Set & Prop Design in The Laramie Project
When describing her interpretation of The Laramie Project, director Johanna Pinzler paints a picture of the climate in 1998 Wyoming: “There had been no Columbine, Sandy Hook, Orlando, or Las Vegas...9/11 had not happened yet...we had no idea how much violence and hate this country would spew and the speed in which news would be disseminated.” The play, originally conceived by Moises Kaufman and the Tectonic Theatre Project, compiles hundreds of interviews concerning the circumstances surrounding Matthew Shepard’s death and the events that followed, including the trial for his murder and the surrounding media frenzy. Performed by the Senior Acting BFA program at Marymount Manhattan College, the production weaves strong performances with a comprehensive narrative, spanning the course of years (in theatrical time: three hours, one intermission). Through clever use of set pieces and props, actors switch roles as easily as adding or removing a piece of clothing. The set and prop choices for The Laramie Project helped the director’s vision by providing a minimal landscape for young actors to explore this story of an act of cruelty and its aftermath.
Johanna Pinzler’s choice to use chairs as a primary set piece and prop moves the actors through multiple years and settings. As the lights go up, the company sits in chairs, four rows in length, and five in width. No chair is exactly alike, but they seem to come from the same place, drawing connections to the play’s setting of Laramie, Wyoming. Throughout the play’s three acts, the company acts as crew, moving these chairs into different formations, and in some sequences, offstage entirely. Using the actors as the crew is in no way original, and can be distracting in many productions. However, something as simple as a chair moving was choreographed, giving every action purpose, therefore eliminating distraction. The chairs enhanced the actor’s performances because they gave more opportunities to display character traits through sitting, standing, and interacting with their chair. With work as dense and company-heavy as The Laramie Project, using chairs as both set and prop was a simple, yet effective choice.
On of the play’s most emotional scenes depicts the fence on which Matthew Shepard was beaten and tied up. An actor portraying Aaron Kreifels, a cyclist who discovered Shepard, delivers a monologue as three long industrial wooden platforms are wheeled in and the backdrop fades to an eerie blue. The police officer who rescued Matthew narrates, describing what that day was like. This moment is framed with a simple set design. This scene might have been more powerful with a literal interpretation, using an actual cattle fence. However, using an actual fence would have made for a clumsy transition during an emotional moment. With such strong imagery provided by the text, this set choice makes sense in this production.
The aftermath of Matthew Shepard's death was a worldwide media frenzy; the production uses flashlights to evoke broadcasting cameras. Actors hold flashlights with shifting purpose: when off, to mimic a microphone, when on, to mimic a camera, broadcasting live to households everywhere. This use of flashlights is a simple way to show the way a media circus literally “brought light” to events in Laramie. Is the use of this prop too literal? Maybe. But because all other lighting and set design were simple, the flashlights don’t add clutter. The lights take advantage of the distraction and offer a look at what a news cycle looked like twenty years ago, before social media, online newspapers, and at the cusp of 24-hour cycles.
Johanna Pinzler’s interpretation of The Laramie Project tells the story of a town, a man, and tragic violence with an emphasis on sound oversight. The honest, pieced-together narrative of Moises Kaufman’s piece does most of the work here, allowing actors to explore multiple roles. A more simple set and prop design provides a blank canvas for actors to play. With a cluttered, realistic set, the play would not have the freedom to make so many transitions between actors, moments, and years. We might not literally see the town where Matthew Shepard died, but we, as the listener and audience, can feel it.
Image via Johanna Pinzler.
