Cappies Review: Duke Ellington School, The Lamarie Project

By Corbin Farrell of Hayfield Secondary School

In 1998, the Tectonic Theatre Project traveled to Wyoming to conduct interviews with the residents of Laramie to gather insights and opinions on the murder of a young, gay student, Matthew Shepard. Through these interviews, a play was created in the style of verbatim theatre, keeping true exactly the accounts of those people in Laramie. The Duke Ellington School of the Arts production of The Laramie Project not only brought forth the chilling and grappling story of a brutal hate crime, but brought to light a difficult topic to handle in today's climate.

The entire cast at The Duke Ellington School of the Arts was absolutely stellar, consistently keeping the entire audience engaged and on the edge of their seat. Even though each performer acted in multiple roles throughout the performance, they were able to show a clear distinction between each of these different characters. The cast moved fluidly and seamlessly while transitioning from each scene and not a moment was looked over or wasted all while providing controversial commentary and varying political viewpoints directly from Laramie.

Nate Miles-McLean was just one example of an absolutely fantastic performance, including certain roles like Jedadiah Schultz. Miles-McLean was able to show crystal clear character development as the show progressed, all with impeccable timing and acting choices that built a character with viewpoints shared with many in the general public.

Another standout performance was that of Evelyn Jane-Wohlbier who commanded the stage in every scene she was in. She created a phenomenal character chemistry with other performers and built an exceptionally personal connection to the audience. Her characterization was indisputably great being able to convincingly portray roles as both men and women.

Though heart-wrenching, The Duke Ellington School of the Arts production of The Laramie Project was the image of perfection, leaving audiences restoring their faith in good human nature.