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The Laramie Project

For one night only, an all-star cast will bring Matthew Shepard’s story to life in a staged reading of The Laramie Project – one of the world’s most striking examples of verbatim theatre.

It was 25 years ago when Moisés Kaufman and members of New York’s Tectonic Theater Project began to create the now legendary play. The Laramie Project was 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 act expanded the US federal hate crime law to include crimes based on a victim’s sexual orientation, gender identity or disability.

The staged reading will be directed by Dean Bryant and includes an all-Australian cast led by Tony Sheldon, Casey Donovan 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.

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

The Laramie Project is presented by American Australian Association, in partnership with the US State Department, Tectonic Theater Project and the Matthew Shepard Foundation. The production will take place in the week that includes the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia.

Tectonic Theater Playwrighting Scholarship

The Tectonic Theater Project Playwriting Scholarship will allow a LGBTQIA+ Australian playwright to embark on a 2-week creative development experience in New York City, which includes observing training at Tectonic Theater Project’s Moment Work Institute.

The primary objective is for an Australian artist to immerse themselves in Tectonic’s distinctive theatrical methodology, with the aim of harnessing this invaluable experience to craft a new Australian play.

The scholarship includes:

· $10,000 USD to fund a commission fee and to contribute towards living expenses for the two-week stay in New York City

· Return economy airfare from Australia to New York, courtesy of Qantas

· Observance of a Moment Work Institute training with Tectonic Theater Project

· Access to a writing space at the American Australian Association headquarters in Manhattan

Applications open at 9am AEST on Friday 17 May via americanaustralian.org.

The scholarship activities will take place in 2025 with exact dates to be determined in conversation with the American Australian Association and Tectonic Theater Project.