A Note from the director
There is no way to write here with eloquence, when compared with the tremendous eloquence found in this play -- found in the words of the ordinary (and occasionally extra-ordinary) people in Laramie, Wyoming in late 1998, and 1999.
What I can say is we continue to grow as humans if we keep our ears and our hearts open to the lessons the World presents to us every day. And the 60+ characters in Laramie, in contemplating the tragic circumstances of Matthew Shepard's murder, ask themselves, and us, what it means to be part of a community.
There’s much we can learn from their journey.
This play is not just a history lesson; while we retell Matthew's story, we also offer up some hard truths, including that the more things change, the more they stay the same. Injustice, ignorance, and hate persist – and have lead to violence, time and again, throughout history. The work supporting and protecting our LGBTQ+ family and friends is not done -- and we must stay engaged, and speak up.
We support and honor all people, and notably the young people living with and all around us, who simply wish to discover who they are and live their truth, and who deserve, as all persons do, love and acceptance.
~ Janet Quartarone,
Director
May, 2023
Who’s who in the cast
Jim Boss - Tectonic company member Stephen Belber, Doc O’Conner, Matt Galloway, Anonymous Friends of Aaron Mckinney, Bill McKinney, Fred Phelps, Mormon Spiritual Advisor, Conrad Miller, Judge, Ensemble
Tia Brown - Tectonic company member Barbara Pitts, Catherine Connolly, April Silva, Zubaida Ula, Sherry Aenonson, Lucy Thompson, Eileen Engen, Ensemble
Stan Cahill- Tectonic company member Moisés Kaufman, Philip Dubois, Stephen Mead Johnson, Father Rodger Schmitt, Murdock Cooper, Jon Peacock, Dennis Shepard, Harry Woods, Ensemble
Lyndsey Rose Harper- Tectonic company member Amanda Gronich, Eileen Engen, Marge Murray, Babtist Minister, Trish Steger, Newsperson, Ensemble
Jae Hoff - Narrator
Katherine Kahrs - Reggie Fluty, Rebecca Hilliker, Watress, Newsperson, Ensemble,
MaryAlice Rubins-Topoleski - Tectonic company member Leigh Fondakowski, Zackie Salmon, Alison Sears, Romaine Patterson, Aaron Kreifels, Tiffany Edwards, Ensemble
Ryan Voss - Tectonic company member Greg Pierotti, Sgt. Hing, Phil LaBrie, Rulon Stacey, Andrew Gomez, Detective Sgt. Rob DeBree, Jonas Slonaker, Russel Henderson, Ensemble
Shan WIlliams - Tectonic company member Andy Paris, Jedadiah Schultz, Doug Laws, Dr. Cantway, Matt Mickelson, Shadow, Aaron McKinney, Philip Dubois, Kerry Drake, Ensemble
our team…
JANET QUARTARONE (she/her)
Director/Producer
Janet is an actor and a director who also serves as Executive Director on the Shakespeare ‘70’s Executive Committee, and is a member of Shakespeare ‘70’s Artistic Committee. She has directed several productions with Shakespeare ‘70 including The Antipodes, Murder Most Foul, The Doctor’s Dilemma, The Winter’s Tale, and Circle Mirror Transformation. At The Collage of New Jersey she has directed HA Fever, Stop Kiss, The Importance of Being Ernest and Metamorphoses.
Janet is an alum of The College of New Jersey. She studied with Uta Hagen’s protégé, Carol Rosenfeld, at HB Studio. She is a member of AEA & SAG-AFTRA, and is a Simulator, V.P., and Director of Marketing with SIMULATIONS, Inc.
JIM BOSS (he/him)
Actor
Jim is a frequent company member of Shakespeare 70. Recent credits with them include Danny M2 in The Antipodes, Tupolski in The Pillowman, and Proteus in The Teo Gentlemen of Verona. Thanks to Janet and the cast for their guidance and hard work. Tell someone you love them today.
CARI BROWN (she/her)
Producer
Cari is a teaching artist, musician and composer. She earned a B.A. from Penn State and an MA from NYU. For the past 19 years, she has worked in school settings teaching music and performing arts to students in grades K-12. She is the owner and program director of Ladybugarts.com.
TIA BROWN (she/they)
Actor
Tia is a proud NJ Governor’s Educator of the Year, co-founder & organizer of Lawrence Pride Alliance, and theatrical performer who has performed with various theatrical production companies throughout central New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. They recently appeared in the 50th anniversary revival of RAISIN executively produced and consulted by Phylicia Rashad and starring Broadway’s own Fredi Walker-Browne from RENT!. Favorite credits include St. Jimmy in Green Day’s American Idiot (2019 Kelsey Award Nominee for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Musical. Bombalurina in Cats (2015 Kelsey Award Nominee for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Musical), Simon in Jesus Christ Superstar (2015 Kelsey Award nominee for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Musical) and Nurse in A Kid Like Jake (2022 BroadwayWorld Philadelphia Awards Nominee-Best Supporting Performer in a Play). They have also appeared in staged readings in New York City (The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told at Chelsea Studios, Auditions at Times Square Arts Center), and a Nickelodeon commercial with her grandfather, Tuskegee Airman, Captain/Dr. Roscoe C. Brown Jr. in honor of Black History Month in 1999 directed by Spike Lee’s wife, Tonya Lewis Lee.
