The drama, directed by Deborah Merola and co-directed by Divya Dev, makes use of 24 actors to play 55 roles. The play is divided into three acts, with each act carrying a message of its own: act one—Live and let live; act two—Go home and hug your kids; and act three—You need to do your best to say it correct.

The first half of the play deals with the theatre team’s arrival in Laramie, where they learn about the history of the town and its residents. They also interview Matthew’s friends who tell them of the live-and-let-live attitude of the place. The sign ‘Hate is Not a Laramie Value’ is hung up throughout the play.

It is in the second half of the play that the brutal murder is played out. The whole town comes to a standstill; locals sigh in disbelief at the brutality of the case; youths carry out candle vigil; and the issue is brought into media attention. The drama is about love, hate, compassion and respect for one another. It shines light on the violence towards homosexuals and shows how the religious books defend the unfathomable hatred.  

Divya Dev, Kurchi Dasgupta, Rajkumar Pudasaini, Shanti Giri, Bikram Pariyar, Gopal Aryal and Sulakchhyan Bharati, among others, perform to make the Laramie world come alive. They make the audience laugh and cry simultaneously. The drama makes minimal use of music, which only plays at the perfect time to intensify the ongoing scene.

The Laramie Project tries to address the sensitive issue of homophobia, which is prevalent round the world.  One World Theatre’s presentation is a reminder of how people often tend to ignore a major human emotion—hate. But given the lack of information surrounding the Laramie incident and homophobia in Nepal, it is somewhat difficult for the Nepali audience to relate to the drama.

The play starts at 5 pm and is on till March 15