The Laramie Project: the Matthew Shepard story

For one night only, an all-star cast will bring Matthew Shepard’s story to life in a staged reading of The Laramie Project at City Recital Hall, Sydney.

It was 25 years ago when The Laramie Project began to be crafted from interviews with the townspeople of Laramie, Wyoming in the aftermath of the shocking murder of 21-year-old gay man Matthew Shepard. The events would go on to propel momentous social change, inspiring The Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act 2009. 

The staged reading will be directed by Dean Bryant and includes an all-Australian cast featuring Nicholas Brown, Casey Donovan, Benjamin Law, Zindzi Okenyo, Tony Sheldon and Lyndon Watts. To mark the anniversary, Matthew’s father Dennis Shepard will 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 and the project’s Creative Team, around the role of the arts within social justice movements.

All proceeds go to the Tectonic Theater Project Playwriting Scholarship for an Australian LGBTQIA+ playwright and the Matthew Shepard Foundation.