RADNOR, Pa. (Sept. 16, 2009) — Cabrini Theatre is one of just 100 international venues selected to stage a world premiere performance of The Laramie Project: 10 Years Later (An Epilogue) on Monday, Oct. 12.
The 100 theaters will perform in sync with the Tectonic Theater Project premiere in New York's Lincoln Center, scheduled for 8 p.m. A live video feed to all theaters will broadcast the first 20 minutes of the performance, at which time the satellite theaters will conclude the play simultaneously.
"This is the first time in history where one production is performed live in 100 theaters in three countries," said Dr. Thomas Stretton Jr., assistant professor of education at Cabrini and head of the College's theater department. "The play is such an important piece of American theater, and tells a universal human story and has been a transformative experience for the cast and audience. We are thrilled to bring this epilogue to The Laramie Project to Cabrini College."
Since 2000, The Laramie Project has been one of the most performed plays in America. Based on a performance of the play she saw at Cabrini in 2007, one of the epilogue's authors, Leigh Fondakowski, asked Dr. Stretton if the Cabrini Theatre would perform the play.
The epilogue (written by Fondakowski and other members of the Tectonic Theater Project, who also wrote The Laramie Project) focuses on the aftermath of the 1998 murder of Matthew Shepard on the town of Laramie, Wyo. It includes new interviews with many characters from the original play as well as with Matthew's mother, Judy, and Matthew's murderer, Aaron McKinney, who is serving dual life sentences. The play also explores varying points of view by residents of Laramie about whether the murder was a hate crime motivated by homophobia, or the result of a botched robbery.
After the play, audience members and viewers can blog, upload video and photos, and share their stories about the play in an online interactive community. The members of Tectonic Theater will offer feedback and answer questions.
For more information on The Laramie Project: 10 Years Later, and for a complete list of the theaters producing the play, visit www.laramieproject.org.
The performance at Cabrini, held in the Grace Hall Atrium on the Radnor campus (610 King of Prussia Road), will begin in sync with the Lincoln Center's performance, scheduled for 8 p.m. A prelude at Cabrini will begin at 7:45 p.m.
The performance is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Dr. Thomas Stretton (610-902-8328, thomas.stretton@cabrini.edu). Anyone with a disability who requires special accommodation should contact the Disability Resource Center (610.902.8572).