THE LARAMIE PROJECT: REIMAGINED AFTER 25-YEARS BY AMSTERDAM’S ORANGE THEATRE COMPANY

words by NATALIE GAL

This November, The Laramie Project will premiere at KIT Live Theatre in Amsterdam, presented by Orange Theatre Company, marking the first-ever adaptation of the play in its 25-year history.

We all know the iconic lines:

“All the world’s a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances;”

These words, spoken by Jaques in Shakespeare’s As You Like It, have always stuck with me. I often think about that blurred line between reality and theatrical imagination. Today, more than ever, theatre offers a powerful space for reflection, a lens through which we can better understand the world around us.

This November, The Laramie Project will open at KIT Live Theatre in Amsterdam. Orange Theatre Company, Amsterdam’s English-language theatre group, presents the first-ever adaptation of this landmark work in its 25-year history.

The story? Set in 1998, the play recounts the brutal murder of Matthew Shepard in Laramie, Wyoming. Originally staged in 2000 by the Tectonic Theater Project, this marks the first officially approved reinterpretation for a contemporary audience. It’s a socially significant, emotionally charged piece, perhaps more relevant today than ever.

Director Shane Dempsey (National Theatre’s Hamlet and Translations) and award-winning writer Kiefer Lloyd (Fever, Jackpot) have joined forces to bring this new version to life. Known for tackling socially charged themes, Orange Theatre Company continues to spotlight the challenges faced by the queer community, something we at Numéro Netherlands are also deeply committed to: giving voice to those who are too often silenced.