The SAE Stages THE LARAMIE PROJECT, Now thru 12/7

The School of Arts and Enterprise-Department of Theatre presents the inaugural show of their 2013-14 season, the award winning The Laramie Project, by Moises Kaufman, Leigh Fondakowski, Greg Pierotti, Andy Paris and Stephen Belber. The Laramie Project is directed by Phil Miller, The School of Arts & Enterprise New Director of Theatre. The Laramie Project features an 11-member cast comprised of some of the brightest young actors in the San Gabriel Valley. The Laramie Project features (in alphabetical order), Ha'nnah Bunker, Alyssa Corella, Nicolas Hernandez, Sofia Irigoyen, John Jackson Lind, Alexander Lopez, Icses Martinez, Walter Mazariegos, Mehgan Perrine, Ryan Romin and Jessica Walker.

Performances run tonight, December 5th, 6th and 7th at 7:00pm. Tickets are $11 and $7 for Students (w/valid ID) and $12 at the Door. The Laramie Project will preview on Wednesday December 4th at 7p.m. Performances will be held at the Studio Theatre at the Downtown Center, 300 W. 2nd Street, Pomona, CA 91786. Tickets can be purchased at www.saetix.com. The Laramie Project is not appropriate for audience members under the age of 13.

ABOUT THE LARAMIE PROJECT: In October 1998 a twenty-one-year-old student at the University of Wyoming was kidnapped, severely beaten and left to die, tied to a fence in the middle of the prairie outside Laramie, Wyoming. His bloody, bruised and battered body was not discovered until the next day, and he died several days later in an area hospital. His name was Matthew Shepard, and he was the victim of this assault because he was gay. Moise?s Kaufman and fellow members of the Tectonic Theater Project made six trips to Laramie over the course of a year and a half in the aftermath of the beating and during the trial of the two young men accused of killing Shepard. They conducted more than 200 interviews with the people of the town. Some people interviewed were directly connected to the case, and others were citizens of Laramie, and the breadth of their reactions to the crime is fascinating. Kaufman and Tectonic Theater members have constructed a deeply moving theatrical experience from these interviews and their own experiences. The Laramie Project is a breathtaking theatrical collage that explores the depths to which humanity can sink and the heights of compassion of which we are capable.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: MOISE?S KAUFMAN is a Tony and Emmy nominated director and playwright. His most recent play, 33 Variations, starring Jane Fonda, was nominated for 5 Tony Awards (including one for Ms. Fonda). Previous to that, Mr. Kaufman directed the Pulitzer and Tony award-winning play I Am My Own Wife, earning him an Obie Award for his direction as well as Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle and Lucille Lortel nominations. His plays Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde and The Laramie Project have been among the most performed plays in America over the last decade. Mr. Kaufman also directed the film adaptation of The Laramie Project for HBO, which was the opening night selection at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival and won the National Board of Review Award, the Humanitas Prize and a Special Mention for Best First Film at the Berlin Film Festival. The film also earned Mr. Kaufman two Emmy Award nominations for Best Director and Best Writer. He is the Artistic Director of Tectonic Theater Project and a Guggenheim Fellow in Playwriting. Other recent credits include Bengal Tiger at the Bagdad Zoo (Mark Taper Forum); Macbeth with Liev Schreiber (Public Theater); This Is How It Goes (Donmar Warehouse); One Arm by Tennessee Williams (Steppenwolf Theater Company); Master Class with Rita Moreno (Berkeley Repertory Theater); and Lady Windermere's Fan (Williamstown Theater Festival).

ABOUT The School of Arts & Enterprise: The School of Arts and Enterprise (The SAE) is a State Board of Education authorized, tuition-free Public Charter Middle and High School. The SAE has a passion for academics and the arts and has a distinguished history of producing talented, creative individuals who pursue life with a fervent desire to make a difference. Established in 2003, The SAE was the first visual and performing high school in Pomona, California. The SAE offers a college preparatory academic program for grades 6-12., with a college acceptance rate of 98 percent. The students participate in interdisciplinary studies which enables them to succeed in both the arts and academics.