The Laramie Project: Matthew Shepard’s Story

Santa Fe High Theater’s debut play this fall is The Laramie Project, which explores the murder of Matthew Shepard and the impact it has had on the Wyoming town where it occurred. The brutal murder of Shepherd has become known as the worst anti-gay hate crime in American history.

The crime

Shepard was 21 years old when he was tortured and left to die, tied to a wooden fence on the night of Oct. 6, 1998. His killers, Aaron McKinney, who hit and pistol-whipped Shepherd until he was concussed, and his accomplice, Russell Henderson, who tied him to the fence, left him there to die. He was discovered the next day by a passing college student and was hospitalized. He died five days later.

Henderson, who was 21 at the time of the crime, was charged with count three kidnapping and felony murder. He now serves two life sentences. McKinney, who was 21 at the time of the crime, was found guilty of 1^st degree felony murder kidnapping, 1^st degree felony murder robbery and aggravated robbery. He now serves two consecutive life sentences.

The impact

The memory of Shepard has lived on, inspiring the play and made-for-TV movie The Laramie Project, several documentaries, a seemingly endless number of songs, and more. The attack on Shepherd brought attention to hate-crime legislation at state and federal levels. In 2009, the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr., Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009 was passed, which, according to the US Department of Justice, “provides funding and technical assistance to state, local, and tribal jurisdictions to help them to more effectively investigate and prosecute hate crimes.” It brought attention to LGBT activists as well.

Foundations have been set up to spread the word about sexual discrimination, including the Matthew Shepard Foundation, founded by his mother, Judy Shepard, the current president. The foundation’s mission is “to erase hate by replacing it with understanding, compassion and acceptance” and “empower individuals to embrace human dignity and diversity through outreach, advocacy and resource programs” on local, regional and national levels.

Theories

There are conspiracy theories, however, involving the circumstances of Shepard’s murder. The most popular can be found in The Book of Matt, by Stephen Jimenez, which talks about how Shepard’s murder was not motivated by his sexual preference but by drugs. Jimenez argues that the three of them, Shepard, McKinney and Henderson, were users and dealers in Laramie’s crystal meth subculture. McKinney and Shepard may also have had a sexual relationship, according to Jimenez.

Jimenez’s book has created a huge controversy. Mediamatters.org says the book is “tainted by its reliance on wild extrapolation, the use of highly questionable and often inconsistent sources.” The Matthew Shepard Foundation has said its “factual errors, rumors and innuendo” offer no real truth behind the conspiracy.

The show

The Laramie Project was written over a year and a half by members of the Tectonic Theater Project. Moisés Kaufman and other company members traveled to Laramie six times to interview people of the town, which were later, acted out by members of the company.

Santa Fe High Theater has spent countless hours rehearsing this play. Given the play’s complexity and unusual structure, and a cast of more than 30 people, lengthy rehearsals have been held five days a week since Aug. 28.

Philip Castaneda, who plays the part of pastor Fred Phelps and prison inmate Andrew Gomez, said, “It’s incredibly complicated with tons of people, and it’s a very dense story…with different perspectives.”

Maya Durham, who plays Zackie Salmon, said, “I hope this play shows the audience that everyone has justification for their opinions and all opinions are valid.”

Performances will be Oct. 22, 23 and 24. Tickets will be available for pre-order at www.santafehigharts.org.