The Laramie Project
By Moises Kauffman and Members of the Tectonic Theatre Project
Directed by Mickey Handwerger
With Shannon Benil, Jim Gallagher, Ron Giddings, Maud Gleason, Dianne Hood, Eric Lund, Clark Madden, Richard McGraw, CeCe Newbrough, Heather Quinn Niji Ramunas, Kathleen Ruttum

On October 7, 1998, a young gay man was discovered bound to a fence in the hills outside Laramie Wyoming, savagely beaten and left to die in an act of brutality and hate that shocked the nation. Matthew Shepard's death became a national symbol of intolerance, but for the people of Laramie the event became deeply personal, and it is their voices we hear in this stunningly effective theater piece.

Moisés Kaufman and fellow members of the Tectonic Theater Project made six trips to Laramie over the course of a year and a half in the aftermath of the beating and conducted more than 200 interviews with people of the town. From theses interviews as well as their own experiences, Kaufman and the Tectonic Theater members have constructed a deeply moving theatrical experience. The Laramie Project chronicles the life of the town of Laramie in the year after the murder, using twelve actors to embody more than sixty different people in their own words - from rural ranchers to university professors. The result is a complex portrayal that dispels the simplistic media stereotypes and explores the depths to which humanity can sink and the heights of compassion of which we are capable.

Director's Notes

In a recent speech to the Texas House of Delegates in regard to a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage in that state, representative Senfronia Thompson said, “This bill is about hate and fear and discrimination…..We have worked hard at putting our prejudices against homosexuals in law. We have denied them basic job protections. We have denied them and their children freedom from bullying and harassment at school. We have tried to criminalize their very existence. That's disgusting.” All of this despite the fact that “nearly every one has a homosexual in their extended families.”

Since the death of Matthew Shepard in Laramie, Wyoming, that state and many others have still NOT passed a single law regarding hate crimes against gays and lesbians. Rather, states across the country, just like Texas, seek to make homosexuals second-class citizens by denying them equal protection and equal basic human rights under the law. Dignity Players was created here at the UUCA to spread the word of acceptance, tolerance, and dignity for all people. Through theatre, it hopes to inspire members of the church and community to action. So, let this play and the story of this horrific crime stand as message to everyone…..in the words of Rob Debree, Sergeant in the Laramie Police Department, “ We’re not gonna put up with it, and we’re not going to listen to it. And if they don’t like our views on it, fine. The door goes both ways.” The time to act is NOW!