STAN CAHILL (he/him)
Actor
Stan is a professional actor, director and arts educator. He has traveled extensively as a teaching artist and director, most recently developing and implementing performing arts programs in Haiti and Ethiopia. He continues to work as a theatre artist while also teaching at many of the country's leading secondary schools, colleges and universities. Stan earned his MFA from the prestigious Graduate Acting Program at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts and completed a course of study at the Moscow Art Theatre. He also earned accolades for two BBC/NPR productions, Footprints to Paradise and The Night Before Christmas, radio plays that gave young performers the opportunity to work alongside seasoned professionals.
Credits: NY Off Broadway: As You Like It (New York Shakespeare Festival), Rapture Two-Step (West Bank Theatre). Regional: Romeo and Juliet (Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival), A Few Good Men (Westport Country Playhouse), The Misanthrope (Philadelphia Theatre Guild). Los Angeles: 92 Days, Locked Up Down Shorty’s (Powerhouse Theatre). Film: Pearl Harbor, A Thousand Acres. Television: NYPD Blue, Judging Amy, Frank Leaves for the Orient, JFK: Reckless Youth. Director: No Other Gods: A Passion (World Premiere, Concord NH); 12 Incompetent Men (UK Premiere, Edinburgh); Passion Fruit (World Premiere, Edinburgh); Markus/Passion (Washington National Cathedral); Footprints to Heaven, The Night Before Christmas (BBC Radio). MFA: New York University Graduate Acting Program; BFA: University of Detroit; Certificate: Moscow Art Theatre.
LYNDSEY ROSE HARPER (she/her)
Actor
Lyndsey has enjoyed acting and theater for what seems like forever. Previous show credits include Two Gentlemen of Verona, The Laramie Project, Our Town, Fiddler On The Roof, Inspecting Carol, Antigone, Working, and more. Film credits include The Yellow Wallpaper. In addition to acting, Lyndsey serves as the Secretary of the NJACT board in support of NJ community theater state-wide. When she isn’t acting, she’s typically writing speculative thriller fiction (available on Amazon); being a mom to the most awesome kid on the planet, Chloe; creating digital art and social media content; and consuming too much cold brew. She'd like to thank Janet and Katie for the humbling opportunity to make a third trip to Laramie, and hopes that her small contribution has a meaningful impact on the community, especially to those who feel ostracized for simply existing as their authentic selves. You are seen, and you are loved!
JAE HOFF (they/them)
Narrator
Jae is Hunterdon county born and raised. Jae is the co-founder of Flemington QTs.
KATHERINE KAHRS (she/her)
Producer/Actor
Katherine is a storyteller, performer, writer, producer and educator.. NY theater credits include Singer Girl in Prohibition Blues (Primary Stages), Elizabeth in The Doctor and the Devils (Ensemble Studio Theater), Rosalind in As You Like it (The Innwood Shakespeare Company), Ensemble member in The Doctor and the Devils (FringeNYC), Bonnie in Hurlyburly (Snapped Productions), Andromache in Trojan Women 2.0 (Michael Howard Studios), and Olivia in Twelfth Night (Larry Singer Studios). Her TV/Film credits include Guiding Light (NBC), I Killed my BFF (Lifetime), The Post Show (Turner Broadcasting /SuperDelux.com) and on numerous independent films. Katherine has produced several award-winning indie films. 79 Parts, directed by Ari Taub, won the Audience Award for Best Film at the Soho International Film Festival. Her screenplays have won awards at both national and international film festivals. She most recently wrote and co-directed her short screenplay, A Grave Disturbance (awarded best Dark Dramatic Script at Oregon Short Film Festival . Katherine is the founder of Owl-Light Theater Company and co-founder of Rag and Bone Theater Company. She holds a BA in Theater Arts at Drew University and has attended acting conservatories at The British American Drama Academy (UK) and Michael Howard Studios (NYC).
MARYALICE RUBINS-TOPOLESKI (she/they)
Actor
MaryAlice has had a successful theatrical career spanning over 30 years as an actor, director, choreographer, set designer, producer, and everything in between within the NJ/NY/PA area. Some recent credits include: Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley (Lizzy). Perfect Arrangement (Norma), The Crimes of Diana Eastlake (Molly), Is He Dead? (Marie), Five Women Wearing the Same Dress (Trisha), Twelfth Night (Sebastian), Julius Caesar (Octavius), A Midsummer Night's Dream (Helena), Circle Mirror Transformation (Theresa), and Wildest Dreams (Marcie). Recent directorial credits include: The Dover Road, Perfect Arrangement, Dear Brutus, An Ideal Husband, and The Importance of Being Earnest with ActorsNET, and Becky Shaw with Langhorne Players. Maryalice graduated from Kean University with a B.A. in Communication and Theater and is a member of Alpha Psi Omega. She currently resides as the ActorsNET Board President and will be transitioning to Executive Artistic Director next season.
RYAN VOSS (he/him)
Actor
Ryan is a voice actor born and raised in NJ. He started his own voice-over business in 2019 and has done work for tech companies, beauty brands and more. When not talking to a microphone, he can be seen performing with various bands. is a voice actor born and raised in NJ. He started his own voice-over business in 2019 and has done work for tech companies, beauty brands and more. When not talking to a microphone, he can be seen performing with various bands.
SHAN WILLIAMS (he/him)
Actor
Shan is happy to return to Laramie previously performing with Shakespeare ‘70 last year. Favorite roles include Andre in Ain’t Misbehavin’ (Music Mountain Theatre), Victor in Smokey Joe’s Cafe (Somerset Valley Players) and Tom Robinson in To Kill a Mockingbird (Holmdel Theatre Company).
