Eleven years ago, Matthew Shepard, a homosexual man in Laramie, Wyoming, was tied to a fence and beaten to death. Shepard’s murder was a shocking revelation of hate crimes against homosexuals. This exposure of a violent hate crime resulted in several reactionary projects, including the landmark production, the Laramie Project. On Oct. 12, 2009, the Tectonic Theater Project debuted its epilogue to the Laramie Project.
In 1998, the Tectonic Theater Project, a New York-based theater company, began writing the Laramie Project as an experimental venture. The play was based on the torture and murder of Matthew Shepard on Oct. 6, 1998. In November of that year, the Tectonic Theater Project traveled to Laramie under the direction of founder Moises Kaufman to interview members of the community about their reactions to the murder. What began as experimental playwriting soon had its first showing as a complete play in several cities across the United States. Over the years, the play has been performed in theaters, schools, and colleges across the nation and it is widely considered a defining work of art for its depictions of intolerance and homophobia.
“The Laramie Project: 10 Years Later”, is a follow-up to the original production. It includes new interviews of the citizens of Laramie as well as an interview with Matthew Shepard’s murderer. Kaufman created “The Laramie Project: 10 Years Later” to examine changes in American cultural attitudes toward homosexuality.
According to Pamela Schneider, publisher of The Vital Voice, St. Louis’ only LGBT newspaper, the project hasn’t created a significant change in beliefs.
“I wouldn’t say attitudes have changed as a result of the project,” Schneider said. “It has helped by exposing this type of behavior [violent discrimination] in a very public way and that is likely an eye opener for many.”
Schneider said that although the murder of Shepard was widely publicized through the play, it is a single event in a regular sequence of hostility against homosexuals.
“Even though people were shocked by what happened in Wyoming, that kind of discrimination and ‘hatred’ occurs throughout the entire US,” Schneider said. “The crimes against another may not have as harsh an outcome but they occur every day to people others define as ‘different from them’.”
Although theater has been shown to be an effective medium in communicating messages to a wide range of audiences, Schneider said that other means of promoting diversity and tolerance could be more effective.
“For years Oct. 11 has been considered National Coming Out Day,” Schneider said. “The very act of ‘coming out’ is one that can change not only one person’s life but a community as well. When people live their lives in an open way, not hiding who they are, others in their circle will find it hard to discriminate because they would be discriminating against ‘you’.”
Events such as National Coming Out Day have changed mindsets toward gay marriage over time, but more gradually in some parts of the country than others. The public often views homosexuality as a legal issue in terms of gay marriage or broader gay rights instead of as a difference between individuals to be accepted.
“The Midwest always lags behind the east and west coast, but there have been some significant changes – gay marriage in Iowa for example,” said CHS art teacher Christina Vodicka, who previously sponsored the GSA (Gay-Straight Alliance). “In 1998 when Matthew Shepard was killed, gay marriage was just becoming a blip on the public radar and focused more on constitutional bans to prevent it.”
Exposing a variety of sexual orientations through commonly available modern media has in some ways helped to create a more accepting general public. However, according to Vodicka, people should be careful in their judgements and beliefs about homosexuality that are taken exclusively from mass media.
“I think almost any medium can be effective in creating acceptance as long as the message is clear, honest, and doesn’t rely on fear or stereotypes,” Vodicka said. “I guess an example would be the increase of gay characters on TV sitcoms over the past several years.”
According to Schneider, public discussion and exposure of controversial issues is a beneficial way to tackle problems.

“Hopefully we have moved a little closer to acceptance of people and more will work toward ending all forms of discrimination,” Schneider said. “As people share of themselves, others will see themselves in the sharing and hopefully change.”
The CHS theater department has never produced the Laramie Project. However, Vodicka believes the reactions to the Laramie Project would be original and varied if it were produced at CHS, partly due to the age group of the student audience, most of whom are too young to remember the murder and original play. She said the success of showing the play at CHS will depend largely on the diversity and number of students involved.
“I think it would be best done as a team effort by several groups,” Vodicka said. “If only the GSA puts it on, then only a certain sector of students really pays attention. If the point is to reach as broad an audience as possible, then it should be the effort or several different groups. It’s too much work to end up preaching to the choir.”