Hey everyone, it's Angie.
Right now I am waiting to go to lunch with an amazing person named Samy who I have gotten to know here in Sheridan and who is leaving for Africa today! But I wanted to let eveyone know how our trip to Laramie went. Luckily the whole cast was able to go, as well as Samy who let us stay in her apartment near University of Wyoming in Laramie.
We left around 8 am on Saturday and were exhausted when we got there. So we collapsed on Samy's floor. After a brief breather we went to lunch at a Mexican place that was very tasty. We went to Walmart, which is mentioned in the script, and got some supplies. We drove around Laramie itself and saw many of the places metnioned in the play, although some are different now. Samy gave us a tour of the university campus; while there we visited a resource room that was set up after Matthew Shepard was killed. Spectrum, the gay/straight alliance was kind enough to allow us to use the room and look at their library collection.
We saw the University Inn (also mentioned in the play) and the Fireside (the bar that Matt was last seen in. It has since been renamed). We wanted to drive out to the fence where Matt was tied but didn't know where it was. We used textual clues. We still didn't find it. But we did find Vida Voo (I'm sorry, I have absolutely no idea how that is spelled.) It is an absolutely gorgous spot out past the Walmart. A huge rock formation is there and the view is beyong beautiful. It was simply breathtaking and I feel like going there made the trip worth it. It gave us perhaps somewhat of an idea about what Matt may have seen.
The next morning we went out as a cast and had brunch; there was a cycling race happening so many of the roads were blocked. It was helpful just to see what the town we are portraying actually looks like.
On the drive home we decided to stop in Bosler on the way home. It is a small town about 20 miles from Laramie. One of the people mentioned in The Laramie Project is a man named Doc O'Connor. We saw a building with a sign saying Doc's. So we figured, how many Doc's can there be? So Mike, the cast member playing Doc, called him up. He graciously talked with us in his house for a few hours. It was quite an experience to meet him after working on the play.
So there you have it, a shortened version of our very exhausting and interseting two day trip that felt so much longer. It was great and really fun to just hang out as a cast.
Off to lunch. --Angie
Monday, June 25, 2007
Thursday, June 21, 2007
On the Open Road
Hello everyone,
This is Adam with an update on the progress of The Laramie Project.
We decided as a cast to travel to Laramie this weekend, which should be a valuable experience as we continue the early stages of our rehearsal process. We plan on visiting locations mentioned in the play, such as the Fireside Bar and the fence outside of Laramie where Matthew Shepard was beaten and left to die. All in all, it should be a very moving weekend.
In addition to visiting those locations, we also plan to meet and collaborate with the Gay-Straight Alliance on campus.
Rehearsals are incredible - even though we are still early in the process it is breathtaking to see the characters that people in the cast have already created.
That's All Folks!
Adam and No Fog West
This is Adam with an update on the progress of The Laramie Project.
We decided as a cast to travel to Laramie this weekend, which should be a valuable experience as we continue the early stages of our rehearsal process. We plan on visiting locations mentioned in the play, such as the Fireside Bar and the fence outside of Laramie where Matthew Shepard was beaten and left to die. All in all, it should be a very moving weekend.
In addition to visiting those locations, we also plan to meet and collaborate with the Gay-Straight Alliance on campus.
Rehearsals are incredible - even though we are still early in the process it is breathtaking to see the characters that people in the cast have already created.
That's All Folks!
Adam and No Fog West
Monday, June 18, 2007
Casting!
Hey, it's The Laramie Project's director, Max, with our cast list! Forgive me for any typos in this post; I'm exhausted from over two hours of decision making.
The cast will be as follows:
Angie Prichard
Marge Murray, Romaine Patterson, Zackie Salmon, Sherry Aanenson, Waitress, Barbara Pitts, Juror, Newsperson and Narrator
Grace Cannon
Reggie Fluty, Jen, Anonymous friend (male or female), Kristin Price, Amanda Gronich, Eileen Engen, Judge, Skinhead, Newsperson and Narrator
Madeleine Joyce
DJ Shadow, Catherine Connolly, Stephanie Mead Johnson, Trish Steger, Mormon home teacher, Leigh Fondakowski, Foreperson, Newsperson and Narrator
Christine Hottinger
Aaron Kreifels (male), Alison Mears, Sherry Johnson, April Silva, Baptist minister's wife, Email writer, Juror, Bailiff, Company member, Newsperson and Narrator
Anne Gordon
Rebecca Hillicker, Zabaida Ula, Shannon (male), Tiffany Edwards, Lucy Thompson, Judge, Company member, Newsperson and Narrator
Adam Colton
Rulon Stacey, Matt Galloway, Father Roger Schmit, Russell Henderson, Governor Geringer, Conrad Miller, Kerry Drake, Moises Kaufman, Cal Rerucha, Newsperson and Narrator
Mike Marshall
Reverend Fred Phelps, Dr. Cantway, Doc O'Conner, Harry Woods, Rob Debree, Andrew Gomez, Murdock Cooper, Gil Engen, Andy Paris, Juror, Newsperson and Narrator
Austin Bramwell
Baptist minister, Aaron Mckinney, Jedediah Schultz, Greg Pierotti, Sergeant Hing, Matt Mickelson, Juror, Newsperson and Narrator
Jordan Coffey
Dennis Shepard, Doug Laws, Jonas Slonaker, Jon Peacock, Bill Mckinney, Priest at funeral, Philip Dubois, Stephan Belber, Juror, Phil Labrie, Newsperson and Narrator
YAY! I am incredibly excited and anxious to begin working with such a talented cast! Our first rehearsal went very well and I'm impressed by each of our member's acting and willingness. I hope they are all happy with my choices.
