On Wednesday, November 16th we went to a lecture and Q&A with Moisés Kaufman, the writer of “The Laramie Project.” The lecture was at the high school on Charlton Street, after school. Moisés Kaufman talked about his inspiration with the play, and the how and why of him going to Laramie, Wyoming to conduct the interviews with residents of the town. I felt really inspired when he told us about how he heard of Matthew Shepard dying, and how he wanted to do something to show the brutality and emotion of his death. He conducted many interviews with people who lived in the town, met Matthew, or knew him at all. He also did a lot of research on the case of the two men that killed him, and the town. He also had a lot of emotion because it impacted not only him, but the whole world when word got out that Matthew Shepard, was brutally beaten and tied to fence along the road in Laramie, Wyoming. He also mentioned that he wrote the play with a lot of monologues, and people acting as multiple characters, because it showed the intimacy and heart of what the play really meant. It gave hope to anyone in distress, and needed closure from his death. It allowed the town to heal and it wasn’t only showing the brutality but the humanity of everyone involved.  It also showed bravery because of all the people Matthew, and Moisés impacted. After the lecture, there was a Q&A time where he took some questions from the audience. There were questions like; how did you gather your research for the play? And, why did you write the play the way you did? Moisés Kaufman answered all the questions thoroughly, and after, we had a short interview with him personally. We asked him a few questions like; Have you written any plays like this before? And, how did Matthew Shepard’s death affect you? He told us that he wrote one play a little bit like “The Laramie Project” before, with a few monologues. He also explained that Matthew Shepard’s death affected so many people, included himself. When he first heard of it he was very stunned along with the rest of the nation. He told us more about what he did for the show, and why he did it. I learned a lot from Moisés Kaufman and we were really lucky to have been able to meet him and ask him questions about his brilliant play, “The Laramie Project.” He also told us that when we do our teach-in, we will inspire others to be more comfortable in their own skin, and even come out because of our inspiring words. 

Isabella, Gwen, and I with Moisés Kaufman.