Academics
Theatre & Social Justice Series - Fall 2007
The Fine Arts Department, along with the student group Common Ground, the UVM College of Medicine, and Outright Vermont, are sponsoring an important series on hate crime focusing on the 1998 tragic death of Matthew Shepard. We welcome the community to join us for the following events, which are free and open to the public.
Public Lecture by Judy Shepard
"The Legacy of Matthew Shepard"
October 25, 2007, 8:00 p.m.
McCarthy Arts Center Recital Hall
Judy Shepard, mother of slain University of Wyoming student Matthew Shepard, will speak on her experience of being forced into the international spotlight after the tragic death of her son Matthew in a 1998 hate crime. She will reflect on her experiences, and on the issues our country still needs to address. Saint Michael’s President John Neuhauser will open the program, and students Michelle Merola and Kyle McElheney will introduce the speaker.
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Fall Mainstage Play
The Laramie Project by Moises Kaufman
October 31 - November 3, 2007, 7:00 p.m.
McCarthy Arts Center Theater
This compelling documentary style drama tells the stories of the people of Laramie, Wyoming - before, during and after the death of Matthew Shepard in 1998.
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Community Forum
From Wyoming to Vermont: How do Bias Incidents and Hate Speech Affect Us in Vermont?
November 3, 2007, 2:00 p.m.
McCarthy Arts Center Recital Hall
Community leaders will discuss the difficulties and threats many Vermonters face because of their race, religion, physical characteristics or sexual orientation. Tracey Tsugawa, Civil Rights Investigator for the Vermont Human Rights Commission, will moderate the panel, with Vermont State Representative Bill Lippert (D – Hinesburg) as a panelist, among others.
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More about The Laramie Project
The Laramie Project, about the people of Laramie, Wyoming, before, during and after the horrific fatal assault on Matthew Shepard, has been called a powerful stage event, one of the best plays of the year, an examination of the whole American psyche at the end of the millennium. This fall mainstage production is directed by Fine Arts Professor Peter Harrigan, and designed by John Paul Devlin, assistant professor of fine arts.
“The Laramie Project is uniquely equipped to engage us in conversation about divisive issues and lead us toward action to fight social injustice,” said Director Peter Harrigan. “At its best, theater requires that a group of human beings come together in one place to watch other human beings enact stories that reflect concerns and problems we hoped to escape by going to the theater.” According to New York Magazine, “There emerges a mosaic in The Laramie Project as moving and important as any you will see on the walls of the churches of the world…nothing short of stunning…you will be held in rapt attention.”
The Laramie Project has been called “a breathtaking theatrical collage that explores the depths to which humanity can sink and the heights of compassion of which we are capable.” The student cast performing the drama includes Renee Baillargeon '08 of Huntington, Mass., Melissa Briner '08 of Clinton, Mass., Kate Clark '10 of New Rochelle, N.Y., Ashley Favreau '09 of Richmond, Maine, Jennifer Hunt '08 of Lancaster, N.H., Laura Seifert '10 of New Milford, Conn., Tina Shantz '08 of Manlius, N.Y, Krista Tunnell '10 of Rumney, N.H., Josh Bardier '10 of Charlton Depot, Mass., Nate Beliveau '11 of St. Johnsbury, Vt., Jayden Choquette '10 of Milton, Vt., Shawn Campbell '08 of Skowhegan, Maine, Rory Fitzgerald '10 of Barre, Vt., Kyle McElheney '10 of Lancaster, Mass., Brendan O’Leary '10 of Holliston, Mass., and Craig Ueland '11 of Tam Tai, Hong Kong.