For one night only in Sydney, an all-star cast will bring to life the story of the public’s reaction to what has been described as one of the worst gay hate crimes in American history.
The staged reading of The Laramie Project at Sydney’s City Recital Hall commemorates the 25th anniversary of the legendary play that was crafted from interviews with the townspeople of Laramie, Wyoming, after the shocking 1998 murder of 21-year-old gay man Matthew Shepard.
Shepard was beaten by two assailants, Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson. They pistol-whipped him with a gun then tied him to a fence in freezing conditions and set fire to him before leaving him to die.
The 1998 murder is widely regarded as one of the worst gay hate crimes in America and even inspired a change to the country’s laws.
The men responsible for Shepard’s death were not charged with a hate crime, as that wasn’t possible under Wyoming’s criminal law at the time. Later, in 2009, then-US president Barack Obama signed the Matthew Shepard Act, a law that defined certain attacks motivated by a victim’s identity as hate crimes.
The Shepard family became campaigners for gay rights and the play The Laramie Project has toured the world encouraging campaigns against bigotry.
Moisés Kaufman and members of New York’s Tectonic Theatre Project created the play, and now it will be brought to life on Tuesday, May 14, by an all-star cast.
Tony Sheldon, Casey Donovan, Lyndon Watts, Nicholas Brown, Zindzi Okenyo and Benjamin Law will be directed by Dean Bryant for the event. Matthew’s father Dennis Shepard will also join the cast, delivering the powerful speech he made in the Wyoming courtroom.
The performance will be followed by an on-stage Q&A with Dennis Shepard, with all proceeds from the night going to the Tectonic Theatre Project and the Matthew Shepard Foundation.
“When asked if I wanted to be part of The Laramie Project I didn’t second guess my response, it was a very big yes from me,” said Casey Donovan. “This story has a big place in LGBTQIA+ history and I’m honoured and grateful to be part of this reading.”
Sheldon told GSN the Laramie Project was a timely reminder for the queer community of how much work still needs to be done to achieve equality.
“Two months ago a Special Commission of Inquiry into gay hate crime found that NSW police officers were ‘indifferent, negligent, dismissive or hostile’ towards LGBTQIA+ victims and their families,” said Sheldon.
“Recommendations from the Inquiry have apparently still not been implemented by the police force.”
“Thousands march in our streets calling for action against gender-based violence after the death of 27 women this year. And yet 25 years ago the horrifically brutal murder of one young gay man, Matthew Shepard in Laramie, Wyoming, forced an entire country to look into their hearts, create educational programmes and make change in their laws,” he said.
Watts said it was an honour to be part of the play, saying it’s rare for theatre to change the world in such a way as the Laramie Project.
“Queer lives are sacred and it is in this spirit and the legacy of Matthew that we share The Laramie Project,” he said.
Tickets are on sale now and start at $39.
Gay Sydney News reporter