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.
Matthew the Scot
Matthew had been the Chancellor of Scotland in the late reign of king Alexander II of Scotland. He was appointed in 1227 after the death of Thomas, Archdeacon of Lothian. His name indicates that he was a Gael or had some personal connection with Gaeldom, but we do not know anything else about his background, other than perhaps the fact that he supposedly had some kind of defect of birth. Matthew was postulated to the see of Aberdeen, before in turn being postulated to the higher-ranking See of Dunkeld. He was not consecrated as bishop of Aberdeen, and probably died before being consecrated for Dunkeld. He died in 1229.