New Tampa Players Present Laramie Project; 10 Years Later

Friday, October 15 @ 7:30 PM
Saturday, October 16 @ 7:30 PM
Sunday, October 17 @3:00 PM

Friday, October 22 @7:30 PM
Saturday, October 23 @ 7:30 PM
Sunday, October 24 @ 3:00 PM

On October 6, 1998, gay University of Wyoming student Matthew Shepard left the Fireside Bar with Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson. The following day he was discovered on a prairie at the edge of town, tied to a fence, brutally beaten, and close to death. Six days later Matthew Shepard died at Poudre Valley Hospital in Ft. Collins, Colorado. On November 14th, 1998, ten members of Tectonic Theatre Project traveled to Laramie, Wyoming, and conducted interviews with the people of the town. Over the next year, the company returned to Laramie six times and conducted over 200 interviews. These texts became the basis for the play The Laramie Project. Ten years later on September 12th, 2008, five members of Tectonic returned to Laramie to try to understand the long-term effect of the murder. They found a town wrestling with its legacy and its place in history. In addition to revisiting the folks whose words riveted us in the original play, this time around, the company also spoke with the two murderers, McKinney and Henderson, as well as Matthew’s mother, Judy Shepard. THE LARAMIE PROJECT: TEN YEARS LATER is a bold new work, which asks the question, “How does society write its own history?”

New Tampa Players has COVID-19 Guidelines in place to ensure a safe environment for our cast, volunteers, and audience. All audience members are asked to wear a mask while inside Uptown Stage.

All performances are at Uptown Stage at the University Mall, 2200 East Fowler Ave, Tampa, FL 33612.

Directions to Uptown Stage: Once on the campus of the University Mall, park in front of the K&G Fashions main mall entrance. Enter the mall through the entrance between K&G Fashions and Famous Footwear. Turn right at the children’s playspace inside the mall. Uptown Stage is the fourth space on the left.

Produced with special arrangement with Dramatists Play Service.

Produced with the generous support of Hillsborough Arts Council, Hillsborough County Board of Commissioners, and Florida State Division of Cultural Affairs