November 15th- 16th

"The Laramie Project" is a documentary-style play created by the Venezuelan playwright Moises Kaufman and members of the Tectonic Theater Project, an experimental company whose work has often touched on social themes. "The Laramie Project" analyzes the death of Matthew Shepard, an openly gay college student who was brutally murdered in Laramie, Wyoming, in 1998 because of his sexual identity. Shepard's murder is one of the most well-known hate crimes in recent American history; in 2009, the U.S. Congress passed the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, a piece of legislation that strengthens existing hate crime laws.