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Local drama group Pants Theatre Production will perform Moisés Kaufman's contemporary documentary theatre classic, "Laramie Project: 10 Years Later" in May, following on from the first episode, "Laramie Project", which the group performed in February and March.
When news of the 21-year-old gay student Matthew Shepard being tortured to death was reported nationwide in the United States in 1998, the quiet town Laramie in Wyoming became the focus of media attention and synonymous with homophobia overnight.
Kaufman led members of his company, Tectonic Theater Project, to visit the town and made over 200 interviews, culminating in the major work of contemporary documentary theatre "The Laramie Project". Without resorting to pathos or violence the original production was soul-grabbing and took American theatre by storm, winning numerous theatre awards.
Ten years after the incident, the theatre revisited the scene of the torture/murder case, to find out whether the case had brought prolonged and profound influence to the town and the local residents. The theatre members revisited the residents and related parties who were interviewed before, and even conducted face-to-face interviews with the victimˇ¦s mother Judy and the two murderers Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson for the first time. The result, albeit not as gruesome, was equally soul-searching. When the interviews were collated, they formed another documentary theatre classic, "The Laramie Project: 10 Years Later".
The Pants' version of "Laramie Project: 10 Years Later" is translated by Wu Hoi-fai and directed by Terence Chang. The cast includes Char Kwok-lam, Masu Wong, Rick Cheung, Sit Ho-fai, Sung Boon-ho, Tam Tsz-ling, Tang Yim-ling and Kiki Ng.
"Laramie Project: 10 Years Later" will be performed in Cantonese at 8pm on May 22 and 23 (Friday and Saturday) and 3pm on May 23 and 24 (Saturday and Sunday) at the Theatre of the Ngau Chi Wan Civic Centre. Tickets priced at $120 and $180 are now available at URBTIX. Half-price tickets are available for senior citizens aged 60 or above, people with disabilities and their minders, full-time students and Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) recipients (limited tickets for full-time students and CSSA recipients are available on a first-come, first-served basis). A maximum discount of 20 per cent is offered for the group booking package. This programme contains adult content and coarse language.
For programme enquiries, please call 2268 7325 or visit www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/CulturalService/Programme/en/theatre/program_821.html. For telephone credit card bookings, please call 2111 5999. Tickets can also be booked online at www.urbtix.hk.
Ends/Friday, March 27, 2015
Issued at HKT 11:01
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