Marquette-Laramie Project

Marquette University’s J. William and Mary Diederich College of Communication Performing and Media Arts Theatre Arts Program Debra Krajec, Artistic Director Presents

February 24 – March 6, 2011 Directed by Debra Krajec Scenic Design by David Krajec Costume Design by Connie Petersen Lighting Design by Chester Loeffler-Bell Original Score by John Gallagher, COMM ’11 Stage Managed by Adriana Saia The US West World Premiere was produced by The Denver Center Theatre Company Donovan Marley, Artistic Director In association with Tectonic Theater Project Moisés Kaufman, Artistic Director Originally produced in New York City at the Union Square Theatre by Roy Gabay and Tectonic Theater Project in association with Gayle Francis and the Araca Group Associate Producers: Mara Isaacs and Hart Sharp Entertainment The Laramie Project was developed in part with the support of The Sundance Theatre Laboratory.

The Laramie Project is presented by special arrangement with Dramatists Play Service, Inc., New York.

Marquette University 1

CAST (in

alphabetical order)

Kirsten Benjamin.......................................................................................Rebecca Hilliker, Trish Steger,

Sherry Aanenson, Narrator Alexandra Bonesho ............................................................... Amanda Gronich, Romaine Patterson,

Reggie Fluty, Sherry Johnson Tim Braun.................................................................................................... Jedadiah Schultz, Phil Labrie,

Rulon Stacey, Governor Geringer, Cal Rerucha Katie Callahan............................................................ Narrator, Catherine Connolly, Episcopal Priest Katie Doyle..................................................................................................... Reporter, Waitress, Narrator Lex Gernon..............................................................................Greg Pierotti, Sgt. Hing, Jonas Slonaker,

Aaron Kreifels, Kerry Drake, Russell Henderson Brittany Green.............................................................April Silva, Narrator, Shadow, Bailiff, Reporter Alexis Hamburg............................................Zackie Salmon, Narrator, Kristen Price, Judy Shepard Jack Howard......................................................Philip DuBois, Andy Paris, Stephen Mead Johnson,

Matt Mickelson, Bill McKinney, Conrad Miller,

Shannon, Russell Henderson’s Mormon Home Teacher Harry Loeffler-Bell.................................................................................Doc O’Connor, Stephen Belber,

Baptist Minister, Dr. Cantway, Murdock Cooper,

Harry Woods, Narrator, Aaron McKinney Jennifer Mitchell....................................................................................... Leigh Fondakowski, Narrator,

Baptist Minister’s Wife, Tiffany Edwards, Jen Joe Picchetti...............................................................................................Moisés Kaufman, Doug Laws,

Matt Galloway, Jeffrey Lockwood, Gil Engen,

Narrator, Dennis Shepard Eleni Sauvageau............................................................................................Eileen Engen, Alison Mears,

Narrator, Zubaida Ula, Lucy Thompson,

Jury Foreman, Narrator, E-Mail Writer Morgan White......................................................... Barbara Pitts, Marge Murray, Narrator, Reporter Matt Wickey.............................................................................................................. Narrator, Jon Peacock,

Father Roger Schmit, Anonymous Friend of Aaron McKinney,

Andrew Gomez, Rev. Fred Phelps, Rob DeBree

D I R E C TO R ’ S N O T E S The Laramie Project is a play that I have wanted to direct at Marquette for a very long time.

This is exactly the kind of play that suits our Theatre Arts mission to produce plays each season that deal with issues of Social Justice.

First of all, it is a wonderful performance piece for our student actors; each performer has to play multiple people, often with almost no time in between – they have to put on a jacket, or sometimes just sit down and be someone completely new. The script has wonderful challenges for actors: it’s an actors’ piece. The characters and story are important, not the spectacle.

This play is what I call a “docu-drama”, a documentary form of theatre. It’s about a real historical event and the story itself is taken all from fact. The words are the actual words of people in Laramie. The Tectonic Theatre Company went to Laramie in 1998, a couple of weeks after Matthew Shepard was murdered. They were struck by how the story of this brutal murder of a gay college student, severely beaten and left to die tied to a fence, was affecting the world, and felt compelled to find out why this young man was murdered – how could such a vicious hate crime happen in a small town? And they wanted to learn how the Laramie community was dealing with it. They visited Laramie six times and conducted over 200 interviews. They used that material to craft a play that is the actual people of Laramie telling their story in their own words. Each speaks of how they were affected by such a horrible hate crime in their town. Laramie was changed forever. It was put on the map, in a sense, because people remember the murder. This event changed our country as well; people were affected by Matt’s murder all over the nation.

