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This was the first project that I completed
for Henderson State University's Theatre
Department. I actually tried out for the play, but couldn't
be cast because I wasn't a student. Instead, the director
asked me to design the poster. I was pretty much given carte blanche to do what I wanted with the design. I was given a script, a deadline, and an invitation to attend rehearsals whenever I wanted. Laramie Project deals with the events surrounding the murder of Wyoming youth Matthew Shephard, a young gay man who was beaten and left to die, tied to a fence. With such gruesome subject matter (not to mention the fact that the playscript is taken from actual interviews conducted with residents of Matthew's hometown, the production, as well as the poster, were treated with utmost respect. For my part, I wanted to create a design that was simple and iconic - something that would stick with you after you left the theatre. There's a line in the play that describes the sky in Wyoming as being a shade of blue "you could never paint." I chose to silhouette the shape of a buck fence (it was actually taken from a photo of a fence in Laramie, Wyoming not far from where Matthew died) against a vivid sunset gradient. A serene, beautiful landscape to the casual viewer, hiding memories of violence and sadness to those that know the story. |