By Jay Dewey
Special to Inside
Bailiwick Repertory is presenting the Francis W. Parker School production of "The Laramie Project," by Moises Kaufman and the Tectonic Theater Company. The show will be performed Saturday, Dec. 6, and Sunday, Dec. 7, at 7:30 p.m. on the Mainstage of the Bailiwick Arts Center, 1229 W. Belmont Ave. Tickets are $22 and can be purchased by calling the Bailiwick box office at (773) 883-1090, or by visiting bailiwick.org.
Based on the real life interviews of Laramie, WY, residents and their reactions to the brutal anti-gay hate crime perpetrated upon college student Matthew Shepard, the show was selected as the high school's fall play with the intent to teach "the importance of having an open mind and of accepting those different from themselves," says Leslie Holland Pryor, Parker's Performing Arts Chair and the play's director.
The sincerity and professionalism of the piece caught the eye of Bailiwick Board member Jay Deratany, who was so moved that he arranged with Bailiwick's Artistic Director David Zak to present the Parker production at the Bailiwick Arts Center. The play is especially poignant when hopeful high school students, slightly younger than Matthew Shepard, portray characters who were the antitheses of themselves.
The October 1998 kidnapping, brutal beating and ultimate death of Matthew Shepard became an international symbol of intolerance. Francis Parker School and its community have embraced "The Laramie Project" for its ability to teach tolerance through the arts. In fact, three faculty members including the high school principal are cast in the production.
For more information, call (773) 883-1090. |
