The act was a savage emblem of hatred: On October 12, 1998, 21-year-old Matthew Shepard was murdered in Laramie, Wyoming, simply because he was gay. Within a month, award-winning playwright Moises Kaufman and nine members of his theater company traveled to Laramie. Their intent was to explore a crime and a town. In the next 18 months, they conducted more than 200 interviews with the people of Laramie. The drama that they created from these encounters is neither accusation nor apology: The 60 Laramie citizens portrayed in the play come alive as individuals residing in a highly charged aftermath. ~ Barnes & Noble
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Moises Kaufman and his Tectonic Theater Project have written a play documenting the aftermath of the savage killing of Matthew Shepard, including the perspectives of both friends and strangers: The Laramie Project. This innovative theatrical composition, structured not in scenes, but in "moments," addresses the various issues relating to the tragedy of Shepard, a young gay man whose murder has since become a symbol for America's struggle against intolerance. Kaufman's approach is actor-based, as opposed to text-based; a side-effect of this actor-based approach is that in print form it seems as though something is missing. However, the play promises to move the reader with its authentic portrayal of a small town facing a terrifying event. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information. ~ Publishers Weekly
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The savage murder of gay college student Matthew Shepard in October 1998 left deep wounds in the psyche of Laramie, WY, and in that of our entire nation. Soon after Matthew's death, Kaufman and members of his Tectonic Theater Project (also responsible for the highly acclaimed Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde) made a series of visits to Laramie over an 18-month period, conducting hundreds of face-to-face interviews with the town's citizens in order to create this piece. The words and voices of these people, including the college student who first discovered Matthew's broken body, Matthew's friends, teachers, the two young men responsible for his death, and Matthew's father, make this a deeply moving and brutally realistic dramatic experience. This true story of hate, fear, hope, and courage touched and changed many lives and will do so for everyone who reads or watches a performance of this theatrical masterpiece. ~ Library Journal
