CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – The Theatre Department at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi will present “The Laramie Project” Thursday, April 19 through Sunday, April 22 and Thursday, April 26 through Sunday, April 29 in the Wilson Theatre in the Center for the Arts.  Performances are at 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays.
           
The true-life drama unfolds in the aftermath of the brutal murder of Matthew Shepard, a young gay college student in Laramie, Wyo. In October, 1998, Shepard was robbed by two attackers, beaten and tied to a fence post in crucifix position where he was left for dead on a secluded ranch in near freezing temperatures.

Compiled from more than 200 interviews, “The Laramie Project” is told through the eyes of the Laramie community. The play documents the intense media coverage and indelible impact the tragedy has played in the lives of the townspeople. Written by Moisés Kaufman and the Tectonic Theater Project, the powerful, award-winning play is directed by J. Don Luna, chair of the University’s Department of Communication and Theatre.

“This shocking hate crime forced a small town to come face to face with its own bigotry, but the play is spiritual and unique in its ability to affect individuals from all walks of life,” said Luna. “The theatrical collage reveals the depths to which humanity can sink and the heights to which it can rise.” 

“The Laramie Project,” Luna said, brings awareness to the key components of Shepard’s murder and the crucial weeks that followed. He added that if the crime had not been immortalized in this play, it probably would have been on the evening news for a week and then gone away.

“The play is a microcosm of our society,” Luna said.  “There are some people who think that the young man deserved it. There are some people who were outraged. There are some people who were touched. Some people – their lives were affected forever. If something like that could happen in Laramie, Wyo., way in the middle of nowhere, it could happen in Corpus Christi.”

 “The Laramie Project” is for mature audiences. Ticket prices are $8 for general admission, $7 for seniors and military and $3 for students with SandDollar ID. For more information or to order tickets, call 361.825.5800.