Director of stage and screen Moises Kaufmann agrees to answer a few
questions for QFR about his groundbreaking stage to screen re-telling of the
death of Matthew Shepherd and it¹s affect on Laramie, Wyoming and the world.
QUEER FILM REVIEW: In what ways did your artistic process uniquely honor the subject?
MK:WE SPENT A YEAR LISTENING TO THE PEOPLE OF LARAMIE TELLING US THEIR STORIES. FROM THE BEGINNING OF WRITING THIS PIECE WE KNEW THAT THIS WOULD TELL THE STORY OF THE TOWN (AS OPPOSED TO THE STORY OF MATTHEW SHEPARD). SO, WE MADE SURE WE GOT TO KNOW THE PEOPLE OF THE TOWN AND WE TRIED TO PROFOUNDLY UNDERSTAND HOW THE MURDER OF MATTHEW AFFECTED THEM. OUR HOPE WAS THAT IN THEIR WORDS WE WOULD GATHER A DOCUMENT THAT REFLECTED NOT ONLY HOW LARAMIE THOUGHT AND BEHAVED, BUT HOPEFULLY, A MICROCOSM OF HOW THE ENTIRE COUNTRY WAS THINKING AND BEHAVING.
QUEER FILM REVIEW:What were your major challenges considering the severity of the subject?
MK:THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE WAS HOW TO TELL THE STORY OF THIS BRUTAL CRIME WITHOUT BRUTALIZING THE AUDIENCE.
QUEER FILM REVIEW: What were your biggest success?
MK: I GUESS TO ME THE BIGGEST SUCCESS WAS THAT BY NOT HAVING A CHARACTER OF MATTHEW SHEPARD IN THE MOVIE WE ACHIEVED A CERTAIN SORT OF ABSENCE IN THE FABRIC OF THE FILM THAT EQUATED HOW WE ALL FELT ABOUT MATTHEW’S ABSENCE.
QUEER FILM REVIEW: Was it all worth it? How do you feel about the outcome?
MK: ABSOLUTELY. EVERY MINUTE WE SPENT ON THIS PROJECT WAS WORTH IT.
QUEER FILM REVIEW: What are your plans for future projects?
MK: I JUST FINISHED MY NEW PLAY 33 VARIATIONS. AND NOW I’M ADAPTING IT FOR THE SCREEN.
QUEER FILM REVIEW: In what ways have you raised social awareness? In what areas do you desire a greater impact?
MK: THAT’S A VERY HARD QUESTION. MY HOPE IS THAT THE WORK HAS SHED SOME LIGHT ON THE DISPARITY BETWEEN AMERICANS IN TERMS OF RIGHTS AND PRIVILEGES. “HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN HERE?” WAS WHAT MANY PEOPLE IN LARAMIE ASKED. I HOPE THE PLAY ADDRESSED SOME OF THAT. I THINK WE NEED MUCH MORE AWARENESS RAISED ABOUT THE TRANSGENDER PART OF OUR COMMUNITY. GWEN ARAUJO, A TRANSGENDER STUDENT IN A HIGH SCHOOL IN CALIFORNIA WAS BRUTALLY MURDERED A FEW YEARS AFTER MATTHEW SHEPPARD WAS, BUT SHE DIDN’T GET ONE TENTH OF THE ATTENTION. IN OUR CULTURE, TRANSGENDER PEOPLE ARE STILL NOT WORTHY VICTIMS.
QUEER FILM REVIEW: What would you have done differently with the film, if anything?
MK:EVERY PIECE I’VE EVER CREATED
MK: BEFORE, I WANTED TO CHANGE THE DAY IT WAS FINISHED. IT WILL ALWAYS BE LIKE THAT. IT’S A PROCESS.
QUEER FILM REVIEW: What lessons have you learned from the Laramie Project?
MK: THE FACT THAT IT’S BECOME ONE OF THE MOST PERFORMED PLAYS IN AMERICA, THE FACT THAT THE MOVIE HAD SUCH HIGH VIEWERSHIP LEADS ME TO BELIEVE THAT OUR STORIES ARE IMPORTANT TO OUR CULTURE AT LARGE. IF WE ARE ABLE TO TELL OUR STORIES TRUTHFULLY AND HONESTLY, WE ARE ABLE TO REACH LARGE AUDIENCES.