I think we need to talk about such things in our community here at Marquette: hate crimes, homophobia, and intolerance. The recent suicides of gay young men across 2 Marquette University

D I R E C TO R ’ S N O T E ( c o n t .) our country has again brought to light the fact that there is a lot of hate, bullying, and intolerance that is going on everywhere against gay people, most of which is never brought before the public eye. I remember times in Marquette’s past where messages of hate against gays were chalked on classroom chalk boards and sidewalks across campus, when nasty diatribes against homosexual people were printed in the Marquette Tribune “Letters to the Editor” section, when a gay student would NEVER be brave enough to be out of the closet, because of the backlash against them on this campus. As a professor, I have had a number of gay students come to me in confidence, in an emotional state of crisis, because they were gay, they were afraid to be at Marquette and they needed someone to talk to. I am very grateful it is not like that anymore! In my 27 years as a professor here Marquette, I have seen this university come far in promoting acceptance of LGBT students and faculty. And that’s wonderful. But there is still a LONG way to go, not just at Marquette, but everywhere. Many people don’t realize the power to harm they have with words, with actions. So many people are ignorant of how they may be hurting others by simple things they may say in public, like the phrase “That’s so gay!” that seems to be popular among young people now. I have a homosexual student in the LARAMIE PROJECT cast who says that statement breaks his heart each time he hears it, because it uses the word as a negative identifier, a slam, when to him, the word is who he is. I don’t think people have any idea of the power of such things to hurt.

I think it’s important to do this play, and to let the Marquette community have a chance to see it, and to think and talk about it. There is no better way of making an important subject matter real to people than to let them see the situation thru other people’s eyes by watching a play performance, people right there before them, live, onstage, telling their story. Theatre has a great power to make you feel and think, to inspire dialogue and critical thinking and writing. It is my hope that the people who come to see The Laramie Project will find themselves thinking about the subject of homophobia in a different way. We will have a talk back after every performance, with respondents from a variety of backgrounds, gay and straight, to comment on the play and the importance of Marquette’s willingness to dialogue about the subject, to see what we can do to make our campus community a better, safer, more welcoming place for all. As a Jesuit University, we have a duty to find ways to truly care for all of God’s children, to be “Men and Women for Others” in deed as well as word.

I thank you for attending this play, and I hope you find it meaningful to you.

-Debra Krajec

J. William & Mary Diederich College of Communications Performing & Media Arts - Theatre Arts Program Present:

TWO ROOMS

L.E.D.s

On Stage

A Feminine Ending

Alternative Theatre Festival!

FREE SHOWS!!!

A Presentation on the Abilities of L.E.D. Lighting Instruments

Two Rooms - March 25 & 26 @ 7:30pm A Feminine Ending- April 29 & May 1 @ 7:30pm LEDs On Stage- April 30 @ 2:00pm

ALL PERFORMANCES TAKE PLACE AT THE HELFAER THEATRE Marquette University 3

AU T H O R ’ S N O T E The Laramie Project was written through a unique collaboration by Tectonic Theater Project. During the year-and-a-half development of the play, members of the company and I traveled to Laramie six times to conduct interviews with the people of the town. We transcribed and edited the interviews, then conducted several workshops in which the members of the company presented material and acted as dramaturgs in the creation of the play.

As the volume of material grew with each additional trip to Laramie, a small writers’ group from within the company began to work closely with me to further organize and edit the material, conduct additional research in Laramie, and collaborate on the writing of the play. This group was led by Leigh Fondakowski as Head Writer, with Stephen Belber and Greg Pierotti as Associate Writers.

As we got closer to the play’s first production in Denver, the actors, including Stephen Belber and Greg Pierotti, turned their focus to performance, while Leigh Fondakowski continued to work with me on drafts of the play, as did Stephen Wangh, who by then had joined us as an Associate Writer and “bench coach.”

INTRODUCTION After all, not to create only, or found only, But to bring perhaps from afar what is already founded, To give it our own identity, average, limitless, free.

– Walt Whitman There are moments in history when a particular event brings the various ideologies and beliefs prevailing in a culture into sharp focus. At these junctures, the event becomes a lightning rod of sorts, attracting and distilling the essence of these philosophies and convictions. By paying careful attention in moments like this to people’s words, one is able to hear the way these prevailing ideas affect not only individual lives but also the culture at large.

The trials of Oscar Wilde were such an event. When I read the transcripts of the trials (while preparing to write Gross Indecency), I was struck by the clarity with which they illuminated an entire culture. In these pages one can see not only a community dealing with the problem that Wilde presented, but in their own words, Victorian men and women telling us – three generations later – about the ideologies, idiosyncrasies, and philosophies that formed the pillars of that culture and ruled their lives.

