In 1998, Matthew Shepard was murdered in Laramie, Wyoming, for being gay. His death reverberated throughout the town and nation, and it inspired the play, “The Laramie Project.”
In support of October’s LGBTQ+ History Month, and to build a more understanding and compassionate community, the California Lutheran University Theatre and Dance Department will perform this emotionally gripping production. “The Laramie Project” runs Oct. 15 to 19 in the Black Box Studio Theatre on the Cal Lutheran campus.
“Working on ‘The Laramie Project’ has been an experience I will not soon forget,” said Liam Flenniken, a junior theater student who plays nine roles in the play. “It has been a privilege to step into the shoes of these nuanced, realpeople, and I am so proud to be a part of it.”
Ryan Siebrasse is the play’s production manager, and assistant professor Christine Cummings is the director. She has performed, directed and taught at the collegiate and professional levels for over 20 years. As a stage director, she has directed multiple productions of various genres, including last spring’s Cal Lutheran production of Neil Simon’s “Rumors.”
Cummings also guides members of the production team in campus outreach and audience engagement activities, such as collaborations with the Sarah W. Heath Center for Equality and Justice, the Cal Lutheran Pride Club and the Center for Cultural Engagement & Inclusion and Campus Ministry.
After Shepard’s murder, New York City’s Tectonic Theater Project members were inspired to take action. They interviewed Laramie residents about how the attack affected their town. The resulting transcripts became “The Laramie Project,” which tells the stories of the residents “who lived at the epicenter of one of the nation’s most heinous anti-gay hate crimes,” according to The Matthew Shepard Foundation website.
Shepard’s story has also been the focus of four films: “The Laramie Project” (2000); “Anatomy of a Hate Crime, (2001); “The Matthew Shepard Story” (2002); and “Laramie Inside Out” (2004).
The play is at 8 p.m., Oct. 15 to 18, and 2 p.m. on Oct. 19. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at bit.ly/3IY4VRy or at the door. The show is free for Cal Lutheran students, faculty and staff with an ID. The Black Box Theater is located at 131 Memorial Parkway, Thousand Oaks.