The Laramie Project, Ten Years Later

How does a community change more than a decade after one of the most brutal LGBT hate crimes ever committed in the United States?  Specifically, how has the murder of Matthew Shepard, which drew nationwide attention in 1998 and became a catalyst in the debate over hate crimes and sexual orientation, impacted Laramie, Wyoming in the past eleven years?

The writers behind The Laramie Project are looking to answer those questions, by adding an 80-minute epilogue to the original play which will include commentary based on more than a dozen interviews with Laramie residents, focused on how Matthew Shepard's murder has changed (or in some cases, not changed) their community and their own lives.

Moisés Kaufman, who wrote and produced the original Laramie Project with the Tectonic Theater Project, told the New York Times earlier this month that the epilogue hopes to answer the question of whether extreme acts of violence within a community, like that which was done to Matthew Shepard, have any measureable effects on the local population.  “We wanted to see what occurs in a small town in the long run when it’s been subject to such a devastating event,” said Kaufman.  “What has been the long-lasting effect of this watershed moment? Is the fallout of these events positive, negative or perhaps a better question, is it measurable in those terms?”

Without giving anything away, the writers behind the new epilogue say that what they found in looking back at Laramie was a community that is still trying to figure out its place within LGBT history, and figuring out how to come to terms with Shepard's murder.

"We found the people of Laramie still fighting to own their own history, their own identity, their own story, and part of that is shaped by how they understand what happened that night to Matthew," said Leigh Fondakowski, one of the writers behind the new epilogue.

Adding even more intrigue, the writers were able to speak to one of the perpetrators behind Matthew Shepard's killing, Aaron McKinney, who is now serving two consecutive life sentences in prison for the role he played in Shepard's murder.  Controversial?  Yes.  Writers of the epilogue won't reveal what McKinney had to say, but mention that McKinney's commentary will likely defy expectations.

The goal now is to get theaters to sign on for a multi-city simultaneous performance.  Writers are hoping that 100 regional theaters will line up to perform The Laramie Project on October 12, which will mark the 11th anniversary of Matthew Shepard's death.  So far, at least 40 theaters have committed.

An online community forum has been set up, as well, and features a trailer for the epilogue with video of the interviews that writers conducted in Laramie.  From hearing one resident say that Matthew Shepard's murder was the "first time I realized what a hate crimes was," to hearing another resident articulate that the state of Wyoming hasn't responded adequately to Shepard's death, it's clear that there are many feelings about how Matthew Shepard's death changed the residents of Laramie, both on an individual and community level.  Check out the trailer below, and the Web site for more info.