Grace Del Rossi, left, and Said Belfield rehearse a scene from RVCC's student theatre production of The Laramie Project
(BRANCHBURG, NJ) -- Raritan Valley Community College's Arts & Design department will present a student theatre production of The Laramie Project by Moises Kaufman and the members of the Tectonic Theater Project, November 18-20, 2026 at 7:00pm each night. The performances, which are free of charge and open to the public, will be held in the Welpe Theatre at the College's Branchburg campus.
The documentary play, under the direction of RVCC Professor of Theatre Dennis Russo, details the murder and trial of Matthew Shepard.
In October 1998, 21-year-old University of Wyoming student Matthew Shepard was kidnapped, robbed, severely beaten, and tied to a prairie fence outside Laramie, Wyoming, because he was gay. Shepard was discovered after 18 hours and died five days later in the hospital. The hate crime sparked a massive worldwide media storm and discussion about anti-LGBTQ+ violence.
In the wake of the murder, Kaufman and members of the Tectonic Theater Project made six trips to Laramie over a year and a half to create The Laramie Project. Their efforts included conducting more than 200 interviews with locals, friends, family members, clergy, and the perpetrators.
Set design and construction for the RVCC production is by Dave Porter and Kenny Savoy. Running time for the play is 90 minutes.
The cast and crew include: Brooke Rogers, Grace Del Rossi, Said Belfield, Savannah Weaver, Ari Bowie, Casey Hipsher, Jeremy Betros, Alex Estrella, James Hall, Jacob Coslit, Mikayla Johnston, Violet Dunsavage, Kelis Carey,Hillsborough, and Isabella Scaglione.
Raritan Valley Community College (RVCC) is located at 118 Lamington Road in Branchburg, New Jersey.
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