In October 1998 a twenty-one-year-old student at the University of Wyoming was kidnapped, severely beaten and left to die, tied to a fence in the middle of the prairie outside Laramie, Wyoming. His bloody, bruised and battered body was not discovered until the next day, and he died several days later in an area hospital. His name was Matthew Shepard, and he was the victim of this assault because he was gay. SSCC Theatre proudly presents Moisés Kaufman’s The Laramie Project playing in The Edward K. Daniels Auditorium at Southern State Community College, Hillsboro, Ohio, March 2 and 3 at 7:30 p.m. and on March 4 at 3:30 p.m.

Moisés Kaufman and fellow members of the Tectonic Theater Project made six trips to Laramie over the course of a year and a half in the aftermath of the beating and during the trial of the two young men accused of killing Shepard. They conducted more than 200 interviews with the people of the town. Some people interviewed were directly connected to the case, and others were citizens of Laramie, and the breadth of their reactions to the crime is fascinating. The Laramie Project is a breathtaking theatrical collage that explores the depths to which humanity can sink and the heights of compassion of which we are capable.

The Laramie Project features the talents of: Jerry Bailey, Kelly Devine, Leslie Holmes, Jenna Horick, Bryan Kessinger, Megan Marvin, Quinn Pickering-Polstra, Deven Rine, and Charlie Stevenson.

The Laramie Project is directed by Rainee Angles, stage managed by Kat Castle, and assistant stage managed by Micaela Countryman, with production design by Rainee Angles and Abraham Martin, sound design by Jon Davidson, and costume design by Laura Martin. Fulfilling other crew positions are: Brent Angles, Lori Bell, Daniel Bragdon, Drake Cadwaller, Corey Cloud, Matt Cowdrey, Melissa Griffith, Hannah Hengler, Brittany Hensley, Jenna Milstead, Alicia Jones, Meghan Lewis, Cody Pollard, Seth Potts, Grant Rankin, Heather Washburn.

Tickets for The Laramie Project are on sale now and can be pre-ordered, for only $6, by visiting here. All major credit cards are accepted on line. At the door, tickets are $8 for general admission and $6 for students and faculty, with ID. “The Laramie Project” is not child friendly.

For more information about The Laramie Project, tickets, the 2011 – 2012 season, and other SSCC Theatre productions, please visit www.sscctheatre.com.