Laramie Project: The Aftermath of a Hate Crime
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HE Norris Ely Orchard Theater this fall took on the powerful, true story of a gay college student who was murdered in 1998. The heart-rending student production of The Laramie Project brought many in the audience to tears during the show’s four-night run. “The kids really embraced the challenge of telling a true story in the words of living people, [a story] about such a complex and difficult event,” says Director Connie Grappo. Written by Moisés Kaufman and members of the Tectonic Theater Project, The Laramie Project draws upon more than 100 interviews as well as journal entries and news reports to tell the story of Laramie, Wyoming, and the hate crime that claimed the life of Matthew Shepard, a University of Wyoming student. Loomis Chaffee’s production of the show relied upon the talent of a small ensemble cast, framed by a powerfully minimalist set. Audiences emerged from the NEO impressed by the acting and staging and moved by the story. “The Laramie Project has never been more relevant,” Connie says. Not long after work on the play began, the national news was dominated by the story of a Rutgers University student who committed suicide after he learned he had been secretly filmed having a sexual encounter with another man. The country also debated the repeal of the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy this fall.
Workshop on College Guidance Draws Local Interest OLLEGE guidance officers and teachers from more than 20 area private and public schools attended a Loomis Chaffee-sponsored workshop on writing college recommendations. Ann Fleming Brown, director of admissions at Union College, led the October workshop, which was organized by Webster Trenchard, Loomis Chaffee’s director of college guidance, and Scott MacClintic, director of LC’s Center for Excellence in Teaching. Ms. Brown, who has worked at Union for more than 20 years, estimates she has read 48,000 recommendations at the college. She offered advice and guidelines for writing recommendation letters that would best serve the students who are applying to colleges.
In a scene from The Laramie Project, sophomore Sarah Horowitz portrays Aaron Kreifels, a University of Wyoming student who was mountain biking when he discovered classmate Matthew Shepard beaten beyond recognition and tied to a fence post in a remote area outside of Laramie, Wyoming. Photo: Wayne Dombkowski
Connie and Assistant Director Neil Chaudhary ’05 worked with the cast to consider tough questions about the issues that the play raises. “What we have strived to do is to allow ourselves to be surprised by the answers, and to go beyond simple judgment or condemnation … [to] be willing to struggle with the gray areas that most of us live in … and come away more in touch with our humanity,” Connie said shortly before opening night. Neil and Connie are working with theater students this year while Brian Kosanovich, head of the Theater & Dance Department, is on sabbatical. Neil,
who attended Bowdoin College after graduating from Loomis, was a NEO regular in his time on the Island, and he acknowledges he has enjoyed coming back and spending time in the familiar environs. Connie has extensive experience in professional theater. She served as the artistic director of Working Theater in New York City and has worked on shows in both New York City and Los Angeles. She also taught acting in the Yale University Theater Studies Department and in the master of fine arts program at the Yale School of Drama. —Senior Jacqueline Mishol
To listen to a full audio recording of Ms. Brown’s talk, go to loomischaffee.org / magazine
F.Y.I. The Debate Society is off to a strong start in the 2010–11 season. The group compiled a 10-5 record in two tournaments over a weekend in October. In November, junior Kelvin Gonzalez placed third among novice speakers at the Phillips Academy debate tournament. And the debaters squared off against 15 other schools at the Hotchkiss Parliamentary Debate Tournament in December, where Loomis Chaffee’s top advanced duo, senior Ye Dam Lee and junior Isaac Kornblatt, and top novice team, Kelvin and junior Elizabeth Titterton, both went 2-1. The Loomis Chaffee Invitational Debate Tournament takes place on January 23.
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