Deaf Austin Theatre (DAT) premiered the first professional American Sign Language (ASL) and spoken English production of The Laramie Project with a Deaf and Hearing Cast September 7th-16th. Our online streaming event via Stellar on October 12th, 2023 to a global audience will honor of the 25th anniversary of Matthew Shepard’s legacy.

The Laramie Project is a thought-provoking documentary play that explores the aftermath of the tragic 1998 murder of Matthew Shepard, a young gay college student in Laramie, Wyoming. The play delves into the impact of the incident on the local community and raises important questions about prejudice, hate crimes and tolerance. DAT aims to promote inclusivity, accessibility, and awareness of these same experiences faced by the Deaf and LGBTQIA communities.

Seed funding was provided by the National Endowment for the Arts. Matching funds were generously provided by the Greater Austin Foundation of the Deaf, Sorenson VRS and Communication by Hand. And a generous donation from The Matthew Shepard Foundation! Other funding provided by BEA Investment Group, Ploeger ASL Interpreting, LLC; Dozanu Innovation, VYSN+, National Disability Theatre, Communication By Hand, Sorenson, True+Way ASL, and SIGNmation.

Endorsed by Playwright Moises Kaufman and Tectonic Theater Project along with support of the The Matthew Shepard Foundation, Deaf Austin Theater will pay tribute to Matthew’s legacy globally, including D/HH viewers through Broadway On Demand Livestream with ASL & Captions on the 25th Anniversary of his death.

We pledge to make the Laramie Project accessible to all high schools as some states have banned this material based on a real life account and marked the civil rights and anti-gay hate laws into effect.

In order for this dream to come true, we need to fundraise another $20,000 to support the overall production budget, so we need your support.

Stream Event: October 12th

Tickets available at www.deafaustintheatre.org

Cast

Kailyn Aaron-Lozano (DASL: Deaf Austin Theatre & ZACH Theatre's Cinderella, Deaf Broadway's Company at Lincoln Center, Hulu’s Reverse Polarity)

Joey Antonio (Dance Camp, ABC’s Zoey's Extraordinary, Sesame Street on Youtube)

Joey Caverly* (Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building, Olney Theatre Center’s The Music Man, Children of a Lesser God at Studio 54)

Brian Cheslik** (Co-Director Deaf Austin Theatre & ZACH Theatre's Cinderella, Deaf Austin Theatre & Ground Floor Theatre's The Last Five Years & Next to Normal, Billy in Tribes at Le Petit Theatre Company)

Jules Dameron (Director of “Møkkakaffe” Norway TV series; Director of “Crazy Town” “Sesame Street” ASL Series)

Taylor Flanagan (Ensemble/Gabrielle’s voice in Deaf Austin Theatre & ZACH Theatre's Cinderella, Judith et al in Judith with Hyde Park Theatre, Puck in A Midsummer Night's Dream with Penfold Theatre)

Leila Hanaumi (Assistant DASL/Ensemble in Deaf Austin Theatre & ZACH Theatre's Cinderella)

Ashlea Hayes (ABC’s Switched At Birth, NBC’s Law and Order: SVU, and Tireseas in DeafWest Theatre's Oedpius)

Dickie Hearts* (Netflix’s “Tales of the City” & “Grace & Frankie”, HBO’s “High Maintenance”, Public Theatre's "Dark Disabled Stories")

Amelia Hensley* (ABC’s Station 19, DeafWest’s Spring Awakening, Olney Theatre Center’s The Music Man)

Justin Jackerson (Tybalt in Romeo and Juliet at Ophelia Jump Productions; The Perfect Match, and Reverie, for the Easterseals Disability Short Film Challenge)

Krissy Lemon (Gabrielle in Deaf Austin Theatre & ZACH Theatre's Cinderella, Cathy in Deaf Austin Theatre & Ground Floor Theatre's The Last Five Years)

Saul Lopez (ASL Jamie in Deaf Austin Theatre & Ground Floor Theatre's The Last Five Years)

Heba Toulan* (Ensemble inDeaf Austin Theatre & ZACH Theatre's Cinderella, SENSES and The Window Washer)

Production Team

Director: Jules Dameron

Director of ASL (DASL): Kailyn Aaron-Lozano

Stage Manager: Miriam Rochford*

Assistant Stage Manager: Kelsey Moringy

Lighting Designer: Jacqueline Sindelar

Sound Designer: Rodd Simonson

Costume Designer: Dr. Brian Cheslik** & Jules Dameron

Set Designer: Jules Dameron

Graphic Designer: Michael Epstein

Videography by Bus Door Films

* denotes members of Actors Equity Association (AEA)

**denotes members of Stage Directors & Choreographers Society (SDC)

Signed Copy of “October Mourning: A Song for Matthew Shepard”