Event

The Laramie Project

In October 1998, Matthew Shepard, age 21, was brutally beaten and left to die on the plains outside Laramie, Wyoming. Because he was gay. Over the next year, Moisés Kaufman and a team of writers and actors from Tectonic took six trips to Laramie, where they interviewed citizens of the town some unconnected with the tragedy, and some intimately involved. Using Moment Work, the company created The Laramie Project, a stunning theatrical examination of the immediate reactions of Matt Shepards community to the murder and to the underlying bigotry and hatred that enabled it. The Laramie Project has since been seen by over 30 million people around the world.

The Laramie Project is the first of a two-play cycle, which includes The Laramie Project: Ten Years Later. There is an emerging trend in theaters to produce both plays in repertory, which reflects a powerful response to a world where facts are plastic, where acceptance is despised. To witness Laramie in the rawness of its shaken self-confidence and the desperation of its historical reconstruction, is to be warned. Hate did happen there. Hate can happen anywhere. We must guard against it. When it happens, we must not deny, or forget, or revise. The people of Laramie are our teachers.

Audiences should be advised that they will encounter challenging language at several points in the evening. This includes some graphic descriptions and homophobic language that would not be acceptable in a non-theatrical setting. Attendees younger than high school age must be accompanied by an adult.

A post-show talkback will accompany all shows except Saturday matinees. We invite you to join the conversation.