The brutal murder of Matthew Shepard was another event of this kind. In its immediate aftermath, the nation launched into a dialogue that brought to the surface how we think and talk about homosexuality, sexual politics, education, class, violence, privileges and rights, and the difference between tolerance and acceptance.

The idea for The Laramie Project originated in my desire to learn more about why Matthew Shepard was murdered; about what happened that night; about the town of Laramie. The idea of listening to the citizens talk really interested me. How is Laramie different from the rest of the country and how is it similar?

Shortly after the murder, I posed the question to my company, Tectonic Theater Project: What can we as theatre artists do as a response to this incident? And, more concretely: Is theatre a medium that can contribute to the national dialogue on current events?

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I N T R O D U C T I O N ( c o n t .)

These concerns fall squarely within Tectonic Theater Project’s mission. Every project that we undertake as a company has two objectives: 1) to examine the subject matter at hand; and 2) to explore theatrical language and form. In an age when film and television are constantly redefining and refining their tools and devices, the theater has too often remained entrenched in the 19th-century traditions of realism and naturalism.

In this sense, our interest was to continue to have a dialogue on both how the theatre speaks and how it is created. Thus, I was very interested in this model: a theatre company travels somewhere, talks to people and returns with what they saw and heard to create a play.

At the time I also happened to run across a Brecht essay I had not read in a long time, “The Street Scene.” In it Brecht uses as a model the following situation: “an eyewitness demonstrating to a collection of people how a traffic accident took place.” He goes on to build a theory about his “epic theatre” based on this model.

The essay gave me an idea about how to deal with this project, both in terms of its creation and its aesthetic vocabulary.

So in November 1998, four weeks after the murder of Matthew Shepard, nine members of Tectonic Theater Project and I traveled to Laramie, Wyoming, to collect interviews that might become material for a play. Little did we know that we would devote two years of our lives to this project. We returned to Laramie six times over the course of the next year and a half and conducted over two hundred interviews.

This play opened in Denver at the Denver Center Theater in February 2000. Then it moved to The Union Square Theatre in New York City in May 2000. And in November 2000 we took the play to Laramie.

The experience of working on The Laramie Project has been one of great sadness, great beauty and, perhaps most importantly, great revelations – about our nation, about our ideas, about ourselves.

–Moisés Kaufman

CAST BIOS Kirsten Benjamin Kirsten is a senior Theatre Arts major and Broadcasting minor. She was most recently seen as Lady Bountiful in The Beaux’ Stratagem, Joan in Nickel and Dimed, Helena in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Catherine Watts in Censored on Final Approach. Later this year she will be playing Amanda Blue in her senior capstone A Feminine Ending. She is thrilled to be a part of such an amazing show as The Laramie Project her final year at Marquette. It is truly a wonderful play and this story needs to be told.

STOP THE HATE. She would like to thank Deb and Kelsey for giving her this great

opportunity and the cast and crew for all of their hard work. She would also like to thank her family, friends, and Dan for their love and support.

Alexandra Bonesho Alexandra is a junior Theatre Arts major.

Recent roles include: Marcy Park, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee; Cherry, The Beaux’ Stratagem; Female Bird, A Year with Frog and Toad and a TRIBE member in Sunset Playhouse’s Hair. She will portray Alais in Milwaukee Chamber Theatre’s The Lion in Winter this spring. Thank you to Deb, cast and crew for bringing an amazing and needed Marquette University 5

C A S T B I O S ( c o n t .) light to this important story and my family and friends for their love and support!

Tim Braun Tim is junior majoring in Theatre Arts and Public Relations. Previous credits on the Marquette mainstage include: Aimwell in The Beaux’ Stratagem, Chip Tolentino in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, and Duck in Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type. Tim would like to thank Deb for her patience, talent and wisdom, Kelsey for her vision and drive, and his family and friends for always being there.

Katie Callahan Katie is a freshman double majoring in Theatre Arts and Broadcast Communications. She is thrilled to be part of The Laramie Project. This is Katie’s second mainstage appearance. She has previously been seen in the children’s show, A Year with Frog and Toad. She would like to thank her friends and family for their generous love and support.

Katie Doyle Katie is a sophomore double-majoring in Broadcast and Electronic Communication and Theatre Arts. She previously appeared in A Year with Frog and Toad, as well as several student-directed scenes.

