The Laramie Project

Elias Adojutelegan – Philip Dubois/Moises Kaufman/Father Roger Schmit/Dr. Cantway

Rory Alexander – Stephen Belber/Matt Mickelson/Gov Geringer/Conrad Miller/Rob Debree

James Burman – Jedadiah Schultz/Matt Galloway/Aaron McKinney

Tian Chaudhry – Leigh Fondakowski/Romaine Patterson/Zubaida Ula/Newsperson

Esmée Cook – Eileen Engen/Marge Murray/Sherry Aanenson/Mormon Teacher/Newsperson

Isobel Coward – April Silva/Amanda Gronich/Reggie Fluty/Shadow/Jen/Newsperson

Olivia Edwards – Alison Meas/Kerry Drake/Shannon//Email Writer/Newsperson

Nancy Farino – Rebecca Hilliker/Waitress/Tiffany Edwards/Lucy Thompson/Newsperson

Nimshi Kongolo – Gil Engen/Jon Peacock/Baptist Minister/Phil Labrie/1st Bailif/Cal Rerucha

Al Maxwell – Greg Pierotti/Sgt Hing/Judge/Murdock Cooper/Judge (Henderson trial)

Sarah McCormack – Zackie Salmon/Kirsten Price/Aaron Kreifels

Mark Milligan – Doug Laws/Anonymous Friend of Aaron McKinney’s/Bill McKinney/Priest at funeral/2nd Bailiff/Harry Woods/Jonas Slonaker/Newsperson

Alice Moore – Trish Steger/Barbara Pitts/Catherine Connolly/Sherry Johnson/Minister’s Wife

Sebastian Orozco – Doc O’Connor/Andy Paris/Rulon Stacey/Andrew Gomez

Danial Radze – Stephen Mead Johnson/Jeffrey Lockwood/Rev. Fred Phelps/Russell Henderson/Dennis Shepard

All other parts will be played by members of the company.

Director Nancy Medina

Assistant Director Laura Hensley

Set Designer Carly Brownbridge

Costume Designer Bea Wilson

Lighting Designer Jenny Roxburgh

Sound Designer Danny Davies

Movement Director Michelle Gaskell

Fight Director Jonathan Howell

Voice and Dialect Coach Carol Fairlamb

Dialect Coach James Gitsham

Producer Frances Macadam

Production Manager Jon Sherwood

Production Supervisor Ruth Sidery

Stage Manager Maddie Coward

Deputy Stage Manager Charlotte Woolley

Assistant Stage Manager Ella Lovelady

Production Electrician Joel Williams

Lighting Operator Mary Bennett

Sound Operator Tom Codd

Video Operator Elkie McCrimmon

Construction Manager Andy Scrivens

Construction Assistants Alastair Barrows, Eliza Podesta, Elkie McCrimmon, Chantel Blackwood, Kirk Bishop, Mary Bennett, Tom Codd

Prop Making Manager Ambra Fuller

Scenic Artists Heidi Broad, Alistair Campbell, Bethany Hastings, Jean Wong

Costume Supervisor Isabel Cope

Costume Assistants Katie Vaccara, Lizzie Thomson, Jasmine Barron, Laura Pogose, Charlie Elmont

Find out more about the show through the Q&As with our wonderful students!

What is your role in the show and what does this entail?

Being the assistant director on Laramie entails lots of different tasks. I’ve been asked to carry out research on various aspects of the play, the context and the characters, and to feed this back to the cast. It’s also been part of my job to be available to the actors to discuss their characters, and to run some rehearsals recapping scenes while Nancy stages new ones, to best use our rehearsal time.

Why did you choose to study your course? Do you have any advice for future applicants?

I chose to study directing at BOVTS because the course is really practical and is bespoke for each of the four of us. I’ve loved getting to assist for lots of directors with differing methodologies, reflecting on their practice and what I can take and make my own.

What has been your favourite experience at the School so far?

I love getting to work on text projects with the actors. Last term I worked on Mike Bartlett’s Contractions for a week, and it was good to have a space to test out techniques I may not have tried before, and to work towards establishing a methodology of my own, applying this all to a great piece of writing with some brilliant actors.

Has the team faced any particular challenges when preparing for the show?

One of the challenges is that the play is verbatim; all of the characters are real people, so we’ve endeavoured to treat them all with respect and to not make a caricature of any of them. The cast have gone above and beyond in their research, and are basing a lot of their acting choices in facts that we can discern about the real people of Laramie. The play itself is very fair and measured, and we’re making an effort to be fair in the way we portray the people

Who should come to see The Laramie Project?

Everyone.

What have you enjoyed the most about working on The Laramie Project?

The whole team have been incredibly emotionally available, and it’s just a pleasure to be in the room. The subject matter is heavy, but everyone is working with such sensitivity, and we’re also finding the light moments that we can bring out through each character’s journey in the play. The Laramie Project is a story about a tragic event, but it’s also a play about hope.

What is your role in the show and what does this entail?

Like the rest of the cast I multi-role throughout the play but my main characters are the REV. FRED PHELPS, RUSSELL HENDERSON and DENNIS SHEPARD.

FRED PHELPS is a homophobic preacher and founder of the Westboro Baptist Church who believes, without question, that god hates homosexuality and will punish all homosexuals in hell for the sin of being gay.

Obviously, this is a challenge for me as PHELPS couldn’t be further from myself in terms of age, religious beliefs and perceived, righteous morality.

RUSSELL HENDERSON is a young Laramie resident who is accused and convicted of the murdering of Matthew Shepard but, for his crimes, he seems to feel a tremendous amount of remorse.

RUSSELL is quite complex in that he’s described as sweet and caring by several characters throughout the play despite being capable of playing accomplice to murder.

DENNIS SHEPARD is the father of Matthew Shepard and the public face for the majority of the news coverage during Matthew’s hospitalization, death and the trials that followed.

Given that I play DENNIS mere minutes after playing RUSSELL, those shoes will prove quite challenging to fill.

Who should come to see The Laramie Project?

While it certainly isn’t a show for children or the faint hearted, it is a beautiful recreation of the events that followed Matthew Shepard’s beating, abandonment and death.

I’d heartily encourage any theatre enthusiasts, members of the LGBT+ community and the public in general to come and hear this story we have to tell.

What have you enjoyed the most about working on The Laramie Project?

Character explanation has been at the heart of our rehearsal process – this has  been my favourite part of all rehearsal processes I’ve ever been a part of.

What is your role in the show and what does this entail?

I am playing the roles of Marge Murray, Eileen Engen, Sherry Aanenson and Mormon Teacher.

Has the team faced any particular challenges when preparing for the show?

One of our biggest challenges, as actors, is honouring the real people whose words we’re speaking, making sure we’re making informed choices about who these people it were and how these events affected them.

Who should come to see The Laramie Project?

Everybody. Hate crimes are so prevalent today that this play still feels hugely relevant.

What have you enjoyed the most about working on The Laramie Project?

The challenge of figuring out who these people were or are from just their words and whatever google throws up. You might have just an image and a date of birth, along with a short snippet of interview to go on, so forming a fully-fledged character, which is as close to reality as possible, is a really exciting challenge.