I love you all.
The cast will be as follows:
Angie Prichard
Marge Murray, Romaine Patterson, Zackie Salmon, Sherry Aanenson, Waitress, Barbara Pitts, Juror, Newsperson and Narrator
Grace Cannon
Reggie Fluty, Jen, Anonymous friend (male or female), Kristin Price, Amanda Gronich, Eileen Engen, Judge, Skinhead, Newsperson and Narrator
Madeleine Joyce
DJ Shadow, Catherine Connolly, Stephanie Mead Johnson, Trish Steger, Mormon home teacher, Leigh Fondakowski, Foreperson, Newsperson and Narrator
Christine Hottinger
Aaron Kreifels (male), Alison Mears, Sherry Johnson, April Silva, Baptist minister's wife, Email writer, Juror, Bailiff, Company member, Newsperson and Narrator
Anne Gordon
Rebecca Hillicker, Zabaida Ula, Shannon (male), Tiffany Edwards, Lucy Thompson, Judge, Company member, Newsperson and Narrator
Adam Colton
Rulon Stacey, Matt Galloway, Father Roger Schmit, Russell Henderson, Governor Geringer, Conrad Miller, Kerry Drake, Moises Kaufman, Cal Rerucha, Newsperson and Narrator
Mike Marshall
Reverend Fred Phelps, Dr. Cantway, Doc O'Conner, Harry Woods, Rob Debree, Andrew Gomez, Murdock Cooper, Gil Engen, Andy Paris, Juror, Newsperson and Narrator
Austin Bramwell
Baptist minister, Aaron Mckinney, Jedediah Schultz, Greg Pierotti, Sergeant Hing, Matt Mickelson, Juror, Newsperson and Narrator
Jordan Coffey
Dennis Shepard, Doug Laws, Jonas Slonaker, Jon Peacock, Bill Mckinney, Priest at funeral, Philip Dubois, Stephan Belber, Juror, Phil Labrie, Newsperson and Narrator
YAY! I am incredibly excited and anxious to begin working with such a talented cast! Our first rehearsal went very well and I'm impressed by each of our member's acting and willingness. I hope they are all happy with my choices.
I love you all.
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Welcome!
Hello! Angie and Madeleine here... This is our first full day with the out of state cast members all within the Cannon household! It's a little hectic today because Susan and Kim are throwing us a "meet-the-community"/Father's Day/BIRTHDAY barbeque...so we're sweeping and organizing and cooking and decorating and getting our socializing-faces on. For anyone who isn't familiar with the play or our project this summer here is an explanation of what we are doing and our goals.
Early this year, a group of college students and local actors came together to form No Fog West Theater, a non-profit company based in Sheridan, Wyoming. Our current production is Moises Kaufman's The Laramie Project.
In 1998, a University of Wyoming student, Matthew Shepard, was brutally murdered because he was gay, completely shaking up the community of Laramie and changing the connotations of the word Laramie forever. A theater company from New York City decided to document this reaction by creating a play based on interviews with a wide variety of people from the town. They took several trips to Laramie and conducted over three hundred objective interviews. A collage of direct transcripts from these interviews became The Laramie Project.
By choosing this production for this summer, we wish to inspire an important dialogue among the people of Sheridan and Wyoming as a whole. We believe that The Laramie Project provides a pro-compassion, non-confrontational forum in which to begin such a discussion. Our company while composed of actors from all over the country, remains grounded in and sensitive to Western culture in regards to the sensitive subject matter this play brings up. Our goal is not to impose an acceptance of homosexuality but to show the consequences we all face by not condemning culturally manufactured prejudices. The Laramie Project is not the story of a gay man's death; it is the story of a town's reaction to hate.
Our production will have a seven show run the last two weeks of July at the Carriage House Theater in Sheridan. If you would like more information or would like to make a tax-deductible donation to our non-profit company please email us at nofogwest@gmail.com or send a check to
No Fog West Theater
Grace Cannon, Chair
P.O. Box 401
Big Horn, WY. 82833
and make checks payable to Tandem Productions, our umbrella organization.
LOVE,
Angie and Madeleine and No Fog West
Early this year, a group of college students and local actors came together to form No Fog West Theater, a non-profit company based in Sheridan, Wyoming. Our current production is Moises Kaufman's The Laramie Project.
In 1998, a University of Wyoming student, Matthew Shepard, was brutally murdered because he was gay, completely shaking up the community of Laramie and changing the connotations of the word Laramie forever. A theater company from New York City decided to document this reaction by creating a play based on interviews with a wide variety of people from the town. They took several trips to Laramie and conducted over three hundred objective interviews. A collage of direct transcripts from these interviews became The Laramie Project.
By choosing this production for this summer, we wish to inspire an important dialogue among the people of Sheridan and Wyoming as a whole. We believe that The Laramie Project provides a pro-compassion, non-confrontational forum in which to begin such a discussion. Our company while composed of actors from all over the country, remains grounded in and sensitive to Western culture in regards to the sensitive subject matter this play brings up. Our goal is not to impose an acceptance of homosexuality but to show the consequences we all face by not condemning culturally manufactured prejudices. The Laramie Project is not the story of a gay man's death; it is the story of a town's reaction to hate.
Our production will have a seven show run the last two weeks of July at the Carriage House Theater in Sheridan. If you would like more information or would like to make a tax-deductible donation to our non-profit company please email us at nofogwest@gmail.com or send a check to
No Fog West Theater
Grace Cannon, Chair
P.O. Box 401
Big Horn, WY. 82833
and make checks payable to Tandem Productions, our umbrella organization.
LOVE,
Angie and Madeleine and No Fog West
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