"Laramie Project" writer, director to discuss intersection of theater and current events Feb. 24

Tony and Emmy award-nominated playwright and director Moisés Kaufman will discuss the power of theater to foster dialogue about current events and social and political issues at the University of Richmond Feb. 24, 7:30 p.m. The talk will be held in the Modlin Center, Camp Concert Hall. 

Kaufman’s appearance is part of the 2013-14 Jepson Leadership Forum; One Book, One Richmond; and WILL/WGSS lecture series. It is cosponsored by Common Ground and the University of Richmond Department of Theatre & Dance.

Kaufman and members of his Tectonic Theater Project wrote “The Laramie Project,” a play about the town of Laramie, Wyo., after the 1998 murder of Matthew Shepard, a young gay man who was beaten and killed. He received Emmy Award nominations for Best Writer and Best Director for his film adaptation of the play, which aired on HBO. Kaufman received an Obie Award and Tony nomination for directing “I Am My Own Wife” and a Tony nomination for directing “33 Variations.”  

A Guggenheim Fellow, Kaufman received seven writing and directing awards for “Gross Indecency.”

The event is free and open to the public; please reserve tickets through the Modlin Center Box Office beginning Feb 10. To reserve tickets, call 804-289-8980, weekdays, 10 a.m. –5 p.m. For more information, contact Shannon Best, community programs coordinator, at 804-287-6522. 

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