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TAS THEATRE: Young life cut short

TEN years ago this month, a young gay man was discovered dead, bound to a fence outside Laramie, Wyoming.

Matthew Shepard, 21, had been savagely beaten and left to die in an act of brutality and hate that reverberated around the world as his death became a international symbol of intolerance.

In the aftermath of the crime, 10 members of a New York theatre company, the Tektonic Theatre Project, made six trips to Laramie in the following 18 months to explore the town and the tragedy that had occurred there.

After interviewing more than 200 residents, they created The Laramie Project, which will have its Tasmanian premiere this week.

The Laramie Project uses an ensemble of eight actors to embody more than 60 different characters -- from rural ranchers to university professors.

The result is a complex and moving piece that explores the depths to which humanity can sink -- and the heights of compassion of which we are capable.

The ReAct Drama School production features some of Tasmania's finest actors, including Ivano Del Pio, Carmen Falk, Craig Irons, Sarah Phillips, Chris Hamley, Bryony Geeves, Alex Dance and Rae Smith.

ReAct principal Andrea Moody said getting on board the state's top theatre director, Robert Jarman, was a huge coup: ``It is because of his experience and sensitivities that we are extremely proud to be able to provide Hobart audiences with this theatrical experience of international importance.''

ReAct presents The Laramie Project at the Backspace Theatre (Sackville St, behind the Theatre Royal) from 8pm Tuesday to Saturday from Friday to November 1. Tickets are $25 and $20 concession. Phone Centertainment on 62345998 for bookings.

Source: http://www.themercury.com.au