Journalism Mass Media and Communication - Research Paper Example

Journalism, Mass Media and Communication Introduction Laramie project is a deeply complex portrait of a community response towards the crime of hate that resulted to the largest national conversation about tolerance in the country’s history, demonstrating the power of the people’s spirit to triumph over violence and bigotry. Laramie project is a drama film that was written and directed by Moises Kaufman. The drama film tells the story of the consequences of the 1998 murder of Matthew Sheppard in Laramie, in Wyoming. This research paper will answer the questions such as, what is the history behind the play ? How is this history displayed for the audience? Is this history conveyed effectively? Is Kaufman constructing a history from above, from below or something in between? The Laramie project is based on a true story about voices of real people grappling with prejudice and tragedy in their small town (Bollas, 26). The history behind the play In 1998, Matthew Sheppard, an explicitly gay college studentwas beaten, tied to a fence, and let to die on the outskirts of Laramie in Wyoming. This actions lead to the small town being thrust into national spotlight revealing prejudice and the harsh truth of violence that the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) community often faces in the contemporary society. After the event, Moises Kaufman and other members of the New York based tectonic theater project travelled to the place. Through the utilization of interviews, theater techniques news report and interviews, the Laramie project was born. Moises Kaufman and other members of the tectonic theater project made 6 trips to Laramie in the aftermath of the beating and when the two young men accused of killing Sheppard were being tried. The Laramie is a breathtaking melodramaticcollection that explores the height of compassion of which human beings are capable of as well as the depth to which humanity can sink (Elsbree & Wong, 100). The play is based on a true story of October 1998 when Matthew Sheppard, a gay student who was attending the University of Wyoming in the town of Laramie was murdered by two young men. Matthew was taken to a spot that was isolated by two local young men with intent of robbery, Russell Henderson and Aaron McKinney beat him up by using the butt of the butt of their guns and left him with injuries but tied to the fence. However, Sheppard was found eighteen hours later exposed outdoor and died a few days later. After the trial Russell and McKinney were convicted and imprisoned for life. The play was developed after Moises Kaufman, a playwright and tectonic theater project’s members visited the town six times following the death of Sheppard. The group was able to interview residents as well as those who were involved in the case and gave their opinion of how the death of Sheppard had touched the community. Among the views that was collected includes the CEO of the hospital who explained the situation while at the same time to maintain the privacy of the family, a priest who held a vigil for the victim and a local man who was against homosexuality behavior (Harlan et al, 180). The actors in the play are made to play either seven or eight roles. The play presents various perspectives of the events and the impact of having what happened in the town. How history is displayed for the audience and whether it was conveyed effectively The drama film enabled the conservation to take place in the community. The film was effective in ensuring the story is able to reach more people in the United States of America with an intention of bringing change to the society. The play was both produced in theater and as play in the book. The Laramie project raises the various issues that are expected in the society and how the society is able to deal with it or respond to it. The play was based on the real happening through interview. By utilizing interviews the actors were able to identify the feelings and opinions of the community members and how they thought the event had affected them. The project was a revelation of what was being experienced in the community as well as the fears that the death of Sheppard had invoked into the lives of gays and lesbians that existed in the city. The play reveals how theater can be used to confront certain issues in the society and provide people with an opportunity to identify and discuss certain issues that affect them in one various ways. Each performance was followed by a chance directed to the audience to discuss the content and the issues that were raised in the play (Harlan et al, 181). The play contained lessons and offered opportunities for the people to think about intolerance, hate and prejudice. The main challenge that was raised in the drama film was the gay issue. The issue has affected nearly all parts of the United States of America and the world in general. By discussing such an issue through play, it was possible to reach more people around the country with an intention of understanding the various individual opinions based