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The Laramie Project Analysis

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The Laramie Project by Moises Kaufman is about a homosexual teenager is Wisconsin who was brutally murdered after a late night in a bar. This play makes a bold statement about how gays are treated in some in some communities and how it is a huge violation of basic human rights. Marge Murry states that "Even if they did, I’d just say no thank you. And that’s the attitude of most of the Laramie population. They might poke one, if they were in a bar situation, you know, they have been drinking, they might actually smack on in the mouth, but then they’d just walk away," (page ?!) while explaining what she thinks most of Laramies population’s outlook is on homosexuality from the local bartender point of view. This statement is highly contradictory, she is saying they would not do anything to hurt them other than politely decline, but they might also punch you in the face as a form of rejection as well. The Laramie Project is a play that does not function well as a play, it functions more as a short story. It lacks the basic element and structure of play while maintaining only a basic storyline..
The play The Lamarie Project began production on November 14, 1998 when members of the …show more content…

I think this function much better as a documentary, if all of the interviews had been recorded, or a short story that showed more of the connection between characters other than just that they are all residents of the same town. This play is easy for the reader to understand because it is written in modern day English; it is just difficult to keep up with the moments the play is broken down into. I do enjoy how it does show the prejudice of this small town and how it speaks out on how gays are treated and how it is a violation of basic human rights; I just think it would get the point across even better if it was written or produced in a different

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709 Words | 3 Pages

The Laramie Project is a book and play motivated by the savage attack and murder of a young gay man in Laramie, Wyoming. After the homicide, the members of the Tectonic Theater Project and it's creator Moises Kaufman went to the city of Laramie. They interviewed the townspeople for their memories of the crime and the mid-western city they lived in. The residents disclosed different viewpoints regarding the brutal attack and offered their own explanations to the motivation. The story is a narrative the theater group felt essential to unmask the bias against gays.

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1199 Words | 5 Pages

Most people do not enjoy talking about sensitive topics because they feel uncomfortable, so it is amazing how someone would write a play discussing one of the most sensitive topics, which is racism. I would think, many people would stay away from watching a play that could cause them to feel awkward. However, I was surprised to find out that this play is very popular, and this play was even created into a movie. My favorite scene of Spinning Into Butter was ending because the characters were openly honest, and the only way to end racism is to talk about the issue. Furthermore, this play is relevant in everyone's life, so it easily makes a connection with the audience.

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743 Words | 3 Pages

It is incredible the way two pieces of work on the same topic can have such varying effects and purposes. Moises Kaufman’s play, The Laramie Project, is dedicated to delivering a message about social inequality and injustice through its dialogue with witnesses and members of the town during the murder of Matthew Shepard. The article from The New York Times, Gay Man Dies From Attack, Fanning Outrage and Debate, by James Brooke, is specifically dedicated to conveying the news from an unbiased viewpoint. There are definitive differences found in both writing pieces that arguably make the play more effective at serving it’s purpose than the news article. The play, The Laramie Project, was a two year process that started immediately following the death of Matthew Shepard.

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773 Words | 4 Pages

The Laramie Project by Moisés Kaufman is a play that captures the sentiment in Laramie, Wyoming following the murder of Matthew Shepard, a gay college student, at the hands of Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson. The play incorporates real-life interviews and testimonies from Laramie residents performed by the actors and actresses. By using the verbatim quotes from people involved with the incident and its aftermath, Kaufman grounds the play in reality and prevents fictional elements from undercutting the brutality of the crime and the devastation it caused on real people for the audience. It also helps to prevent any Laramie resident from feeling unfairly portrayed, a common problem when making plays based on true stories. By utilizing his

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399 Words | 2 Pages

In the play The Laramie Project, the most compelling moment that I’ve found in the book was the moment “Dennis Shepard” because this moment was the final statement that was given before Aaron would’ve received the death penalty. In this moment, Kaufman is trying to make the argument that by adding in the voice of Dennis Shepard in giving the last statement before the court decides what do with Aaron, this choice is very effective because his statement basically summarizes how he and his family feels about what they should do about Aaron. The statement that was given that resulted Aaron not receiving the death penalty was from Dennis Shepard; the father of Matt Shepard. In his statement, Mr. Shepard decides that the perpetrator, Aaron McKinney,

