The murder of Matthew Shepherd led many Americans to search their feelings about homosexuality and the gay men and women in our midst. But this play (written in "moments" instead of acts or scenes) shows us how mundane and banal anti-gay violence can be. The two young men who murdered Shepherd were not the monsters we would like them to be - instead they were young, desperate, and stupid.

Kaufman and the Tectonic Theater Project want to capture the soul of Laramie, Wyoming, and by interviewing various townspeople, we get a sense that there is nothing unusual about the town that would cause its children to commit hate crimes. The same underlying homophobia can probably be found in most high schools in our country. The strong majority has a tendency to victimize the weak, different minority. The audience gets a sense that Shepherd was in the wrong place at the wrong time, but to make his death meaningful, we need to better understand ourselves and better love each other. ( )

I had to read this play for my Playscript Analysis class in college and it was one of the best plays we read the entire semester. From start to finish, The Laramie Project is a gripping, entertaining read that makes you think deeply, tugs at your heartstrings, and stretches the bounds of what you can do in a modern piece of theatre.

The Laramie Project tells the story of how the small town of Laramie, Wyoming reacts to the brutal murder of Matthew Sheppard in 1998. It's a really difficult read about the impact a hate crime can have on a small community. Folks often feel as though it "could never happen here" up until the moment it does and they're forced to take an introspective look at themselves and their community and how they possibly could have allowed for such a tragedy to occur.

The Laramie Project offers a surprisingly sympathetic look at the town. It would have been very easy for Kaufman and the other members of the Tectonic Theater Project to have painted the residents of Laramie as a bunch of bigots, but they don't do that. They show the residents as they are, warts and all, but also grant them a light of sympathy. Many of them harbor no ill-feelings towards LGBT people and are utterly appalled that such a hate crime could've taken place in their midst.

It's a really fascinating look into how tragedies can impact the lives of more than just the immediate family of the victims. It's a hard read and will likely make you emotional, so do be prepared for that. But, all in all, it's a really good one and you'll be a better person after having read the play. ( )

I have to say that I have not read a play in a long time. I think it has been since I was in graduate school for my English studies graduate work. This play is coming to our town, and I wanted to read it before I went to see the performance. I am glad I did. The play covers the event of Matthew Shepard's murder in Laramie, Wyoming in 1999. But the play is not about the murder itself. It is more about the townspeople and how they responded to the play. It is about how bigotry and ignorance live in a town even when the town prides itself on a "live and let live" attitude. That attitude often boils down to "if you do not tell me you are gay, I will not have to beat the crap out of you." Not exactly very tolerant, charitable, or "live and let live." This play has great moments where you see the evils that people are capable of, but it also has great moments where you see the compassion that people can be capable of.

The play is set up as a series of interviews by the theater company at the town of Laramie. They basically went there and talked to the people. Some people were more willing to talk than others. It is a minimalist play in the sense that it is made for an intimate theater space, the kind of small theater where the audience can be close to the actors. There are little props, and the actors play multiple roles because in the end, it is about suggesting a scene, not recreating it. In the end, it is the words and the response that matter. The space not so much, and this is so because, when it comes down to it, this is not just a play about LGBT issues. It is a play about every town in the United States. It is a play about every community that says, "it could never happen here," only to find out that, not only it can and does happen, but the evils of ignorance and bigotry emerge with ease. It is a play that will make some think about the values they teach their children, and it is a play that will make people think and look at themselves, then look at their communities. It is about us.

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Seems there is no end to man’s inhumanity to his fellow man. I remember reading about his when it happened and everyone I encountered, that had read about it, or had seen the report on TV news…speechless and horrified. The book is a quick read and very well presented. I read a lot of horror and graphic murder books but this one was so much worse because it was real>. One thing that impressed me about it was that the author didn’t take sides, thus leaving the reader to make up their own mind…but I can’t image even the most staunchly homophobic individual not finding something terribly wrong or being able to make a case to justify what happened here. Just a side note…this is also on DVD. ( )

I love docudrama; it does what I think theatre should do, which is examine the context of our lives. This work, both personal and political, based on interviews with the townspeople in the place where Matthew Shepard was the victim of a homophobic murder, does just that. ( )