The Laramie Project

Reading Check and Short Answer Questions on key points are designed for guided reading assignments, in-class review, formative assessment, quizzes, and more.

Act I

Reading Check

1. Where does the play derive its content from?

2. What does Detective Sergeant Hing remark about reporters?

3. Why did Jedadiah’s parents not want him to do the Angels in America scene?

4. What phrase is on the University Inn marquee?

5. Where was the last place that Matthew was seen in public?

6. According to Stephen Mead Johnson, what has the fence become?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. What does Jedadiah Schultz say defines Laramie? Which towns does he compare it to?

1. How does the “Journal Entries” Moment differ from the “A Definition” Moment?
2. What were some of the interests and behaviors of Matthew Sheppard, according to his peers? How did they view him before his murder?
3. Compare and contrast the differing reports of the night Matthew was tortured. What are some of the discrepancies between them?
4. Consider how Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson are viewed by their peers. How does this view compare to the crimes they are convicted of?
5. Summarize the circumstances surrounding the discovery of Matthew’s body. What happened, and who was involved?

Paired Resources

Angels in America

• SuperSummary’s overview of Tony Kushner’s epic-story-turned-play centers on a gay and heterosexual couple living in 1980s New York City.
• This play is frequently referenced throughout The Laramie Project and connects to the themes of The Violent Effects of Anti-LGBTQ+ Bias and Religion and Tolerance.
• What are some of the parallels between The Laramie Project and Angels in America?

The Laramie Project

• IMDb provides details about the 2002 movie adaptation of the play, which is directed and written by the play’s original writer, Moisés Kaufman. The movie is available in full on YouTube.
• This film relates to the themes of The Violent Effects of Anti-LGBTQ+ Bias, Religion and Tolerance, and The Tension Between Spreading Public Awareness and Maintaining Privacy.
• Compare and contrast the use of epic theatrical staging in the play with the movie adaptation. What are some of the major differences between Kaufman’s productions?

Act II

Reading Check

According to Catherine Connolly, how did the people in the courtroom respond to the judge’s statement?

1. Which fact about the perpetrators did the townspeople of Laramie struggle to believe?

2. How should “The Gem City of the Plains” Moment in Act II feel, according to the stage directions?

3. What is Governor Geringer hesitant on calling the torture of Matthew?

4. What is “the most incredible thing” that parade spectator Harry Wood notices in Act II, Moment 13?

5. What does Father Roger Schmit say is “the seed of violence” in Act II, Moment 15?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Which word does local reporter Tiffany Edwards use to describe the outside journalist teams? Why?

2. Why does Aaron Kreifels struggle with the fact that he was the one to find Matthew?

3. Why did the hospital call Reggie? How does this information affect her?

4. Why is Sherry Johnson preoccupied with the term “hate crime,” and what does she say about it?

5. Who is Andrew Gomez? What aspect of Aaron’s crime is he perplexed about?

Paired Resources

“Matthew Shepard Foundation”

• This resource contains information regarding the organization that Matthew’s parents founded in commemoration of his murder.
• The work of the foundation focuses on combating The Violent Effects of Anti-LGBTQ+ Bias.
• What is the mission of the Matthew Shepard Foundation? What are some of the resources they have in order to fight anti-gay bias?

“The Laramie Project: Ten Years Later”

• Kaufman’s Tectonic Theatre Project returned to Laramie a decade later in order to conduct follow-up interviews.
• This short film relates to the themes of The Violent Effects of Anti-LGBTQ+ Bias, Religion and Tolerance, and The Tension Between Spreading Public Awareness and Maintaining Privacy.
• Compare and contrast how the residents of Laramie react to the hate crime in the play with the above resource. What are the major changes, if any, that happened in Laramie since Matthew’s murder?

Act III

Reading Check

1. What is the setting for the opening of Act III?

2. What action did the Mormon church take against Russell?

3. Which play is the University of Wyoming’s theater department producing the same year as the trial?

4. What exciting news does Reggie learn?

5. What phrase does Rebecca Hilliker use to refer to Aaron’s defense?

6. What was “the last thing [Matthew] saw on this earth,” according to Doc in Act III, Moment 11?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. What message does Reverend Fred Phelps share at Russell’s trial? How does Romaine Patterson counteract this message?

What does Russell change his plea to? What sentence is he given?

2. Summarize Aaron’s confession. What does he say was the motivation for his crime?

3. Summarize Dennis Shepard’s statement. What is his wish for Aaron?

4. What does Jonas Slonaker say is problematic about the legislation in the aftermath of Matthew’s death?

Recommended Next Reads

Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde by Moisés Kaufman

• Kaufman’s 1997 play centers on British author Oscar Wilde and the legal proceedings brought against him for being gay in the late 19th century.
• Shared themes include The Violent Effects of Anti-LGBTQ+ Bias, Religion and Tolerance, and The Tension Between Spreading Public Awareness and Maintaining Privacy. 
• Shared topics include Epic Theatre, legal proceedings, and the LGBTQ+ community.   

Mother Courage and her Children by Bertolt Brecht

• Brecht’s 1939 play, which is an anti-war commentary set in 17th-century Sweden, is an example of an epic theatrical production.
• Shared themes include Religion and Tolerance.
• Shared topics include Epic Theatre and political conversations.
• Mother Courage and her Children on SuperSummary