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.
Shep Shepherd
Shepherd was a relative of environmental activist John Francis. In 2007, he moved to Orange County and met his wife Joy. He turned 100 in January 2017. On April 26, 2017, he participated in a AMA on Reddit.com. He latterly resided in San Clemente, California and died in November 2018 at the age of 101.