Oct. 25, 2019 — The true story of a hate crime that left a young man beaten and left for dead in Wyoming will be staged by CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) students Nov. 14 through Nov. 23.
“The Laramie Project” is about the death of 21-year-old Matthew Shepherd, a gay University of Wyoming student who was tortured and brutally beaten, then left tied to a fence in freezing temperatures in a Wyoming field. Shepard was rescued 18 hours later and taken to a nearby hospital, where he later died of his injuries. Suspects Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson were later convicted of his murder and each given two consecutive life sentences.
“The Laramie Project” details how one of numerous plays, films, songs and novels developed around the tragedy.
“I chose this show because while there is hate crime legislation that’s made some progress, hate crimes are still an issue and it affects all of our students,” said Performing Arts/Theater Lecturer Laura Covault, who directed the play. “I thought this would be a really good way to address this issue. We are trying to make the point that one of the strongest ways to solve the world’s problems is by creating empathy.”
“The Laramie Project” is a play within a play. It dramatizes the two years New York-based Tectonic Theatre Project spent in Laramie recording dozens of interviews with the town’s citizens in order to write the play. The cast is an ensemble, so every actor plays more than one part.
Liberal Studies senior Zachary Lotshaw, 21, plays the main role of Moisés Kaufman, the narrator of the show. Lotshaw said the show has been a powerful learning experience for all the cast members, especially him.
“This play is about Laramie Wyoming, but this story definitely exists all over,” he said. “This story could easily have been about me.”
Another one of the parts he plays is that of the judge who sentences one of the defendants. The moment brought Lotshaw back in time to an incident that happened to him when he was 14.
“I am a gay man and I was attacked rather viciously in high school when I asked a boy to homecoming dance,” Lotshaw said. “Going through this play, it was really hard to talk about that or reflect on that. It really hit me hard one night as we were finishing up blocking…and I completely lost it. I had to run offstage. It hit me like a freight train.”
Lotshaw said it was a healing experience for him to talk about how he was feeling to the other cast members, who all supported him.
Performing Arts major Andreya Martinez, 25, said her participation in the show has been life-changing for her.
“I’m used to burying emotions and not feeling them, but being in this cast makes me feel like it’s OK to feel these emotions,” she said. “I think it’s helping me grow as a performer and a person.”
“There were times when we would stop rehearsal and have a discussion about it,” Martinez added. “We’ve had so many tears shed in rehearsal because of all the emotion and feeling we have put behind the words.”
The student actors’ dedication to the sensitive content of the play has been a source of pride and renewed faith for Covault.
“Just seeing how my students have come together, even after not knowing one another at all,” she said. “They’ve worked so hard and are so committed. They have exceeded my expectations.”
“Performances are Nov. 14-16, 21-23 at 8 p.m. and Nov. 16 and 23 at 2 p.m. in Malibu Hall on the CSUCI campus. Cast members are from different majors and there will be cast/audience discussions after most shows.
Tickets are free to CSUCI students but reservations must be made online at: https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/4371209.
General Admission is $15, Faculty and Staff are $10 and non-CSUCI students with ID are $5.
Limited parking is available on campus with the purchase of a $6 daily permit; follow signs to the parking permit dispensers. Free parking is available at the Camarillo Metrolink Station/Lewis Road with bus service to and from the campus. Riders should board the CSUCI Vista Bus to the campus; the cash-only fare is $1.25 each way. Buses arrive and depart from the Camarillo Metrolink Station every 30 minutes from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday. For exact times, check the schedule at www.goventura.org.