Tectonic Theater Project
On 6 October 1998 Matthew Shepard was beaten and left to die tied to a fence in the outskirts of Laramie, Wyoming. He died 6 days later. His torture and murder became a watershed historical moment in America that highlighted many of the fault lines in our culture.
A month after the murder the members of Tectonic Theater Project traveled to Laramie and conducted interviews with the people of the town. From these interviews they wrote the play "The Laramie Project". The piece has been seen by more than 30 million people around the country.
Cultural depictions of Matthew Shepard
"The Matthew Shepard Story" is a television film about the trial of the killers of Matthew Shepard. It premiered on NBC on March 9, 2002, the same night as HBO's "The Laramie Project". It starred Shane Meier as Matthew Shepard, and depicting his parents were Sam Waterston as Dennis Shepard and Stockard Channing as Judy Shepard. The film won a Primetime Emmy Award in 2002 in the category of "Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie" for Stockard Channing's performance as Judy Shepard. The film's cast also includes Kristen Thomson, Joseph Ziegler, Makyla Smith, Damien Atkins, and Wendy Crewson. The ending featured Elton John's song about Shepard, "American Triangle", from his album "Songs from the West Coast".