on the same issue as well as its consequences. The other way in which the history was displayed to the audience in an effective manner is through utilizing the words of the people without mentioning their names. This made the audience feel as if they were part of the project. It also enabled them to identify the opinions of other members of the community. The Laramie project was produced in Washington D.C , as part of the prestigious Lincoln legacy project by the Ford’s theater. The play discussed the efforts that have been generated for many years to develop a dialogue in the nation on issues such as acceptance, equality and tolerance (Harlan et al, 183). Although such issues were raised at Laramie, they affected the American society and people located in various parts of the world. Countless members of the audience have been moved by the Laramie project drama film. The Laramie project has continued to be powerful and tells the truth on how American societies are able to react towards certain issues and challenges that are faced in the community. The direction in which Kaufman constructed the history Kaufman approached the history from almost all directions. The play was developed by Tectonic Theater Company following Matthew Shepherd’s murder in 1998. The powerful messages that were developed have continued to be relevant with current issues making it one of the plays that are most performed in the United States of America. It is indeed true that Kaufman was able to construct the history from almost all directions. Together with other members of the team, they were able to collect information directly from the community. They allowed people at Laramie to air out their opinions concerning the impact of the killing towards the community. In addition, the theater team was able to utilize the opinions and the words that were spoken by the people in the play without necessarily mentioning the origin of the information (Morello, 14). The Laramie project, 10 years later, the project specialist Susan Burk worked with colleges and universities, professional companies, community theaters, high schools and religious groups to provide a variety of services that included historical background and context, media resources, helping to create school column and fostering creative consultations. The Laramie project has been of impact to the lives of the people in the country as a result of visit to various communities, serve and teach as panelists as well as generating community wide discussions on how to develop a compassionate, more civil and just world (Morello, 15). Laramie project utilizes the play to make an argument for normalcy of being homosexual, foreseeing a time when individuals will be consider the act as neither wrong nor right but simply a fact of biology. This is devoutly to be wished for reasons political, aesthetic and personal. Such an approach may help eliminate gaybashing. It might help turn theater back to its original purpose of uncovering the challenges that human face and how they should be able to deal with it. The dispensation permits artistes to avoid exploring the issue of sexual preference and explore the nature of sexuality. Conclusion Moises Kaufman’s internationally successful play started one month after a horrific crime which happened in the city of Laramie. Kaufman’s together with his team belonging to the tectonic theater project decided to travel from the city of New York to the community where the event took place in order to gather information through interviews conducted on the people from the area. The idea was to capture the reflections, the emotions and reaction of the people who were more closely to the crime. The team interviewed the doctor, the priest and the residents who were related to the crime with an intention of recording their opinion and utilizing it as part of the play. Kaufman’s goal was to learn through people’s response how issues of religion, homosexuality, class, education, economics and nontraditional lifestyles were reflected through the crime that had taken place (Petersen, 260). References Bollas, Angelos. '"Live And Let Live": The Destabilization Of Heteronormativity In Moises Kaufmann's "The Laramie Project"'. Forbes & Fifth4.0 (2013): 26-27. Web. Elsbree, Anne René, and Penelope Wong. 'The Laramie Project As A Homophobic Disruption: How The Play Impacts Pre-Service Teachers' Preparation To Create Anti-Homophobic Schools'. Journal of Gay & Lesbian Issues in Education 4.4 (2007): 97-117. Web. Harlan, Steve S. et al. 'Paleomagnetism Of The Middle Proterozoic Laramie Anorthosite Complex And Sherman Granite, Southern Laramie Range, Wyoming And Colorado'. J. Geophys. Res. 99.B9 (1994): 179-97. Web. Morello, Henry James. 'Two Traumas One Aesthetic In Walsh's Operación Masacre And Kaufman's The Laramie Project'. CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture 13.1 (2011):12-24. Web. Petersen, Jennifer. 'Media As Sentimental Education: The Political Lessons Of HBO's The Laramie Project And PBS's Two Towns Of Jasper'. Critical Studies in Media Communication 26.3 (2009): 255-274. Web. Read More