Studio 180 Theatre Celebrates 10 Years With a Reading of THE LARAMIE PROJECT, 2/25

Ten years ago, Studio 180 burst onto the Toronto theatre scene with the Canadian premiere of THE LARAMIE PROJECT, a groundbreaking play in the form of a theatrical docudrama that perfectly defined the kind of theatre the founders of Studio 180 wanted to create: socially relevant, thought-provoking, and committed to community engagement. That was the very beginning of the company that is now considered one of the city's most vibrant and dynamic.

On Monday February 25, 2013, over 50 artists from Studio 180 productions, past and present, will gather to celebrate Studio 180's 10th birthday by performing a staged reading of THE LARAMIE PROJECT? for one night only at the Panasonic Theatre, the same venue where on the other nights of the week Studio 180 will be performing a revival of its acclaimed and popular production of CLYBOURNE PARK (playing February 12 to March 2).

About THE LARAMIE PROJECT

In an internationally reported event, openly gay University of Wyoming student Matthew Shepard was kidnapped, beaten and left to die, tied to a fence on the outskirts of Laramie, Wyoming, in October 1998. Five weeks later, Moisés Kaufman and fellow members of the Tectonic Theater Project went to Laramie, and over the course of the next year conducted more than 200 interviews with people of the town. From these interviews they wrote THE LARAMIE PROJECT, a chronicle of the life of the town of Laramie in the year after the murder.

The play premiered in New York in 2000, playing to rave reviews and impassioned audiences. Time Magazine called it "one of the ten best plays of the year," and it has since become one of the most performed plays in North America. Studio 180 was honoured to present its Canadian professional premiere in 2003, and is now thrilled to be performing the show again 10 years later.

THE LARAMIE PROJECT

BY Moisés Kaufman & ?MEMBERS OF THE Tectonic Theater Project

DIRECTED BY JOEL GREENBERG & Mark McGrinder

FEATURING: ?DOROTHY ATABONG • DANIEL BENNETT • Richard Binsley • JOHN BOURGEOIS • BRENLEY CHARKOW • MARK CRAWFORD • PAUL DUNN • AUDREY DWYER • PAUL ESSIEMBRE • NEIL FOSTER • DAVID FOX • KESTA GRAHAM • Jessica GreenBERG • DEBORAH GROVER • MARTIN HAPPER • SARITE HARRIS • Daren A. Herbert • MARVIN HINZ • SHARI HOLLETT • RYAN HOLLYMAN • Jeff Irving • SAM KALILIEH • Ryan Kelly • Andrew Kushnir • ALISON LAWRENCE • ANTHONY LEMKE • JEFF LILLICO • George Masswohl • Mark McGrinder • BRENDAN MCMURTRY-HOWLETT • Tracy Michailidis • Jason Mitchell • KARIM MORGAN • SARAH ORENSTEIN • KIMWUN PEREHINEC • ALEX POCH-GOLDIN • MARIA RICOSSA • Dylan Roberts • KAREN ROBINSON • PAIGE ROBSON-CRAMER • JORDY ROLFE • MICHAEL RUBENFELD • Amy Rutherford • JONATHAN SIENEN • ANDRÉ SILLS • David Storch • Michael Therriault • JENNIFER VILLAVERDE • NIGEL SHAWN WILLIAMS • Jonathan Wilson

CREATIVE TEAM?: SARAH BUSTARD • LIZ CAMPBELL • MICHAEL GIANFRANCESCO • ROBERT HARDING • MICHAEL LAIRD • CHRIS PRIDEAUX • KIMBERLY PURTELL • LYON SMITH • John Thompson

One Night Only! - Monday February 25, 2013 at 7:00 PM? • Party to follow!

Panasonic Theatre, 651 Yonge St.?, Toronto