Katie is honored to be a part of this wonderfully creative ensemble. Thanks to Deb, Kelsey, Adriana, 1006, and all of her incredible friends and family for their infinite love and support!

Lex Gernon Lex, a sophomore, is proud to be a part of this production of The Laramie Project.

Though generally a design student in the Theatre Arts Program, he was previously seen in Sunday in the Park with George. Thank you to everyone who is making change a reality on this campus.

He would like to give a special shout out to anyone in this audience who is scared or hurting or feeling like they can’t make it. It gets better.

Brittany Green “Hatred stirs up dissention, but love covers all wrongs.” ~Proverbs 10:12.

Celebrate equality.

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Alexis Hamburg Alexis is a freshman Theatre Arts major and is beyond excited to be in her first mainstage production on the Helfaer stage. At Marquette, she has previously been on the wardrobe crew for The Beaux’ Stratagem. She would like to thank her family and friends for their support in her love of theatre and would like to especially thank the cast and crew of The Laramie Project for being so welcoming.

Jack Howard Jack is currently a freshman at Marquette University majoring in International Affairs. He has been acting in various plays since the seventh grade and all through high school, and The Laramie Project is his first mainstage production here at Marquette.

Harry Loeffler-Bell Harry hopes you like this show!

Jennifer Mitchell Jennifer is thrilled to be a part of this incredible production. She is a senior Theater major with a minor in Advertising. She has recently been seen on the mainstage in The Beaux’ Stratagem, Sunday in the Park with George, and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. She is so grateful for this wonderful opportunity Deb has given her and would like to thank the cast and crew of Laramie, as well as her friends and family for being so amazing and supportive!

Joe Picchetti Joe is a senior Theatre Arts major and Broadcasting minor. He is incredibly grateful to be a part of The Laramie Project. This is Joe’s 12th production at Marquette University, and he has previously been seen this season as Leaf Coneybear in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Squire Sullen in The Beaux’ Stratagem, and Frog in A Year with Frog and Toad. He would like to thank Deb for this amazing opportunity to be a part of something that represents so much more than just theatre, all of the stage managers for their patience, and his fellow cast and crew for their incredible hard work. He would also like to thank his family, friends and roommates

C A S T B I O S ( c o n t .) for their never-ending love and support.

In addition, he would like to thank Matt Wickey for all of the great memories on stage from these past four years as this is their last show together at MU. Eleni Sauvageau Eleni is proud to be a part of this powerful production. She is a senior Theatre Arts major and will be on the Helfaer stage again playing Lainie in the upcoming performance of Two Rooms. She would like to thank her family and friends, Deb, Kelsey, Adriana and the cast and crew for their hard work. Enjoy the show!

Morgan White Morgan is ecstatic about being in The Laramie Project! She is a senior Broadcast and Electronic Communications major with a minor in Film and is thrilled to be joined by some of the most talented actors on campus. This is her second mainstage performance and she would like to thank her friends and family for their encouragement and Deb for giv-

ing her this fantastic opportunity! And especially thank you to Mom and Dad for flying all the way from ‘Bama to see the show!

Matt Wickey As a senior, The Laramie Project marks Matt’s 13th and final mainstage performance here at the Helfaer. He will be understudying the roles of Richard and Henry later this year in The Lion in Winter at Milwaukee Chamber Theatre, as well as playing Michael in Two Rooms in a joint capstone with Eleni Sauvageau.

Credits include William Barfee (The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee), Gloss (The Beaux’ Stratagem) and Toad (A Year with Frog and Toad). He thanks Deb for guidance and this opportunity, the faculty for support, as well as all the cast and crew. Special thanks to his parents, friends, roommates, Joe for four years of being my best friend, and those closest to him. You inspire him to achieve perfection, and never settle.

Homemade Soup...

Away from Home

3 Homemade

Soups Daily orget about our chi f t ’ n li!

Do hat to see w ! in e m o C today we have 2043 West Wells Street • Milwaukee, WI • 414-933-2770 Marquette University 7

P R O D U C T I O N S TA F F B I O S ( c o n t .)

