THEATRE NEW WEST and HOLOCAUST MUSEUM are extremely proud to present a MAJOR EVENT production of
THE LARAMIE PROJECT
Theatre New West presented BENT at the Museum in 2004, the run SOLD OUT and brought back the following year. TNW also presented THE TIMEKEEPRS at the Museum in 2009. Director Joe Watts approached Susan Myers, Executive Directer of the Museum, last fall and ask to present THE LARAMIE PROJECT there. Susan replied "Why have we not presented "Laramie" at the Museum before since it is such a "perfect fit". So it was decided to open the production during Gay Pride 2010, and the rest as they say is history.
The Matthew Shepard Foundation is very excited that Judy Shepard, Matthew's Mother has been invited to be apart of this production. She will be in Houston from July 9 thru the 10. She has been invited and will speak at the "Max Kaplan Summer Institute" for Educators, held at the Museum on July 8. She will also speak before the performance of "Laramie" on July 10. There is also a book signing to be held in her honor for her book, THE MEANING of MATTHEW: My Son's Murder in Laramie, and a World Transformed. Mayor Annise Parker has also been invited to attend the performance with Ms. Shepard, and to possibly speak with her that evening.
On Saturday night, October 10, 2009, in Washington D.C., there was a special dinner held by the Human Rights Campaign. It was the eve of the following Sunday’s March on Washington for Gay Rights for: inclusion of sexual orientation in the Hate Crimes Prevention Act, to reverse the military policy of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”, and for same sex marriage. President Obama spoke at the dinner and promised Matthew’s parents, who were at the dinner, that he would make sure the bill, which bears their son’s name, would pass, to include “sexual orientation”. He also promised to push for an end to the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. President Obama kept his promise, on October 28th he signed a bill that would make it a Federal hate crime to assault people based on sexual orientation.
Some of the reviews THE LARAMIE PROJECT has received include:
“Deeply moving…This play is OUR TOWN with a question mark, as in ‘Could this be our town?’ -The New York Times
“Astonishing. Not since ANGELS IN AMERICA has a play attempted so much; nothing less than an examination of the American psyche at the end of the millennium.” -Associated Press
“THE LARAMIE PROJECT is a terrific piece of theater, history, and life…There emerges a mosaic as moving and important as any you will see on the walls of the churches of the world…Nothing short of stunning…You should not miss a theatrical and human event that deserves standing up for, with applause, or better yet, silently, taking an important lesson profound to heart.” -New York magazine
Holocaust Museum Houston 5401 Caroline St. Houston, Texas 77004
8 Performances: June 24 & 26 (Thursday and Friday-Pride Performances), then running, July 10, 11, 15, 17, 22 and 24
