“The Laramie Project” — A Staged Reading
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Authors
Childs, Ruth
Bloom, Davida
Issue Date
2014-10-02
Type
event
Language
en_US
Keywords
Alternative Title
Abstract
Davida Bloom and Ruth Childs will direct this staged reading of “The Laramie Project”, with an ensemble of students and faculty performing multiple roles. The presenters want to use this story to introduce or re-introduce the campus community to Matthew Shepard's story, as well as the theatrical style of docudrama which is often used in plays grappling with political and/or contemporary issues. They also see this session as a tool for social change and building bridges. Ms. Childs directed a production of “The Laramie Project” here at Brockport over 10 years ago, and it was a production that brought people together across the campus. That production was supported by a full schedule of talk backs and community events highlighting the issues raised in the play. The hope is that some of that can happen on a smaller scale with this staged reading. The play is still relevant, still heart-breaking, and still powerful. They are excited to share this groundbreaking work with a new generation of students.
Description
Presenters:
Ruth Childs, associate professor in the Department of Theatre and Music Studies at The College at Brockport, teaches acting, voice, improv, politics of theatre, and movement, and is certified in Fitzmaurice Voicework. Ms. Childs has directed and acted in multiple productions at Brockport and beyond. She works in voiceover and industrial film, as well as a voice and dialect coach. She served as regional chair of the National Playwriting Program for KCACTF, and continues to be a respondent and reader for national and regional playwriting awards. In 2011, she was awarded the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival Gold Medallion.
Davida Bloom, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Theatre and Music Studies at The College at Brockport, worked as a voiceover casting director in Los Angeles for many years prior to completing her doctoral degree and joining the faculty at Brockport. She continues to do voiceover work and perform on stage regularly in the Rochester, NY area.