Etobicoke actor explores dark side in 'The Laramie Project'.
Etobicoke native Alissa DeGrazia stars in The Laramie Project, on now at The Toronto Centre for the Arts until Feb. 5.
Courtesy photo
Comedic actor Alissa DeGrazia is putting her humour aside to tackle a darker role in her current play, "The Laramie Project".
The Etobicoke-native is one of eight actors performing a play based on the real-life murder of gay student Matthew Shepard in 1998.
Shepard was from Laramie, Wyoming and the play is based on a compilation of over 200 interviews with residents of the small town, related to homosexuality, and how Shepard's murder impacted the community.
The cast is made up of eight actors who play over 60 characters.
All the characters in the play are based on real people who were directly involved or affected by Shepard's murder.
DeGrazia, who is also a writer and filmmaker, graduated from Bishop Allen Academy and the Acting for Film and Television program at Humber College.
DeGrazia has several films and television productions under her belt and tours with the Italian-Canadian comedy troupe The Rosina Parmiggiano Show.
The current production is presented by Encore Entertainment, a Toronto-based not-for-profit theatre company.
The play runs until Sunday, Feb. 5 at the Toronto Centre for the Arts, 5040 Yonge St. at 7:30 p.m. with a 1:30 p.m. matinee show on Sunday.
Each show is followed by a question and answer session with the cast of the play.
Tickets can be purchased at www.encoreshows.com or at the box office.