As tragic as it was, the brutal murder of Matthew Shepard was NOT the first time a gay man was beaten to death. Back around the time that the story broke, then local writer/spoken word artist John Kusch lamented how sad it was that society as a whole only seemed ready to come together in compassion for gay men "once they're dead. But only if they're young, white, hairless, defenseless, a non-threatening 105 pounds and a vaguely femmy cross between Ally McBeal and a member of the Backstreet Boys."
One hopes that we've come a long way since Shepard's death 15 years ago. In observance of the fifteenth anniversary of the extremely brutal murder, Theatrical Tendencies brings The Laramie Project to the stage. Moises Kaufman and the Tectonic Theater Project's dissection of a tiny, rural community dealing with the brutal murder that made national headlines.
Directed by Mark E. Schuster, the production runs October 11th through 26th at Soulstice Theatre's Tamsett Theatre on 3770 South Pennsylvania Avenue. For ticket reservations, call 414-541-6240 or visit Theatrical Tendencies online.
