The Laramie Project (SCC's City Theatre)

Performances for Audiences In-Person or Simultaneously Streaming Online

City Theatre at Sacramento City College continues its 2021-22 season with the moving and powerful The Laramie Project by Moisés Kaufman and fellow members of the Tectonic Theater Project. Peter Mohrmann will direct the ensemble of nine actors performing over 60 different characters in a collage of moments following the aftermath of a brutal murder. This production is intended for mature audiences. The performances will be presented live for in-person audiences on the Sacramento City College campus while simultaneously streamed for those who choose to watch online.

The production opens Thursday, March 3, and plays through Sunday, March 13. Performances are at 7:30 p.m. on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays and 2:00 p.m. on Sundays. Performances will be held in in-person in the Auditorium of the Performing Arts Center on the Sacramento City College campus at 3835 Freeport Blvd. in Sacramento with the option of watching the live performance simultaneously streaming online. Ticket prices for are $15 General Admission; $10 Seniors, SARTA members, veterans/military personnel and Persons with Disabilities; and $10 for students. All in-person audience members will be required to show ID, show proof of vaccination, and wear a mask at all times. All tickets must be purchased online as there will be no in-person ticket sales before the performances. All details and tickets are available online at CityTheatre.net. 

The Play

In October 1998, a twenty-one-year-old student at the University of Wyoming was kidnapped, severely beaten, and left 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. 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, while others were citizens of Laramie, and the breadth of the reactions to the crime is fascinating. Kaufman and Tectonic Theater members have constructed a deeply moving theatrical experience from these interviews and their own experiences in Laramie. The Laramie Project is a breathtaking collage that explores the depths to which humanity can sink and the heights of compassion of which we are capable.

The Playwright

Moisés Kaufman is a Tony and Emmy nominated director and playwright. His play 33 VARIATIONS, starring Jane Fonda, was nominated for five Tony awards (including one for Ms. Fonda). Previous to that, Mr. Kaufman directed the Pulitzer and Tony award-winning play I AM MY OWN WIFE, earning him an Obie award for his direction as well as Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, and Lucille Lortel nominations. His plays GROSS INDECENCY: THE THREE TRIALS OF OSCAR WILDE and THE LARAMIE PROJECT have been among the most performed plays in America over the last decade. Mr. Kaufman also directed the film adaptation of THE LARAMIE PROJECT for HBO, which was the opening night selection at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival and won the National Board of Review Award, the Humanitas Prize, and a Special Mention for Best First Film at the Berlin Film Festival. The film also earned Mr. Kaufman two Emmy Award nominations for Best Director and Best Writer. He is the Artistic Director of Tectonic Theater Project and a Guggenheim Fellow in Playwriting. Other credits include BENGAL TIGER AT THE BAGHDAD ZOO (Mark Taper Forum); MACBETH with Liev Schreiber (Public Theater); THIS IS HOW IT GOES (Donmar Warehouse); ONE ARM by Tennessee Williams (Steppenwolf Theater Company); MASTER CLASS with Rita Moreno (Berkeley Repertory Theater); and LADY WINDERMERE'S FAN (Williamstown Theater Festival).

The Production

The Laramie Project will be directed by Peter Mohrmann (10 WAYS TO SURVIVE LIFE IN A QUARANTINE, THE BEAUX STRATAGEM). The cast will feature nine actors each performing multiple characters. The artistic team will include Shawn Weinsheink (scenic, projection & lighting designs), Nicole Sivell (costume design), Matt K. Miller (live media director), and Scott Bailey (sound design).

About City Theatre

City Theatre is the performing arts program at Sacramento City College, part of the Los Rios Community College District, in Sacramento, California. City Theatre’s season consists of four Mainstage productions, two Storytime children's productions, and the elementary school touring troupe known as The Pennywhistle Players, though all children-related theatre is currently on hiatus. During the summer, City Theatre produces the annual Sacramento Shakespeare Festival. The company welcomes all members of the community to audition and participate in their award-winning productions.

COVID Safety Protocols

In-person audience members will be required to show proof of vaccination and bring a photo ID matching the name on their vaccine record. Masks must be worn at all times.