Stephen Belber (Associate Writer) As a playwright, Stephen’s work has been produced on Broadway and in over 25 countries. His plays include Match (Tony nomination for Frank Langella); Dusk Rings a Bell, (Atlantic Theater Company); Tape (Naked Angels NY/LA/London); McReele (Roundabout Theater); A Small, Melodramatic Story (Labyrinth Theater Company); Geometry of Fire, (Rattlestick); Fault Lines (Cherry Lane); One Million Butterflies (Primary Stages), and Carol Mulroney (Huntington Theater Company). He was an Associate Writer on The Laramie Project (Drama Desk and Lortel nominations), and co-writer on the more recent Laramie Project: Ten Years Later. Movies include “Tape,” directed by Richard Linklater; “The Laramie Project” (Associate Writer/ Emmy Nomination for screenwriting); “Drifting Elegant,” and “Management,” which he also directed, starring Jennifer Aniston and Steve Zahn. He is currently developing screen adaptations of both Match and McReele. Television includes “Rescue Me” and “Law and Order SVU” (staff writer). He is a member of both Tectonic Theater Project and the Labyrinth Theater Company.

Kathryn DeLapp (Assistant Stage Manager) Kathryn, a sophomore, is thrilled to be working on The Laramie Project. She was also assistant stage manager for The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. She is very proud of the cast and crew of this production and would like to thank her friends and family for their constant support.

Leigh Fondakowski (Head Writer) Leigh was the Head Writer of The Laramie Project and has been a member of Tectonic Theatre Project since 1995. She is an Emmy nominated co-screenwriter for the adaptation of The Laramie Project for HBO. Her latest work, The People’s Temple, has been performed under her direction at Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Perseverance Theater, American Theater Company and The Guthrie Theater, and received the Glickman Award for Best New Play in the Bay Area in 2005.

Another original play, I Think I Like Girls, premiered at Encore Theater in San 8 Marquette University

Francisco under her direction and was voted one of the top 10 plays of 2002

by The Advocate. Other directing credits include: Gerda’s Lieutenant by Ellen Greeves and Bennett Singer (Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts), 3 Seconds in the Key by Deb Margolin (San Francisco Playhouse), The Laramie Project (Berkeley Repertory Theatre, La Jolla Playhouse, Perseverance Theater) and La Voix Humaine by Jean Cocteau (Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh). Leigh is a 2007 recipient of the NEA/TCG Theatre Residency Program for Playwrights and is developing a play about 19th century actress Charlotte Cushman with About Face Theatre and Tectonic Theater Project. She is an adjunct faculty member in the Masters in Contemporary Performance program at Naropa University.

John Gallagher (Composer) John is a senior Broadcast major. Recent mainstage credits include Archer in The Beaux’ Stratagem and Mitch Mahoney in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. He has directed and acted in numerous student-driven productions.

John is also a proud member of the Studio 013 Refugees, Marquette’s only improv comedy group. Huge thanks to Deb for this extraordinary opportunity, my family and friends for their support, and everyone in the Marquette BREC and Theater departments and/or Fugees.

I’ll miss you!

Stephen Hudson-Mairet (Chair) 2010-11 marks Stephen’s eleventh season at Marquette. Stephen thanks you for joining us for this important theatrical work. The Laramie Project exemplifies the types of work our students and patrons expect from the Theatre Arts program at Marquette, strong theatrical works that emphasize the social justice and human issues of the world around us. Thank you to our loyal patrons for supporting this program and making our students’ important work possible. Stephen has completed numerous scenic or lighting designs on the Helfaer stage. This season Stephen will be completing the scenic design for The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, The Lion in Winter, and Eurydice at Idyllwild Arts Academy in Idyllwild, CA,

P R O D U C T I O N S TA F F B I O S ( c o n t .) and Bing! The Cherry Musical at American Folklore Theatre in Door County, WI. Stephen would like to thank our wonderful faculty and students –especially this fine group of seniors - it is a pleasure to work with such talent on a daily basis.

Stephen lives quite happily in a very old house in Wauwatosa with his wife Heidi, and daughters Emma and Grace.

Moisés Kaufman (Author / Playwright) Moisés is a Tony and Emmy nominated director and playwright. His most recent play, 33 Variations, starring Jane Fonda, was nominated for 5 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 direct-

ed 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 recent credits include Bengal Tiger at the Bagdad 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).

David Krajec (Scenic Designer) David is pleased to be working with the very talented cast and crew of The Laramie Project. He has been an active scenic

“Fun theater fare, a bright and breezy comedy that rolls merrily along.”

-- South Coast Today

Murder at the Howard Johnson’s

By Ron Clark and Sam Bobrick

February 25 - March 13, 2011 All’s fair in love -even murder, right?

That’s the question posed by this light and funny suspense comedy about a love triangle in a 1970’s Howard Johnson’s Motor Inn.

Tenth Street Theatre 628 N. 10th Street www.intandemtheatre.org 414-271-1371 for tickets Marquette University 9

P R O D U C T I O N S TA F F B I O S ( c o n t .) and lighting designer throughout the area for over 25 years and has designed sets and lights for a number of Marquette University theatre productions.

