The Laramie Project
by Moises Kaufman and the members of the Tectonic Theatre Project
In the fall of 1998, a twenty-one year old University of Wyoming student, Matthew Shepard, was kidnapped, robbed, severely beaten, tied to a fence and left to die by two Laramie residents. The brutal murder, partially committed because Shepard was openly gay, shocked the world. The members of the Tectonic Theatre project travelled to Laramie a few month after Shepard’s death to interview the people affected by Shepard’s murder. They believed in the possibility and the hope that theatre could help the world to understand what happened to Matthew Shepard.
The play is a deeply moving theatrical experience based on these interviews. Using the voices of the people of Laramie, it tells the story of the real people who were affected by and lived at the epicenter of this horrible hate crime.
The Laramie Project is one of the most important – and most produced – plays in the United States. It’s a delicate but poignant exploration of the circumstances and a particular moment in time. The result is a phenomenally powerful theatrical work, educational experience, and piece of political activism.
“It insists that we keep asking questions of events, of our understanding of them (then and now), and of ourselves. But the power of theater does provide a sanctuary of consideration.” – The Denver Post, October, 2023.
The Laramie Project Cast List
| Mads Barry | Rebecca Hilliker, Trish Steger, Newsperson, Lucy Thompson, Jeffrey Lockwood |
| Colson Beebe | Father Roger Schmit, Dr. Cantway, Matt Mickelson, Bailiff |
| Callen Beggins | Doc O’Connor, Fred Phelps, Cal Rerucha |
| Maya Cloutier | Leigh Fondakowski, Catherine Connolly |
| Elora Doran | Rulon Stacey, Phil Labrie, Juror, Moisés Kaufman |
| Hadessah Haggard | Marge Murray, Shannon, Kristen Price, Amanda Gronich, Jury Foreperson |
| Jameson Hall | Greg Pierotti, Sgt. Hing, Bailiff |
| Brayden Hively | Juror, Newsperson, Russell Henderson, Andy Paris |
| Dionysus Hubert | Matt Galloway, Judge, Doug Laws |
| Abby Kotaska | Aaron Kreifels, Priest at Funeral, Newsperson |
| Grant McIntosh | Jonas Slonaker, Email Sender, Harry Woods, Dennis Shepard |
| Charlie Moses | Jedediah Schultz, Jon Peacock, Kerry Drake |
| Audrey Odewald | Alison Mears, Barbara Pitts, Juror, Tiffany Edwards, Jen |
| Dani Romick | Zubaida Ula, Sherry Aanenson |
| McKenna Sinclair | Romaine Patterson, Zackie Salmon |
| Gabe Teller | Rob Debree, Phillip Dubois, Murdock Cooper, Baptist Minister, Shadow |
| Micah Von Feldt | Stephen Belber, Stephen Mead Johnson, Aaron McKinney, Bill McKinney |
| Sophie Worek | Reggie Fluty, Waitress, April Silva, Wife, Eileen Engen |