In 1998, 21-year-old gay man Matthew Shepard was kidnapped, beaten, and tortured on the outskirts of Laramie, Wyoming. Matthew Shepard was found the day after tied to a fence, bloodied beyond recognition, and in critical condition. Six days later, he died in hospital a victim of a horrific hate crime. Suddenly, all eyes were on Laramie, and an ensuing media storm sent the city and the wider American public into a fervent debate on morality, crime, and queerness.

I spare no pleasantries or detours in detailing the gruesome tragedy that was Matthew Shepard’s murder. Nor does the New Theatre’s production of Moses Kaufman’s ‘The Laramie Project’ (2000), Directed by Mark G. Nagle and Assistant Directed by Nick Bradshaw. And, frankly, that’s exactly how it should be.

Kaufman’s play follows him and his team between 1998 and 1999 as they interview the people of Laramie, navigating their responses to the murder of Matthew Shepard. The play is constructed from these interviews, as well as personal records from Kaufman’s team, court transcripts, and other factual documentation. What is then represented by the actors is verbatim: a picture of a city debating, bereaving, grieving, and accepting a tragedy it didn’t know it could execute.

Nagle’s production of ‘The Laramie Project’ values this picture of Laramie above all else. A variety of vibrant, dynamic, and methodically detailed tableaus are assembled by the ensemble cast to construct the city. A line of bodies splayed out against the wooden fence; a sea of black umbrellas mourning; angel wings encasing the anti-queer protests. These directorial decisions muster so much emotion out of the play and do well to invite the audience, us strangers, into this other world of Laramie. It is a severe cliché to say that Laramie is its own character, although I fear that it is also severely apt.

It would be remiss of me to mention the ensemble and not point out the standouts. John Michael Narres and Samantha Lambert offer phenomenal performances, with distinct variations between their characters and powerful stage presences. I was often engrossed during any one of the ensemble’s performances, but I was entranced when either of those two were the focus on stage. Same goes for Rich Knighton’s powerful rendition of Dennis Shepard’s “I grant you life” speech to the murderer of his own son. There were some in the audience crying after his speech (which may or may not also include a few tears from me).

Please be warned, this is a production that may easily make you cry, and it is by design. Space is given by the ensemble to whoever is talking; whoever is talking is often talking directly to the audience. And the content that they talk about is distressing and confronting, but also pressingly relevant now. At the back of my mind, I was always thinking about how America could possibly be swayed by Trump politics after this happened in Laramie. Perhaps that’s why an Australian theatre decided to put on ‘The Laramie Project’–– a reminder of the abject horror behind that thought and a reflection of our own political state.

When dealing with thoughts and feelings like these during this production, cast member Rayyan Khan had this to say: “These are real things that happened to real people. It’s okay to feel those distressing emotions because that’s what those people felt. So, the way we worked around it was to not fight it but embrace it because everything we do is in service of what actually happened.” It is also of specific note that Khan’s portrayal of Matthew Galloway provided much needed levity and humour after the play’s more intense moments.

On these intense moments, Alexader Sussman’s compositions elevate the poignancy that makes this play so confronting. Sound is used sparingly, but it is all the more effective because of it. It gives the production an ever-changing weight to its text that makes the voices in Laramie feel contested and divisive. Yet, it also conveys that some of what’s said holds more importance.

Although I think this production gave the necessary space to be confronting, I must admit I was not fully convinced on the set. Set Designer David Marshall-Martin builds Laramie out of shapes; sculptures of wooden fences and concrete stairs whose shadows vaguely resemble buildings when darkened by Tash McBride, Raphael Gennusa, and Rubis-Chanel Carlton’s lighting. It is an impressive idea and sometimes works. However, bringing these set pieces back into the light reveals that the space is a bit too cluttered. And, with all the height that the set brings, I was a bit disappointed at how frivolous the use of levels felt.

All-in-all though, New Theatre’s production of ‘The Laramie Project’ is fantastic. Seeing it in the context of today’s world reveals again why this play was genre-defining. And I believe the people watching the night I went share my sentiment. The audience were still clapping well after the actors left the stage. If that doesn’t motivate you to go see this play, then I will: go see this play!

‘The Laramie Project’ is playing at New Theatre until November 1st.