In 1998, in the university city of Laramie, Wyoming, 21-year-old openly gay student Matthew Shepard was brutally murdered by two men who offered him a ride home. The ensuing trial consumed headlines with discussion of what constituted a ‘hate crime’ and eventually led to the passing of the 2009 Hate Crimes Prevention Act in the U.S. Congress. As LGBTQ+ History Month arrives this February, it’s chilling to consider how relevant Shepard’s story remains at the twenty-fifth anniversary of writer Moisés Kaufman’s verbatim-style The Laramie Project.

“When people read about these things, they know that they’re real stories with real people involved. But what theatre can do is bring you into dialogue with these characters in a way that you can’t do just by watching a documentary,” explains Wilf Offord, co-director of the upcoming student production. Izzy Lane, the other director, agrees that the show will bring to life recent political debates, especially in the US, “that will without a doubt have knock-on effects over here.”

Their upcoming production has one particularly unique feature – it will be one of only a handful to have been performed in the Cambridge Union. This is a statement in itself. As Lane says, last year’s King Lear was “something you might expect from that space, very rooted in British history,” whilst The Laramie Project brings modern tragedies “into spaces which are typically associated with some level of elitism,” according to Offord. They plan to reimagine this iconic space in ways students will never have seen before – Lane notes that the chamber with its benches is surprisingly “akin to a church where you might witness a wedding or a funeral.” At the same time, they will capitalise on existing associations, such as having the judge bang a gavel on the Union debating table.

“The two perpetrators were not the only people responsible”

The audience follows in the footsteps of the real-life Tectonic Theater Project members who carried out hundreds of interviews in Laramie after the murder. They sought perspectives as diverse as the police officer who handled Shepard’s body, the Mormon teacher of one of the assailants and a conflicted member of the theatre group itself. Offord reflects that this observational method allows the audience to understand that the two perpetrators were not the only people responsible – “there’s the entire legal system, the religious community.” However, the approach simultaneously showcases “how the whole community comes together to celebrate the life of Matthew after his death.”

Their overall intention, Lane points out, is to show that a hate crime “affects everybody – not only victims and perpetrators and their families, but national communities.” In this production, Lane especially wants to highlight “the sensationalism of the news,” with scenes of journalists turning the case “into a bit of a joke” to generate better headlines. As she puts it: “we want the audience to come out with a fresh perspective on a town that has been marred by a news title.”

“The theme of community inspired the collaborative atmosphere backstage too”

The theme of community inspired the collaborative atmosphere backstage too – “I wanted a team because it’s not a story that can be told from one perspective,” Lane explains. As actors themselves, the co-directors took a very ‘actor-centric’ approach, encouraging a ‘fluid rehearsal dynamic’ leading to unexpected interpretations, a process which Offord describes as “a kind of magic.” Both directors emphasise how much they have learnt from working with a “phenomenal” cast – and from one another. First-time director Offord deliberately avoided being influenced by previous productions, counterbalancing the more-experienced Lane’s many past viewings of the play.

One of the significant challenges they’ve faced is the sheer scale of the multi-rolling – the 10 cast members depict 94 characters, sometimes switching back and forth mid-conversation. The actors worked hard to reduce confusion through different physical mannerisms; however, interestingly, the directors hint that the confusion is deliberate to some extent. Offord describes a “deep ocean of views, and opinions and people” which washes over the audience. “We can’t ever fully understand all angles of a story like this,” Lane adds, “you should be moved by it, but not necessarily quite sure by which angle you’re moved.”

“We can’t choose whose words get to be spoken and whose don’t”

A thornier ethical challenge was how to respectfully handle true stories belonging to living people whilst honouring the spirit of theatrical re-interpretation. Offord was adamant from the start that “we can’t choose whose words get to be spoken and whose don’t,” but Lane acknowledges that “we’ve had that battle of not holding on too tight” to exact physical impersonations. A balance was struck via careful direction to the actors to avoid leaning into stereotypes, such as a ‘sheriff-type’ interpretation of the sergeant character. This considered approach inevitably extended to complex discussions around how to portray the real perpetrators – here depicted in the courtroom awaiting a potential death penalty verdict. “Regardless of their crimes, they are still scared,” Lane explains, but reiterates that when they attacked Shepard, “they knew what they were doing.”

Lastly, I ask what advice they would give to audience members ahead of opening night. “Go in with an open mind,” proposes Lane. “Bring tissues,” advises Offord: “amongst moments of joy, there are moments of real, powerful emotion.” Based on this fascinating discussion, I think I can agree with their final call to “make sure you get tickets – you don’t want to miss it”.

‘The Laramie Project’ is showing at the Cambridge Union from Saturday 15 until Sunday 16 February, at 7pm.

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