Response To The Laramie Project 

My initial response to the play was that of experimental theatre. The verbatim aspects of the writing style made me feel like this play would be something challenging and potentially confusing. I felt that this play could easily be made into a physical play as opposed to a straight powerhouse acting play. I originally wanted to be in Everyman because I love the idea of a quick, snappy play that focuses heavily on existential themes. After being cast in Laramie I quickly realised that Matthews story of course wasn't attractive to myself because it was so gritty, dark and real. People avoided it because they didn't want to get their hands dirty. Matthews story needs to be told and I feel that with Will as our director and, with the strong cast we have, we can tell this tale of brutality with heart and truth. 

That being said, after the company read through, I felt very optimistic about the direction in which this play would go. I think Laramie is very hard to comprehend when reading it on your own as opposed to hearing it out loud with other characters. You get a real sense of reality of the town when you hear copious voices from the characters. This play is such a unique twist on the traditional conventions of what a play should be, meaning the rehearsal process will feel arduous but will definitely pay off once we have gotten into the flow of devising. I'm looking forward to starting.