“The Laramie Project is about the brutal murder of Matthew Shepard in 1998. He was a college student. He happened to be gay and was killed because of it. It was a hate crime that was very high profile at the time,” explained the show's Director Rachel Jamieson. “Soon after, some company members from Tectonic Theater Project came and interviewed more than 200 people in the community to get their take on what happened.”
Since the conception of the Tectonic Theater Project piece, the play has been performed by theaters across the United States for decades.
“High Tide is really trying its best to tell hard-hitting and important stories,” said Maceo Cortezz, an actor in the production.
“It was chosen this year by High Tide because we are very divided right now in this country,” said Jamieson. “And yet there's also a lot of common ground that we can find together. There's shades of gray, and there's also understanding that can be found in this production,” she continued.
The production of “The Laramie Project” marks Jamieson’s first time working with High Tide Theatrical.
“I’m very excited to be working with High Tide,” she said. “It’s just a delight. I had the privilege of teaching Grace Billingsley, the executive director, many years ago, and she remembered that I had directed ‘The Laramie Project’ before and thought of me.”
Cortezz had also previously worked with members of the production.
“I worked with Rachel growing up. She was a teacher of mine,” he said. “So when I saw she was directing, I thought this had to be the one I came back for. And I fell in love with the play, too. It was just incredible.”
Working on the production has been an emotional experience for many of the cast members, including the director herself. “I remember when it happened very distinctly, and it still makes me choke up today,” she said. “I do have to sort of remove myself from that emotional nature and see it from the director side of things. Otherwise you can fall deep into the emotion of the project. A lot of our actors are finding that too, but we’re taking careful steps to make sure everyone is emotionally protected.”
Cortezz said the experience of working on this production is different from many other theatrical projects. The play is based on more than 200 real interviews conducted after the event, and each actor takes on the role of multiple characters. Actors also break the fourth wall and deliver lines directly to the audience. The production attempts to avoid paraphrasing as much as possible to keep each story accurate to the original interviews.
“It’s challenging but exhilarating,” Cortezz said. “I do feel relatively confident with it. But this is one of the harder shows I've ever had to memorize because of the nature of it. You're constantly switching between roles and things go out of order. The whole piece is like a mosaic.”
“The story is so broad. There are so many different voices and perspectives,” he added. “I think it's going to be a really unique and personal experience for each and every audience member.”
“The Laramie Project” runs March 6 through March 21 at the Lightroom Lounge at Martha’s Vineyard.
Those planning to attend should note that the production contains references to anti-LGBTQ+ hate crimes, violence and homophobia, as well as strong language.
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit the High Tide Theatrical website.
