WRVP Will Present Play About Murder of Matthew Shepard

This fall, the White River Valley Players will present "The Laramie Project," a docudrama written in the aftermath of the 1998 murder of Matthew Shepard in Laramie, Wyo. A 21-year-old student at the University of Wyoming, Shepard became the victim of a brutal hate crime because he was openly gay. The play opens October 12 in Rochester.

The writers, Moisés Kaufman and the members of Tectonic Theater Project of New York City, traveled to Laramie six times in the year and a half after the murder and conducted over 200 interviews with the people of Laramie, whose lives were deeply affected by this tragedy. The town of Laramie was seen as an example of how homophobia and hate can result in the loss of an innocent life, with far reaching effects around the world.

Shepard was majoring in foreign languages and political science at the University of Wyoming, and as his faculty adviser says in the play, he "was definitely headed for a career in human rights." Shepard was also active in the GLBT (Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Trans-gender) organization on campus and was dedicated to the cause of abolishing prejudice.

On the night of October 7, 1998, Shepard was tricked into accepting a ride from two young men from Laramie, who pretended to be gay. They repeatedly beat him and later tied him to a fence on the outskirts of Laramie, where he was discovered 18 hours later in a coma, from which he never recovered. This event is not seen in the play but is described and talked about by a variety of people, including college professors, police, hospital staff, clergy, business people, ranchers, and students, some of them Matthew’s friends.

Many in Laramie were deeply affected by this tragedy and the barrage of reporters and TV cameras. It is their voices that are heard in this serious play, filled with interesting and colorful characters, some somber and even some humorous, as they each speak of their involvement with this event and reveal their attitudes toward homosexuality.

Originally performed with the eight members of Tectonic Theater Project playing all 60 roles, the White River Valley Players’ production of "The Laramie Project" will divide these many roles among 28 local actors.

The play is directed by Peggy Mays and produced by Robert Melik Finkle. The production team also includes Kristi Tate, stage manager and assistant to the director; Richard Wylie Robson, set designer; Robert Meagher, lighting designer; Jeremy Seeger, technical director; Tricia Graf, makeup artist; and Brenda Goupee and Dorothy Robson, costume design.

This play was chosen for its social significance and its exploration of an important moral and political issue in America.

"We hope that this production will bring us one step closer to abolishing hate and ridicule in our schools and communities," Finkle said. "Those who have seen this play describe it as powerful and deeply moving as it explores the depths to which human beings can sink and the heights of compassion of which we are capable."

Performances will take place at the Rochester High School auditorium Friday, Oct. 12; Saturday, Oct. 13; Friday, Oct. 19; and Saturday, Oct. 20 at 7:30 p.m., a matinee performance Sunday, Oct. 14 at 2 p.m. Tickets are available in Rochester at The White River Credit Union and Judy Jensen Clay Studio. There is a discounted price for students and seniors. For more information, call Robert Finkle at 767-4770.

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