In October of 1998, Matthew Shepard, a gay, University of Wyoming student was bound to a fence, brutally beaten into a coma, and left tethered to the fence in the cold winter. As news of this tragedy shook the world to its core, Shepard died days later from his injuries. Although the death of Matthew Shepard was crushing, his story would later inspire many audiences and activists around the world. Even though Matthew Shepard is no longer with us, his legacy continues to live on.
The Laramie Project is a big part of said legacy. When the events that occurred in 1998 were publicized, a theater company named the Tectonic Theater Company went to Laramie, Wyoming to interview citizens of Laramie. Some of these citizens were deeply involved in the story and others unconnected to it. Tectonic used the interviews and recordings they collected while researching this event to create a play called The Laramie Project with the theatrical style they pioneered called “Moment Work”. This play expanded on the story of Matthew Shepard and challenged the world to not ignore the cruelty that people of the LGBTQ+ community face.
The Laramie Project’s importance carries over decades. This can be seen today in the youth of the US. At Ben Franklin High School in New Orleans, having a voice is encouraged. So when news of the “Don’t Say Gay Bill” was publicized, Franklin students felt inclined to speak up about the bill because it seemed unfair and unjust to LGBTQ+ students at their school and all over the US. Although this bill directly affected the students of Florida, Franklin students still protested as the bill could possibly be passed anywhere in the US. They staged a walkout during school hours with the full support of teachers, faculty, and staff members. The Laramie Project was chosen by the Theater team at Ben Franklin because of how much it resonates with the students and community.
Pieces of art like this can be powerful as they can inspire and motivate people in many ways. Grayson Swearingen, a Senior at Ben Franklin and the stage manager of The Laramie Project at Franklin said “I identify as a member of the LGBTQ+ community. [The Laramie Project] personally relates to me because it's a major piece of queer history and as a gay man, it's nice to be able to share that with others and see the progress that has come out of it. It’s still relevant because you still hear stories like it a lot nowadays… I think the play can serve as a reminder to keep fighting for stuff because even though it was so long ago you can still find relatability in it. You see those characters and… you hear the stories of what happened to Matthew and you can relate that to a story you heard that happened a month ago.” The Laramie Project exists to bring awareness to hate crimes against LGBTQ+ individuals. Awareness of realities like this is what sparked the activism displayed at Ben Franklin. “There was one scene where one of the Laramie residents was talking about how nothing came out of the situation and [on the projector] we had the walk out that we had last year playing.”
Although the event that occurred in October of 1998 was an act of needless violence, Matthew Shepard’s legacy lives on through the Laramie Project to captivate audiences and encourage others to fight against hate and cruelty to members of the LGBTQ+ community. The Laramie Project has inherent historical value because “there's plays about history like Hamilton and there's plays about other groups in history. [The Laramie Project] is a play based on queer history.”
Scholastic Award Winner
Silver Key in Journalism
“Mandell’s piece was a story within a story, within a story. He not only covered our school’s theater production of Moisés Kaufman’s The Laramie Project, he also researched the original story of Mathew Sheppard, as well as the ever-changing journey of LGBTQ+ rights in America. He weaved all of those topics into a seamless piece of journalism.”
— Rebecca Cavalier, faculty sponsor