HFC presents "The Laramie Project" through Nov. 18

The HFC Theatre Arts department presents Moisés Kaufman’s The Laramie Project.

Presented by special arrangement with Kaufman and the Tectonic Theater Project, The Laramie Project – directed by HFC theater instructor Sarah Hawkins – will run for eight performances in the Adray Auditorium in the Grant U. MacKenzie Fine Arts Center (Building F on the main campus) on the following dates and times:
• Thursday, Nov. 8, at 8 p.m.
• Friday, Nov. 9, at 8 p.m.
• Saturday, Nov. 10, at 8 p.m.
• Sunday, Nov. 11, at 2 p.m.
• Thursday, Nov. 15, at 8 p.m.
• Friday, Nov. 16, at 8 p.m.
• Saturday, Nov. 17, at 8 p.m.
• Sunday, Nov. 18, at 2 p.m.

The Laramie Project details the reaction to the 1998 murder of Matthew Shepard, a gay college student in Laramie, WY. On Oct. 6, 1998, Shepard – who attended the University of Wyoming – was brutally beaten and tied to a fence on the outskirts of Laramie. He died six days later due to severe head trauma at the age of 21. His murderers, Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson, each received two consecutive life sentences.

Shepard’s murder was a watershed moment that was denounced as a hate crime, bringing national and international attention to hate crime legislation at the state and federal levels. In 2009, the U.S. Congress passed the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act (a.k.a. the “Matthew Shepard Act” or “Shepard/Byrd Act”). On Oct. 28, 2009, President Barack Obama signed the legislation into law.

The Laramie Project draws upon hundreds of interviews conducted by the theater company with inhabitants of the town, company members’ own journal entries, and published news reports. It is divided into three acts. The play debuted in 2000 and inspired many grassroots efforts to combat homophobia.

In 2002, HBO commissioned a film version of The Laramie Project due to the play’s success, also written and directed by Kaufman. The film version boasted an ensemble cast: Oscar winner Peter Fonda (Easy Rider), Oscar nominee Amy Madigan (Field of Dreams), Golden Globe winner/Oscar nominee Laura Linney (Love Actually), Clancy Brown (The Shawshank Redemption), Emmy winner Camryn Manheim (The Practice), Emmy winner Michael Emerson (Person of Interest), Emmy winner Margo Martindale (The Americans), Golden Globe nominee Christina Ricci (The Opposite of Sex), Ben Foster (X-Men: The Last Stand), among others.

Tickets for The Laramie Project are $15 for general admission and $12 for HFC employees, senior citizens, and students with a valid photo ID.

To purchase tickets, go to www.hfcc.edu/campus-life/theatre. For questions or more information, call 313-845-9600.