Home » Arts & Life » Theatre Western heads to Toronto

Theatre Western heads to Toronto

After an enthusiastic reception in London last fall, Theatre Western’s The Laramie Project will be showcased at the renowned Toronto Fringe Festival in July.
The Laramie Project tells the true story of teenager Matthew Shepard from the small town of Laramie, Wyoming, who was murdered because of his homosexuality. The play, written by Moisés Kaufman and the Tectonic Theatre Project, is based upon a collection of interviews conducted with residents of Laramie, depicting their different reactions to the tragedy.
Theatre Western debuted the play last November and garnered praise for their performance and for shedding light on the brutality and senselessness of hate crimes.
Being selected as a part of the Toronto Fringe Festival, which showcases 150 different acts from around the world, is a great opportunity for Theatre Western and allows Shepard’s story to reach a wider audience.
Director Kate Rebry explains that performing at such a prestigious festival brings even more credibility to Theatre Western and university-level acting.
“Theatre Western is often viewed as a ‘student theatre experience’ with non-professional shows,” she says. “But in the last few years [it] has really developed and the shows have become very professional productions that do not come off as ‘student’ at all.”
Rebecca French, an actor in The Laramie Project, agrees.
“Sometimes plays put on by university students are under-appreciated,” she says. “I hope that by having students from Western perform in the Toronto Fringe Festival people will take university plays more seriously, and it will help people realize there is great talent all over.”
Though changes were made in order to prepare the show for the festival, including a new directing staff and cutting the play’s length from two and a half hours to 90 minutes, Rebry insists the message and impact are the same and that “it’s still a strong and influential experience.”
For French and her castmates, a major change is the fresh audience.
“This is no longer a play done to mainly our friends and families,” French says. “It’s a lot more pressure, but we hope to make an impact on those who choose to see it.”
With seven shows scheduled during the festival, the ultimate goal is to impact many with Shepard’s tale, Rebry says. “Before each show, I always say to the cast: ‘It is our responsibility to go out there, do this story justice, and change someone’s life,’” she says. “This play is so wonderfully written that with an audience of 200 at each show, at least one person will leave the theatre changed, or inspired to influence change.”
The Laramie Project plays at The Tarragon Theatre in Toronto on July 2, 3, 7, 8, 9 and 11. Tickets are available at www.fringetoronto.com or at (416) 996-1062 for $10.

Follow the Gazette on Facebook and Twitter.