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865 Words | 4 Pages

In comparison to the movie, the play undermines male dominance by focusing on women’s efforts to solve their own problems. First of all, there aren’t even men in the cast of the play,

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370 Words | 2 Pages

Roy Cohn’s dialogue at the doctor’s office upon his AIDS diagnosis draws my attention to discuss the theme of righteous deniability in Angels In America. What I meant by that term is the ability of a person to deny a diagnosis or an accusation due to their powerful position and/or belief of being morally justifiable. I see the way Tony Kushner introduces a real lawyer during McCarthy era as a point of contact for the right wing “righteous” audience who may view homosexuality as a social disease during the time period of the play. In real life, Cohn was a prominent figure for the Lavender Scare in the 50s where the United States government went for a witch hunt and mass fired homosexuals. A hypocritical act from Cohn as he was regularly seen

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624 Words | 3 Pages

On the night of October 6, 1998, Matthew Shepard was kidnapped, robbed, brutally beaten, and tied to a fence left to die by Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson. The book takes place in the drive-through town of Laramie, Wyoming in 1998. The members of the Tectonic Theater Project investigate and conduct over two hundred interviews in order to get more first-hand information about the murder. The author uses literary elements to discuss political and social issues when interviewing Jedadiah Schultz, Marge Murray, and when someone sent an email to Philip Dubois, the President of the University of Wyoming. Social issues are first discussed when interviewing Jedadiah Schultz, a 19-year-old university student.

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705 Words | 3 Pages

As stated by Annette Simmons, “If you wish to influence an individual or a group to embrace a particular value in their daily lives, tell them a compelling story.” This single quote is the perfect sentence to describe the play “Rooted.” Tim Miller performed a one man show exemplifying his personal story while connecting such harsh and brutal political truths. During his performance, Miller explained that him and his partner Alistair, are not alone. At this particular moment, I had an overwhelming sense of awareness because the idea of ‘loneliness’ is common among people struggling internally and externally.

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1127 Words | 5 Pages

The play is obviously about the geographical community of Laramie. It was obviously inspired by the death of Matthew Shepard. But did the piece address an inequality? Did it facilitate the healing of a community? To both of these questions, I think yes.

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648 Words | 3 Pages

Ger Zielinski's’ in his article Rebel with a Cause: An Interview with Rosa von Praunheim (2012) reveals that prauheim created many films that portrayed gay activism to being about political change— specially equals for homosexuals. What I find interesting is that New York during the 1960’s became highly gentrified where most of the “tranny bars and sex bars disappears” where the middle-class replaced them with “ tourists, coffee and fashion shops” In effort to displace gay people from New York. As a result of thus, many activist groups began to create campaigns to mobilize politically (p. 40). Rosa von Praunheim’s It is Not the Homosexual Who is Perverse, but the Situation in Which He Lives (1970) film tells a story of a homosexual male (Daniel)

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1065 Words | 5 Pages

I enjoyed the comical and lighthearted dancing and singing approach the characters had to the somber situations around them. Watching this few years later and after taking a Text and Meaning course, I was struck at the sheer amount of things that stood out. The Negroes were declared “other”. In post colonialist theory, declaring one race “other” marginalizes them and stresses on how

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1394 Words | 6 Pages

Without the lesbian pulp novels of the 1940’s through the 1960’s the United States and perhaps the world would be putting queer people in institutions; prisons and psychiatric wards just for being queer. The film Carol which is based on a lesbian pulp novel of that era is an excellent example of what women who are lesbian or bi-sexual might have had to deal with. Books, Films, & History In the 1940’s through the 60’s was a curious time for lesbian women where there where many laws against people’s sexual orientation. Queer people are discriminated against which was much worse for any queer person about 60 year ago.

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1014 Words | 5 Pages

The characters in the play reveal some of the gender stereotypes through the way they are presented in the beginning of the play, “The sheriff and Hale are men in the middle life… They are followed

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1457 Words | 6 Pages

Throughout the play, the characters look at faith, race, opportunities, fatherhood and

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