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the laramie project
a film and dramatic study
name: _____________________________
“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
What do we learn about Laramie as a town?
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The story centered on Matthew Shepard, but he was not a character. Why do you think they made that decision? Do you think it was a good one?
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Which person made the biggest impact on you (positive or negative)? Why?
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Did it make a difference, watching a movie that you knew was written directly from the words said by the people being portrayed? Explain your answer (even if it’s explaining why not)
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Personal Response:
Father Roger Schmit calls McKinney or Henderson “our most important teachers.” What is your reaction to this statement? What can they teach us? If you had the chance to talk to McKinney or Henderson, what would you ask them? How important is it to learn from the perpetrators?
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ANALYTICAL ESSAY
Choose one of the following and answer it in a five paragraph essay, relating it to ‘The Laramie Project’.
- Decisions often have far-reaching consequences. Using ONE of the following, show how this theme is developed:
a) conflict, b) relationships with others c) character development.
OR
- Identify the message of the piece and discuss how it is developed through the use of any three of the following.
a) Informal language styleb) Symbolismc) Irony d) Flashbacke) Point of view
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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 is the difference between fame and notoriety? What does it mean that the fence is gone and yet people still visit the site? Should there be a memorial at the site or elsewhere in Laramie, given that the land where the fence stood is privately owned?
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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. As you read the Epilogue, note how and why the interpretation of events surrounding Matthew Shepard’s death has changed. What factual evidence is presented in the Epilogue regarding Shepard’s killing? Which people believe it’s a hate crime and which believe it was a robbery gone wrong? How are they the same, and how are they different?
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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:
Romaine Patterson states that over the years, to reconcile herself with this crime and to begin to grieve, she has had to separate “Matthew Shepard”, the victim of an iconic hate crime and “Matt”, her good friend. Is this an important view point for people to have – the idea that he was a victim of a hate crime but he was also a person who was a friend and a son? How can looking at this story in this way be helped or harmed with this double view of one person? Can you separate the two or is it all part of what makes up this story? Discuss and respond in at least four paragraphs (personal response formatting).
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