David is currently the Project Manager for the Milwaukee office of Mainstage Theatrical Supply, Inc. Prior to moving to Mainstage, he was an associate professor of theatre at Cardinal Stritch University where he was the scenic/ lighting designer and technical director.

David earned a BFA in Speech/Theatre from Kent State University and an MFA in Lighting Design/Technology from Western Illinois University. He is also a member of the Illuminating Engineering Society of America, National Fire Protection Association, Phi Kappa Phi honor society and Alpha Psi Omega national theatre honorary fraternity, and is a founding member of the International Secondary Education Theatre Safety Association.

Debra Krajec (Artistic Director / Director) Debra has served as a director as well as a costume designer on MU’s mainstage for the past twenty-seven years. This year she began her first season as Artistic Director. Deb received her MFA from Texas Christian University, and has worked professionally as a costume designer, a director, and an actress. In Milwaukee, Deb has designed costumes for Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, Milwaukee Chamber Theatre, and Next Act Theatre and directed for In Tandem Productions and Playwrights’ Studio of Milwaukee. She is very active in the United States Institute for Theatre Technology, where she is a Fellow of the Institute. She is a member of Actors Equity Association. Deb is very proud of all the performers in this cast and production team, but would like to especially thank the seniors: Matt, Joe, Harry, Jennifer, Kirsten, Eleni, Morgan, and John. You will be missed.

Kelsey Lauren (Assistant Director) Kelsey is honored to be making her first mainstage directing debut with The Laramie Project. She was last seen in Marquette’s main stage performances of The Beaux’ Stratagem as Mrs. Sullen, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee as Rona, Censored on Final Approach as Elizabeth and A Sunday in the Park with 10 Marquette University

George as Nurse/Mrs. She would especially like to thank her mentor and friend, Deb, Adriana and the beautiful cast of The Laramie Project. You are all beautiful people with huge hearts...enjoy YOUR show and thank you for everything you have taught me throughout this experience. Dear friends and true family members, thank you for the unconditional love and support.

Chester Loeffler-Bell (Technical Director / Lighting Designer) Chester has served as lighting designer, technical director, and scene shop supervisor since joining the department in the fall of 2001. Professor Loeffler-Bell manages the scene shop, supervises and advises student lighting designers.

Chester has been an active professional lighting designer for the past 20 years, having designed for In Tandem Theatre, Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, Theatre X, Cape Fear Shakespeare Festival, and Carroll College. His recent artistic work includes the lighting design for Sunday in the Park with George for Marquette University, Girl in the Frame for In Tandem Theatre, Poor Tom for Marquette University in collaboration with the Gaiety School of Acting in Dublin, Ireland, and McGuire at Hofstra University. Chester lives in Mukwonago with his wife Susan and sons Harry, Sam, and Joe. Connie L. Petersen (Costume Shop Manager / Costume Designer) Connie is pleased to work with Deb and this cast on a piece with such importance for this world. She received her B.S. degree in theatre from Northwest Missouri State University and M.F.A. degree in Costume and Scenic Design from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, IL. She has worked professionally for Central City Opera, Des Moines Metro Opera, Denver Center Theatre Company, and Playmakers Repertory Company at University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. Her recent designs at Marquette include A Year with Frog and Toad, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Nickel and Dimed, Heidi Chronicles, Tartuffe, J.B., Bye, Bye Birdie and Fifth of July. She would like to wish the best of luck to the seniors who will be doing

Ten years after the murder of gay college student Matthew Shepard who was savagely beaten and left to die tied to a fence, the members of the Tectonic Theatre Company return to Laramie.

What has changed? How was the worldwide attention on Laramie, known world-wide as the location for the brutal hate crime, changed the community? How was this crime changed the nation?

This play is an epilogue to the story told in the docu-drama THE LARAMIE PROJECT, which is being presented Feb 24–March 6, 2011 at Marquette University’s Helfaer Theatre.

A Staged Reading. One Performance Only.

7:30 p.m. Sunday, March 6th, 2011 Evan P. & Marion Helfaer Theatre 525 North 13th Street, Marquette Campus All tickets $6.00

To Reserve Tickets: Box Office: 414-288-7504 Email: helfaer.bocoffice@marquette.edu Online Box Office: http://theatretickets.marquette.edu

P R O D U C T I O N S TA F F B I O S ( c o n t .) their last mainstage production on our Helfaer Stage. You have left your mark and will not be forgotten!

