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LGBTQ Resources - FC Library: The Laramie Project (Moisés Kaufman)

Cover

About the Author/Playwright

Teacher Resources

The Laramie Project
(text and documentary)

Author Interview Excerpt

Laramie Project Documentary Trailer

Book Reviews

School Library Journal:

This remarkable play takes the  form of a series of juxtaposed monologues, culled from hundreds of interviews that the  authors conducted with residents of Laramie , WY, after the  fatal beating of Matthew Shepard in 1998. Additional speeches are taken from journals the  authors kept while they were involved in this project . From these fragments, a powerful whole is created, giving readers and audiences a full and shimmering picture of a quiet town suddenly thrust into the  media spotlight and hastily branded as "backward." Shepard's friends are heard from, as are the  friends of his convicted killers. Masterfully woven together to breathtaking effect are statements from Laramie 's religious leaders–some of whom condemn the  murder, others of whom condemn the  victim. A thoughtful and moving theatrical tour de force.–Emily Lloyd, Fairfax County Public Library, VA --Emily Lloyd (Reviewed November 1 , 2001) (School Library Journal, vol 47, issue 11, p194)

Summary

On October 7, 1998, a young gay man was discovered bound to a fence in the hills outside Laramie, Wyoming, savagely beaten and left to die in an act of hate that shocked the nation. Matthew Shepard’s death became a national symbol of intolerance, but for the people of Laramie the event was deeply personal, and it’s they we hear in this stunningly effective theater piece, a deeply complex portrait of a community.

Read a few lines...

"Jedadiah Schultz: If you would have asked me before, I would have told you Laramie is a beautiful town, secluded enough that you can have your own identity. . . . A town with a strong sense of community--everyone knows everyone. . . . A town with a personality that most larger cities are stripped of. Now, after Matthew, I would say that Laramie is a town defined by an accident, a crime. We've become Waco, we've become Jasper. We're a noun, a definition, a sign. We may be able to get rid of that . . . but it will sure take a while."