Members of Horsham theatre company Smart Artz are deep in rehearsals ahead of the company’s stage-production of The Laramie Project, on April 8 and 9 at Horsham Town Hall.

The Laramie Project is a famous verbatim stage reproduction of a small American town’s reaction to the hate crime and murder of gay university student Matthew Shephard in 1998. 

The original schedule of the Horsham production was postponed due to COVID-19 restrictions. The show’s reinvigoration will accompany an easement of restrictions and a re-emergence of theatre in the Wimmera. 

ACE radio station 1089 and The Weekly Advertiser’s Adam Roche, who is a cast member, caught up with some of the show’s crew to get their thoughts on the heavy-hitting production, ahead of a bumper opening night next week. 

Cast member Larissa Riddell said the Victorian arts industry was disappointed when the COVID-19 ‘onslaught’ turned prospective theatre projects upside down. 

“It was disappointing, but we always knew we were going to do this show. Nothing should hold us back now – touch wood,” she said. 

She said the company’s goal was to offer audiences in the Wimmera a diverse range of different productions. 

“The Laramie Project was always our director Amy Anselmi’s passion and oddly I didn’t know a huge amount about it,” she said. 

“But after researching it and hearing so much about why a production like this was important, it was a no brainer. Horsham needs to see it.” 

Many production cast members described a similarity between Horsham and the Wisconsin town of Laramie, the town at the centre of the show, as a reason why discussion of the production’s themes was important for a Horsham audience. 

Legacy

Cast member Simon Risson said several conversations in the show were similar to ones he has had throughout 20 years of Horsham living. 

“You can hear those conversations, if not from people in Horsham specifically, but I can identify – actually, this is a piece of our town, these are our characters to some extent. That is why I wanted to do this production, because the contribution I make here decides what kind of legacy I want to leave,” he said. 

Cast member Jillian Pearce similarly said the production was universally relevant. 

“Not just in terms of attitudes to identity and sexuality, but attitudes to disability or race. It relates to so much of the human experience in terms of bias and discrimination,” she said.   

Ms Riddell said the show was so much more than ‘the gay play’, as she had heard it referenced. 

“The show offers an all-encompassing view of this horrific event. You will see a lot of viewpoints reproduced in the show. Your view will be there and so will some that are completely different – the point is that all views and ideas are presented without bias, and without demonising one point of view from another,” she said. 

New cast member Alayna Toporzisek said her favourite character was Tiffany Edwards, a Laramie reporter. 

“I love her, she is always ready to go, ready to show her stuff on camera. The show can be heavy, but not always so, there is a lot of laughter as well,” she said.

“I am from a small town as well and these issues are not topics I would have talked about. I feel like this is a story that needs to heard, and unfortunately, it is an issue that is out there in our world and needs to be talked about to generate change.”

Tickets to The Laramie Project are available at Horsham Town Hall box office, online at www.horshamtownhall.com.au, or by calling 5382 9555. A Friday morning preview of the show is also available at a reduced cost.

• This is part one of a two-part introduction to Smart Artz cast members set to bring The Laramie Project to life. 

The entire March 30, 2022 edition of The Weekly Advertiser is available online. READ IT HERE!

The entire March 30, 2022 edition of AgLife is available online. READ IT HERE!