Greg Pierotti (Associate Writer) Greg is co-author of The Laramie Project: Ten Years Later. He is associate writer of The Laramie Proejct (2001 NY Drama Desk and Lortel Award nominee), and co-writer of The Laramie Project teleplay for HBO (2002 Emmy nominee). He is head writer of The People’s Temple (2005 Glickman Award). His short story “‘lude,” has been anthologized in the latest “Men to Men: New Voices in Gay Fiction.” As an actor he has performed in new and classical work in New York and regionally. He originated roles in the world premiers The Laramie Project, The People’s Temple, and Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde. He teaches English, Writing, Performance in colleges and MFA programs around the country. He is one of five master teachers of moment work, a technique for writing and developing performance developed by Moisés Kaufman and Tectonic Theater Project. He is currently developing two pieces: a screenplay, “Mineshaft,” about the infamous queer sex club of the same name, and a play, Mr. Apology, based on transcribed confessions of criminals and wrongdoers of all stripes collected by the artist Allan Bridge in New York during the 1980’s. He has been a member of Tectonic Theater Project for 14 years.

Adriana Saia (Stage Manager) Adriana is a sophomore Theater major and PR minor at Marquette University.

This is her first time stage managing for Marquette Theatre and she is grateful that her first time stage managing is on The Laramie Project! She loved working on The Laramie Project; it has been an awesome experience working on such a wonderful show! Working so closely to this show has inspired her! She has previously assistant stage managed A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Nickel and Dimed here at Marquette University. She would like to thank her family and friends for their support and love, Deb for giving her this opportunity, Kelsey and her wonderful ASMs, and the cast and crew for making this such a great show!

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Andrea Schoening (Assistant Costume Designer) Andrea is a junior Theatre Arts major with an emphasis on management, direction, and design. You may have recently seen her on stage during the first five minutes of The Beaux’ Stratagem, or in the booth stage managing The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. She is thoroughly grateful to Connie for allowing her to be assistant on this show, and hopes you enjoy.

Stephen Wangh (Associate Writer) Stephen is a playwright, lyricist and director. He was Associate Writer of the Tectonic Theater Company’s The Laramie Project and one of the writers of The People’s Temple, winner of the Glickman Award for Best Play in the Bay Area, 2005.

Other plays include Class, Calamity! and Goin’ Downtown, as well as numerous collaborative theatre pieces. Since 1973 he has taught acting in Europe, Boston and New York, and Boulder Colorado, where he is currently Visiting Faculty in the Theater MFA in Contemporary Performance at Naropa University. His book on physical acting technique, “An Acrobat of the Heart,” was published by Vintage Books (Random House) in 2000.

Chris Whitman (Video Projection Coordinator) Chris is junior in the College of Communication. Chris is working to become a theatre consultant. Chris has worked in a variety of positions in past productions at MU including the sound design for The Heidi Chronicles and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Chris just returned from studying abroad in Italy, focusing on Roman history. In the past Chris has worked for ETC in project management and at the Interlochen Center for the Arts as well as various technical roles within the University.

Madelyn Yee (Assistant Stage Manager) Madelyn Yee is a freshman Theatre Arts major. This is her third mainstage production, and she is very excited to be involved in The Laramie Project. Enjoy the show!

P R O D U C T I O N S TA F F Head Writer..................................................................................................... Leigh Fondakowski Associate Writers..................................... Stephen Belber, Greg Pierotti, Stephen Wangh Dramaturgs..........................................................................Amanda Gronich, Sarah Lambert,

John McAdams, Maude Mitchell,

Andry Paris, Barbara Pitts, Kelli Simpkins Technical Director...................................................................................... Chester Loeffler-Bell Assistant Director....................................................................................................Kelsey Lauren Stage Manager............................................................................................................Adriana Saia Assistant Stage Manager...................................................... Kathryn DeLapp, Madelyn Yee Lighting Designer...................................................................................... Chester Loeffler-Bell Light Board Operator............................................................................................... Rory Higgins Master Electrician................................................................................................... Raquel Garces Video Projection Coordinator........................................................................... Chris Whitman Projectionist..................................................................................................................... Ben Braun Scenic Designer..........................................................................................................David Krajec Scene Shop Assistants............................................................ Raquel Garces, Noah Greenia,

Harry Loeffler-Bell, Joe Picchetti, Adriana Saia,

Carissa Saia, Andrea Schoening, Nic Trapani,

Chris Whitman, Matt Wickey, Madelyn Yee Deck Crew................................................................................................................... Tanner Burke Props Masters............................................................................................................. Joe Picchetti Costume Designer.............................................................................................Connie Petersen Assistant Costume Designer......................................................................Andrea Schoening Costume Shop Manager..................................................................................Connie Petersen Costume Shop Assistants..................................... Kirsten Benjamin, Alexandra Bonesho,

