SU Hosts 'Laramie Project' Screening Sunday, October 12

SALISBURY, MD---When playwright Moisés Kaufman read about the brutal 1998 kidnapping, beating and subsequent death of Laramie, WY, resident Matthew Shepard, he knew the story was too poignant to be told only through news articles.

Conducting interviews with some 200 Laramie residents after the incident, Kaufman and nine fellow members of New York’s Tectonic Theatre Project co-authored The Laramie Project, a play representing the incident, its aftermath and its affect on this small town. The play was made into a film in 2002.

Commemorating the 10th anniversary of Shepard’s death, coinciding with National Coming Out Day, Salisbury University hosts a screening of The Laramie Project 7 p.m. Sunday, October 12, in Teacher Education and Technology Center Room 153. Greg Pierotti, one of the 10 original playwrights, hosts a question-and-answer session afterward.

According to Robert Cogdell III, president of Bisexual, Transgender, Gay, Lesbian and Straight Supporters (BT GLASS) at SU, The Laramie Project offers insight into the misunderstanding and hatred that led to Shepard’s death.

“Through this event we hope to build a bridge of knowledge and understanding to all, especially of the struggles, issues and ignorance toward the LGBT community," he said.

Sponsored by BT GLASS, the Charles R. and Martha N. Fulton School of Liberal Arts, the Office of Multicultural Student Services and the Communication Arts Department, admission is free and the public is invited. For more information call 410-543-6382 or visit the SU Web site at www.salisbury.edu.