the laramie project

a film and dramatic study

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“I don’t know what the hell [Matthew] was trying to do, but I beat him up pretty bad. Think I killed him.” —Aaron McKiney, in a tape recorded confession to the Albany county, Wyoming sheriff’s dept.

“One of the things that was very clear from the start is the question of how does one measure change. Is it in the number of public monuments that have been erected? Is it in the number of laws that have been passed? Is it in the number of people whose views have been changed?” - Moises Kaufman, creator of the Laramie project.

Classroom Guidelines

We are studying ‘The Laramie Project’ the story of the murder of Matthew Shepard and how it impacted

a town and the world. This story can, at times, be upsetting and can bring out strong emotions. You MUST

respect the opinions of all. Our goal is not to judge, but to

learn from each other.

the storyIn October 1998, on the outskirts of Laramie, Wyoming, a 21-year-old gay college student named Matthew Shepard was savagely beaten, tied to a fence and left to die in the frigid night. Characterized as a hate crime, the murder became a watershed historical moment in civil rights in America.

In the aftermath of Shepard’s death, Moisés Kaufman and members of Tectonic Theater Project made six trips to Laramie; over the course of 18 months, they conducted more than 200 interviews with residents of the town.

Using interview transcripts, court documents and media reportage as source material, they created ‘The Laramie Project’, a play that chronicles how the community grappled with the slaying. The play won numerous awards and is one of the most-performed pieces of theater in America today. It was made into a film for HBO and has been seen by more than 30 million people across the country.

Ten years later, in the fall of 2008, company members moisés Kaufman, Leigh Fondakowski, Greg Pierotti, Andy Paris and Stephen Belber returned to Laramie to interview the same people. These interviews focus on how Laramie has changed: politically, socially, religiously and educationally. Using “moment Work,” Tectonic’s unique approach to developing plays, the new interviews have been crafted into an Epilogue to The Laramie Project.

BEFORE VIEWING

HBO's The Laramie Project was based on Moisés Kaufman's off-Broadway play of the same name and unlike most depictions of Shepard's attack, did not use the victim himself as a character. Instead, all of the dialogue was taken from actual interviews with Laramie residents conducted by members of the Tectonic Theater Project and Kaufman.

Questions to ponder:

1. Why do people hate?

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2. What is the correlation between hate and violence?

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WHILE WATCHING

Make notes about points that stand out to you. Pay attention to characters and their different viewpoints as well as the portrayal of the town of Laramie. In addition, make note of any quotes you hear that stand out to you. Look ahead at questions in this booklet.

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AFTER WATCHING

1. How are lines drawn between community members of

Laramie,Wyoming?

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2. How does the play "The Laramie Project" portray the media?

Is it positive, negative or both?

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3. What role does religion play in the Laramie Project? How

does in create conflict? How does it bring people together?

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4. How does Rebecca Hilliker describe her students in the play

the Laramie Project by Moises Kaufman? Include some quotes.

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Personal Response:

How do people in the play stand up to hatred and bigotry? What

person did you find most courageous in that regard? Why?

Explain, giving examples in a personal response essay.

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ANALYTICAL ESSAY

In a five paragraph analytical essay, answer one of the following prompts:

- Analyze how a character’s response to conflict reveals his/her true nature.

- Writer’s often develop characters through a variety of literary techniques. Discuss how tone, word choice, and dialogue develops the character in the prose piece.

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The Laramie Project – Epilogue – 10 Years Later

Either silently read the epilogue or read it with a group in dialogue format. It can be found starting on page 99 of ‘The Laramie Project’. Consider this excerpt:

Excerpted Moment: Two Guys at the strip Mall

Narrator: Company member Greg Pierotti.Greg Pierotti: One of the first things we did when we got to Laramie this time was walk around the town conducting informal interviews. Talking to two guys at the strip mall on Third, I ask: What do you remember about the Matt Shepard story?Guy 1: I’ve only been here four months. The only thing I know about it is I remember it from the news when it happened. He took me out where it happened.Guy 2: Yeah, I just brought him out to the area there, out by Walmart.Greg Pierotti: You showed him the fence?Guy 2: Well, you know, just to that area out there. They took the fence down.Greg Pierotti: They took it down?Guy 2: Oh yeah.Greg Pierotti: Really? The fence ... where Matt Shepard was killed?Guy 2: Definitely. It’s gone. For a while now.Greg Pierotti: Why did they take it down?Guy 2: The owners didn’t want people coming on their property. People still do, though, even though it’s gone. They got “no trespassing” signs all over the place out there.Greg Pierotti: So, why’d you bring him out there then?Guy 2: Because that’s what we’re famous for.

After reading the epilogue, answer the following questions. For each question, ensure you’ve included a reference to events which occurred in the epilogue and a quote if you can find a good one to support your answer. Indicate where you found the

reference and the quote (page number, part number, etc).

1. Discuss what Guy 2 means when he says, “That’s what we’re famous for.” Is this how Laramie will always be known? Is it how Laramie SHOULD always be known? To what extent should the town be allowed to forget and move on?

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2. What good has come from the death of Matthew Shepard?________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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3. What makes ‘The Laramie Project’ controversial? Why do you think it has become one of the most-performed plays in America?

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4. Why do you think people want to believe that it was not a hate crime that killed Matthew but a drug deal gone wrong? What is the reasoning behind this?

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5. What markers of change, both tangible and intangible, have appeared in Laramie?

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6. Aaron McKinney states that he “has remorse.. but for the wrong reasons”. Is it enough that he has remorse – some feelings for someone other than him – or is it wrong that he does not feel badly for murder? How does he appear as a character in comparison to Russel Henderson?

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Extended Response:

Choose one of the following and respond in a five paragraph

essay:

1. Often we talk about tolerance and tolerating people who are

different than ourselves. Should tolerance be the goal? Why

or why not? What can we learn from Laramie about the impact

that tolerance has?

OR

2. Why do people hate? When does hate turn to violence? In

today’s digital world, do you feel that people are more

comfortable sharing their hatred? Does it always lead to

violence? What can be done in a hate situation to help it

stay non violent?

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