Tim Braun, Ian Burr, J. Pat Cahill,

Rachel Chrostowski, Katie Doyle, Lex Gernon,

Jennifer Mitchell, Joseph Packhem, Bridget Rzymski,

Adriana Saia, Eleni Sauvageau, Andrea Schoening Costume Crew................................................................................ Costume Technology Class Wardrobe Supervisor.........................................................................................Shannon Twohy Wardrobe Crew........................................ Yesenia Cuevas, Doug Soder, Kristane Thrower Orchestration......................................................................................................... John Gallagher Sound Board Operator................................................................................................. Tyler Frost Assistant to the Chair.............................................................................................Kelsey Lauren Assistant to the Artistic Director............................................................................... Tim Braun Box Office Assistant..............................................................Kaitlyn Barrett, Elizabeth Spratt House Manager.......................................................................................................Josalyn Boyles Ushers.............................................................................. Theatre Appreciation class students

Special Occasions call for Special Treats.

Footlights Dining Guide offers great places to dine before the show, after the show, or anytime!

For advertising opportunities, call 888.376.3700.

WWW.FOOTLIGHTS.COM

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T H A N K YO U Dean Lori Bergen, Diederich College of Communication Stephen Blaha, Marquette Campus Ministry Tim Braun Sam Bringardner Carole Burns, Director of the Wakerly Technology Training Center Cardinal Stritch Theatre Department Dr. Jon Dooley, Senior Associate Dean of Student Development Stacie Dooley, Associate Dean of Residence Life for University Apartments & Off Campus Student Services Dr. Stephen Engel, Department of Political Science Dr. Stephen Franzoi, Department of Psychology Renee Graber Michael Heimbach, Gesu Parish Maya Held, Broadcast and Electronic Communication Michael Luisa, Audio/Video Maintenance Engineer for Instructional Media Center Jason Marsden, Matthew Shepard Foundation Fr. Bryan Massingale, Department of Theology Chris Miller, Vice President for Student Affairs Kurt Neumann, Assistant Director/Technical Services Manager for Instructional Media Center Provost John Pauly Dr. Jon Pray, Associate Vice Provost for Educational Technology for Instructional Media Center Keith Rocheck, Instructional Media Center Julie Rosene, Diederich College of Communication Fr. Roger Schmit John Schneider, Theatre Arts Dr. Nancy Snow, Department of Philosophy Joe and Renee Zenk

M ARQUETTE UNIVERSIT Y College of Communication Lori Bergen, Dean Joyce Wolburg, Associate Dean Erik Ugland, Associate Dean of Graduate Studies & Research Chioma Ugochukwu, Assistant Dean for Student Services Full - Time Faculty Chester Loeffler-Bell Connie Petersen Phylis Ravel Box Office Coordinator Kevin Wleklinski

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Performing and Media Arts Stephen Hudson-Mairet, Chairperson Theatre Arts Program Debra Krajec, Artistic Director Part - Time Faculty Amy Brinkman-Sustache Andrea Johnson Roxanne Kess Maureen Kilmurry John Schneider

M ARQUETTE UNIVERSIT Y The Department of Performing Arts wishes to thank the following Donors for their 2010 – 2011 contributions: Theatre Contribution Fund Thomas and Kathryn Anderson Margaret Blodgett and Ken Miller Carolyn Bachhuber Richard and Eileen Bussler Terry and Diane Duffey Margaret Callahan Dr. Michael and Carolyn Gillespie James and Joan Hagner Dr. Ronald Jodat Jay Kirk Ralph and Caroline Kobb Gary Krenz Chester Loeffler-Bell Dustyn R. Martincich John and Suzanne McArdle John and Dolores Melzer Gary Meyer Michael Miro Mitchell Consulting Group Inc. JoAnn Murphy Debra Nielson Joseph and Mary Anna Novotny Michael Price Judith Price John and Mary Ricci Ronald D. Santilli Jackie Schoening Mr. and Mrs. Carl Schrank Rosemary Selep David and Sandra Shrock Kathleen M. Smith Peter Toumanoff Mary C. Utschig Mathew and Sarah Van Hoven Thomas and Sheila Weiford Mr. and Mrs. Richard P. White’ Theatre and Social Justice Fund Helen Boomsma Mary Kay Marzano John and Lindsay Pauly Kathleen Smith Emily Wacker Endowed Drama Fund The Hudson-Mairet Family

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