Australian Theatre for Young People (atyp) is committed to giving a voice to young people through theatre and writing. In 2010, we are excited to present a season of 5 plays, that will not only give our young performers a voice but put them centre stage in collaboration with professional artists to deliver 5 very different stories.
The atyp performance season will open with The Laramie Project by Moises Kaufman. Based on over 400 interviews with the residents of the sleepy town of Laramie, Wyoming, the play explores the contradictions of ordinary people as they deal with the aftermath of a brutal murder in their small community. This powerful work presents each character’s reaction to the crime, exploring issues of prejudice, tolerance, religion, class and belonging.
In October 1998 a 21 year old student at the University of Wyoming was kidnapped, tied to a fence, robbed, beaten beyond recognition in a premeditated act of hate and left to die miles from the town centre. This is a true story about an innocent young man called Matthew Shephard, who was victimised only because he was gay. It stirs emotion, controversy and speaks to humanity as a whole of what some of us are capable of and how important it is to share these stories with the world, in hope of tolerance.
Since the play first opened at The Ricketson Theatre in Denver Colorado in February 2000, The Laramie Project has become an international phenomenon.
See a young cast of 10 atyp members bring 78 characters to life with disarming simplicity. This is theatrical journalism at its very best.
"A remarkably complex theatre piece … testimony to events, feelings, opinions and recollections of an event that left none untouched."
Helen Thompson, The Age, 2005
The Laramie Project by Moises Kaufman
by arrangement with Hal Leonard Australia Pty Ltd
on behalf of Dramatists Play Service, Inc New York
Season: 11 – 27 March 2010 (Wed – Sat, 7pm and Sunday, 5pm)
Venue: atyp Studio 1, The Wharf, Pier 4/5 Hickson Road, Walsh Bay
Tickets: $20 full / $17 conc / $15 atyp supporter / Groups $15 each for 10+ people
Bookings: call atyp on 9270 2400 or book online at www.atyp.com.au