The Laramie Project
Wins Three EMACT Awards
June 1, 2005 -- The Laramie Project, the Walpole Footlighters' critically acclaimed November 2005 production, received three awards and was nominated for six additional awards at the 2005 Festival sponsored by Eastern Massachusetts Association of Community Theaters (EMACT). "The Laramie Project," by Moisés Kaufman and the Members of Tectonic Theatre Project, explores the events surrounding the murder of college student Matthew Shepherd in Laramie, Wyoming, in 1998. Based on over 200 interviews with townspeople as well as public records, The Laramie Project portrays the townspeople of Laramie in their own words as they struggle to understand the crime and its impact on their town. The Footlighters' EMACT production reunited director Marianne Phinney, assistant director Joseph O'Connor, set designer Dan Sheehan, and lighting designer Shirley Cowles with the original cast of Rocky Graziano, Adam Law, Lorna McKenzie, Steve Mullahoo, Stephen G. Lee, Leanne Clancy, Wendy Nystrom, Kristin Redpath, and Chris Staley. Joining the production team are Christine Grudinskas and Susan Jones as production managers, and Peter Liapis, Tony Liapis, Rich Morton, and Paul Winslow in the running crew. Gary Poholek helped with set finish painting as well.
| Awards | |
| Best Set Design | Dan Sheehan |
| Stage Manager's Award | Joseph O'Connor |
| Special Award - Scenic Painting | Lisa Rowan |
| Nominations | |
| Best Director | Marianne Phinney |
| Best Lighting Design | Shirley Cowles |
| Best Sound Design | Marianne Phinney |
| Best Supporting Actor | Chris Staley |
| Best Supporting Actress | Leanne Clancey |
| Best Ensemble | Cast |
The EMACT community theatre festival dates back to 1954 and is the oldest and one of the largest state community theatre festivals in the United States. Starting with three theatre groups who performed one-act plays, it has broadened to many more participants who perform not only one-act plays, but scenes, condensations and excerpts from full-length plays and musicals.
Formerly sponsored
by the New England Theatre Conference (NETC)'s Community Theatre Division,
in 1992 the Festival was co-sponsored with EMACT and in 1993, became the
EMACT Community Theatre Drama Festival, sponsored solely by EMACT and
recognized by NETC and the American Association of Community Theatres
(AACT) as the official Eastern Massachusetts State Community Theatre Festival.
This festival also ties into a biennial New England Regional Festival
(NERF), which features the winning productions of community theatre festivals
which are held in several of the New England states. The winner of the
Regional Festival represents New England in a National Festival of Community
Theatres, also held biennially, sponsored by AACT.
For more information and a complete list of the results, visit www.EMACT.org and click on Programs & Events, Annual Festival.