Open Book Players

Here is a synopsis of “The Laramie Project” with our auditions set for March 1st at 6:00 p.m. at Johnson Hall Opera House and performances scheduled for March 28th at 7:00 p.m. and March 29th at 2:00 p.m. A powerful theatrical presentation, ideal for readers theatre, with a cast size between 8 and 14 actors portraying multiple characters. Hope to see you there!

SYNOPSIS:
In October 1998 in the middle of the prairie outside Laramie, Wyoming, Matthew Shepard, a 21 year old student at the University of Wyoming, was tied to a fence post, severely beaten, robbed, , tortured and left, alone, to die. His body — battered, bloody, barely clinging to life — was discovered eighteen hours later. He was rushed to the hospital and put on life support. He died five days later. The reason for this brutal crime? Matthew Shepard was gay.

The hate crime attracted vast attention worldwide, bringing sexual discrimination and violence to the forefront of public discourse. The Tectonic Theater Project, led by their founder Moisés Kaufman, traveled to Laramie in the aftermath of the murder with the intent of creating a theatrical portrait of a town coming to grips with horrible, hate-fueled violence. Over the course of a year and a half, the group interviewed over 200 subjects, some directly related to the case and some regular citizens of Laramie. Out of these interviews, journal entries, and found texts, The Laramie Project was born. Hailed as one of the most captivating and encompassing pieces of contemporary theatre, the play shocks, challenges, and moves all who watch it as it reveals the lowest depths of hatred and greatest heights of compassion that lies within all human beings in any seemingly average community.

As promised, Open Book Players will hold auditions for “The Laramie Project” by Moises Kaufman and the Member of Tectonic Theater Project on MARCH 1ST AT 6:00 P.M. IN Johnson Hall Opera House IN GARDINER.
The cast size can be anywhere from a minimum of 8 to a maximum of 14, with parts for male and female actors fairly distributed. Auditions will include readings from the script and a discussion about the rehearsal schedule.
PERFORMANCE DATES: March 28th at 7:00 p.m. and March 29th at 2:00 p.m.
If you have any questions, feel free to private message or email openbookplayers@gmail.com. Join us if you can and do help us to spread the word!

ATTENTION ALL…Details of our upcoming auditions and performance dates for “The Laramie Project” by Moises Kaufman and the member of Tectonic Theater Project will be posted on February 1st…look for it! And feel free to help us spread the word!

Audition and performance information for the next Open Book Players production will be posted in a few days…look for it!

AS WE APPROACH THE END OF 2025, ON BEHALF OF MYSELF AND THE ENTIRE OPEN BOOK PLAYERS BOARD, I WOULD LIKE TO THANK ALL THOSE WHO DONATED TO OUR FUNDRAISER…WE HAVE EXCEEDED OUR GOAL OF $1,000.00! WE SO APPRECIATE YOUR SUPPORT AND ENCOURAGEMENT! LOOK FOR INFORMATION ON OUR NEXT PRODUCTION TO BE POSTED AFTER THE HOLIDAYS…IN THE MEANTIME, FROM OUR OBP FAMILY TO YOURS, HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

We are now a bit over 90% of our fundraising goal!! Thanks to all who already contributed and the formal Thank You note will be in the mail by the end of the week. We have just about two weeks more to meet our goal of $1,000, so if you are able to contribute and support Open Book Players, please see the attached forms for more information. As Artistic Director of OBP, I am so grateful to everyone, especially to my Board members, and to anyone who has ever participated in our productions or who have been members of the audiences. Thank you from the bottom of my heart…and Happy Holidays to all of you!!!

We are only $325.00 away from meeting our goal of $1,000. If you are able to help us successfully reach our goal, it would be greatly appreciated. This will help us to meet our financial responsibilities regarding the performance space rental and royalties for our next production this spring. We are a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization so your donation is tax deductible. Hoping to meet our deadline of December 31st! Thanks to all who have already donated…a formal Thank You note will arrive soon!

UPDATE…First of all, on behalf of the Open Book Players Board, I am hoping that you had a happy and healthy Thanksgiving shared with family and/or friends!
As regards our fundraising goal of $1,000, we are a bit higher than 1/2 way there! If you are able to help contribute to help us reach this goal, please check out the attached letter and sponsorship sheet that will provide you with this information. Remember that we are a 501(c)(3) not for profit organization which means your contribution is tax deductible. We are hoping to reach our goal by the end of December. Thanks to all who already contributed and hopefully we will hear from some of you in the near future. Please share and help us spread the word.

Dear Friends of Open Book Players…As we continue to celebrate our 30th year of offering a variety of performances and programs using our staged readers theatre format, it appears that we must now seek financial support above our usual box office proceeds. Our overhead is very low and our organization is completely run by volunteers, but our operating expenses have increased beyond our control. I am attaching my letter and the sponsorship form that describes our various levels of involvement which includes that of membership recognition or commercial ads, both added to our programs and advertising. Our goal is modest…to raise at least $1,000 before the end of the year. We are a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization which would make your donation tax deductible.
Thank you for your consideration and do feel free to share this information. As Artistic Director of Open Book Players, I am very proud of what we have done over the past 30 years, and with your help, we can continue to do so…Lucy