Upcoming audition planned for 'The Laramie Project'

Jul. 20—Convergence Theatre Company is currently seeking performers for a timely production of the award-winning play "The Laramie Project," directed by its artistic director Matthew DeMeritt.

"The Laramie Project" was written by Moisés Kaufman and member of the Tectonic Theatre Project in response to the 1998 murder of Matthew Shepard, a young gay man in Laramie, Wyoming, and a student at the University of Wyoming.

Kaufman and his colleagues visited Laramie on six different occasions to interview residents, members of the police force, and Shepard's friends, in an attempt to better understand what happened and why. They were also interested in the possibility that theater, more than any other medium, would allow people to engage with and reflect on the issues brought to public attention by Shepard's murder. These include themes such as homophobia, hatred, intolerance, and fear.

The play is performed with actors portraying members of the Tectonic Theatre Project who are voicing the Laramie residents they interviewed. Throughout the play, these different and often contradictory or conflicting voices overlap, creating a mosaic of perspectives and opinions. The play then derives its power by building tension between both the interviewees, and the interviewees and the theater company. This tension, in turn, reflects the social unrest caused by Shepard's murder and its aftermath.

Rather than scenes, the play's three acts are divided into a series of "moments," focused on a group of interviewees or a specific perspective on the events.

Auditions for the local production will be held on July 27 and 28 from 7-9 p.m. at the Sutter Theatre Center for the Arts in Yuba City. For auditions, actors may choose a prepared monologue of their choice not to exceed 2 minutes, or one of the optional selections from the script.

The play was originally written for a cast of eight performers, four male and four female, however Convergence Theatre Company plans to base its casting off of audition turnout with the potential for additional performers. In all instances, performers should be prepared to play multiple roles.

Each auditioner will be given a 7-minute time slot in which to perform their chosen monologue or a selected reading in addition to a potential "cold reading" from the script. The organization strongly encourages auditioners to sign up in advance at convergencetheatreco.org/auditions. This gives prospective actors a chance to choose their preferred time slot after which they will receive a confirmation email along with their cold read assignments. Performers who show up without an appointment will be worked into the schedule, but may have to wait for a period of time.

Convergence Theatre Company's production of "The Laramie Project" will rehearse weekday evenings from 7-9 p.m. based on actor availability. Rehearsals will take place at either the Sutter Theatre Center for the Arts on Plumas Street in Yuba City, or the Lee Burrows Center for the Arts on E Street in Marysville. The show will be performed on the first two weekends of October.

For more information, or to sign up for auditions, visit convergencetheatreco.org. Additional inquiries can be referred to DeMeritt at mdemeritt@gmail.com.

Convergence Theatre Company and its productions are made possible through its partnership with Yuba Sutter Arts & Culture.