SOCB22H3 Chapter Notes - Chapter 1: Tectonic Theater Project, Matthew Shepard, Fred Phelps
Document Summary
The laramie project is a critical play that addresses the brutal murder of openly gay teenager matthew shepard in the small town of laramie, wyoming, an incident that sparked national debate back in 1998. Matthew shepard was a twenty-one-year-old student at the university of wyoming. On a cold night in october, he was robbed, tied to a cattle fence and beaten savagely, then left to die. He was found eighteen hours later by a biker. Though he was taken to a hospital, he slipped into a coma and later died, never regaining consciousness. Two young men, both locals, were later charged with the crime. The play"s author, mois s kaufman, began research for the play one month after the murder. Though written as a play, the laramie project reads like a documentary, and is comprised of over 400 interviews with more than 100 residents and officials concerning matthew"s murder. Additionally, kaufman uses the journal entries of the participating tectonic theater.
