Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Laramie Project, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Homophobia, Tolerance, and Acceptance
Violence, Punishment, and Justice
Media and Community
Religion, Morality, and Prejudice
Theater and Representation
Summary
Analysis
Moisés Kaufman talks about how the theater company packed up their materials and said goodbye after six visits and two hundred interviews within the span of a year. Leigh Fondakowski asked Marge Murray how she would feel seeing the play, and Marge said she would enjoy it, but it’s up to the company whether they portray Laramie well. Marge tells Greg Pierotti that she loves him as she hangs up the phone. Stephen Belber talks about how Doc O’Connor asked them to write a book about Laramie, and Matt Galloway offered them a place to stay and asked if the play would have open auditions.
As the theater company packs and says their goodbyes, Marge tells the playwrights that both they and Laramie are responsible for Laramie’s portrayal on stage— that while the playwrights can choose how to splice the different monologues, the original source material was Laramie’s responsibility. Many Laramie residents seem interested in continuing their relationships with the interviewers, telling them to keep in touch.
Themes
Finally, Andy Paris describes the company leaving for good to go to Denver for their flight. Andy looks in the rear-view mirror. Father Roger Schmit appears and repeats his earlier request that the playwrights tell the story of Laramie correctly and in a way that’s “right.” Andy then says that, in the rear-view mirror, he could see the lights of Laramie as they drove away.
As Andy describes looking backward at Laramie and thinks of Father Roger Schmit’s words, the playwrights draw attention to what they learned from Laramie and how Laramie residents like Father Roger shaped their own playwriting philosophy.
Themes
