Gov. Bill Ritter read last night as a member of the nationwide simultaneous production of “Laramie Ten Years Later: An Epilogue,” a play that explores the ways the savage killing of Matthew Shepard 11 years ago changed the town and the individuals involved in the case. The production came only days after the memory of the killing helped move the Hate Crimes Prevention Act through the U.S. House of Representatives.
Produced by New York-based Tectonic Theater, the play follows Moises Kaufman’s “The Laramie Project,” which investigated the killing of Mathew Shepard. The play asks what has changed in the years since the murder.
Shepard was tied to a fence and beaten by two men, one of whom now admits to targeting Shepard for being gay. Shepard died as a result of the beating in a Fort Collins’ Hospital.
Ritter spoke simultaneously with readers in roughly 150 theaters across the country. The readings were introduced by Kaufman and Judy Shepard, Matthew’s mother. The introduction was broadcast live on the web from Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall in New York. Question and answer sessions were held at participating theaters.
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