Pioneer Players open 2026-27 season with 'The Laramie Project'
UW-Platteville’s Department of Performing and Visual Arts-Theatre and Pioneer Players will present “The Laramie Project” by Moisés Kaufman and the Tectonic Theater Project. Performances are October 7 at 11:00am, October 7-10 at 7:30pm, and October 11 at 2:00pm. All performances will be in the Center for the Arts-Theatre on the campus of the UW-Platteville.
In 1998, the brutal murder of a young gay man living in Laramie, Wyoming, shocked the world and sparked the hate crime debate. The 21-year-old student at the University of Wyoming was kidnapped, severely beaten, and tied to a fence and left to die in the middle of the prairie. His name was Matthew Shepard, and he was the victim of this assault because he was gay. Playwright Moisés Kaufman and members of the Tectonic Theater Project made six trips to Laramie over the course of a year and a half and conducted more than 200 interviews with the people of the town. This play, written in 2000, is the result of that work and has been performed for an estimated worldwide audience of 10 million people since then.
According to Ann Dillon Farrelly, professor of theatre and the play’s director, “Matthew Shepard was murdered exactly 28 years from when we are opening this play, but we are not presenting this story as just a memorial to Matt. This story is heartbreakingly relevant all these years later, and we need to revisit it, remember it, and end the hate that brought it about in the first place. Telling stories is how we discover our shared humanity. We need to find it again.”
This play features nine actors playing over 60 roles. The ensemble includes Caroline Aron, Angel Battistella, Elijah Fuchs, Dash Gilchrist, Phoenix Johnson, Matthew Kula, Audrey Staples, and Nik Swiggum. Joining the students in the ensemble is assistant professor of English, Dr. Hannah Korell.
In addition to Farrelly, the production team includes UW-Platteville faculty and staff Jeffrey Strange as scenic and lighting designer, Sarah Strange as costume designer, and Laurel Capps as technical director. Students on the production staff include Sophia Rowell as stage manager and Belle Garbisch as sound designer. Members of the student running and wardrobe crews include Tim Fleener, Max Kasprzak, Cora Arentsen, Kealie Black, Keeleigh Padilla, Jay Aiken, and Megan Knight.
“Mounting a production is under 4 weeks is never easy, but we have the team to do it. These actors will have had only 15 rehearsals to tackle this very challenging and emotional show, but I think you will see that they are a remarkable group of performers,” said Farrelly. “And having Dr. Korell join the cast has been very special for all of us. Student and faculty collaboration is not just a standard feature of the arts in higher education, it is also a proven high-impact practice.”
The production runs 2 hours and 30 minutes with one 15-minute intermission. Due to the story’s subject matter, viewer discretion is advised. As with all theatre performances, audiences should research whether a show is appropriate for them. Tickets are $15 for general admission and $5 for students/under 18. All tickets for the Wednesday, October 7 performances are $5, as a part of our “One-Price Wednesday” special for plays in the CFA Theatre. For tickets, visit tickets.uwplatt.edu or call the University Box Office at 608-342-1298.