Jon Peacock / Phil Laurie / Murdock Cooper / Harry Woods / Rob Debreu)
Clancy Jessica Ryan (Stephanie Berber / Catherine Connolly / Sherry Johnson)
Lauren Sim (Amanda Gronich / Rulon Stacey)
Vignesh Singh (Andy Paris / Matt Galloway / Russell Henderson)
Dennis Sofian (Doc O’Connor / Dennis Shepard)
Benjamin Spratt (Jedadiah Schultz / Priest)
Lareina Tham (Kristen Price / Connie Miller / Trish Steger / Judy Shepard)
Photographs courtesy of Singapore Repertory Theatre Facebook