IV 

111TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 777 

Honoring all those participating in a production of ‘‘The Laramie Project: 

10 Years Later’’ in remembrance of Matthew Shepard. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

SEPTEMBER 24, 2009 

Mr. MCDERMOTT (for himself, Ms. BALDWIN, Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts, 

and Mr. POLIS of Colorado) submitted the following resolution; which was 

referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 

RESOLUTION 

Honoring all those participating in a production of ‘‘The 

Laramie Project: 10 Years Later’’ in remembrance of 

Matthew Shepard. 

Whereas Matthew Shepard, a 21-year-old student at the University of Wyoming in Laramie, Wyoming, was beaten 

and tortured, tied to a wooden fence, and left for dead, 

due to his sexual orientation; 

Whereas Matthew Shepard died as a result of his injuries on 

October 12, 1998, in a Colorado hospital, surrounded by 

his loving family and friends; 

Whereas the highly acclaimed play ‘‘The Laramie Project’’ 

was written in reaction to the murder of Matthew 

Shepard, based on hundreds of interviews conducted by 

members of the Tectonic Theater Project with residents 


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•HRES 777 IH 

of Laramie, journal entries of Project members, and news 

reports; 

Whereas ‘‘The Laramie Project’’, since its first performance 

in 2000, has been among the most performed plays in 

America; 

Whereas on Monday, October 12, 2009, on the 11th anniversary of Matthew Shepard’s death, dozens of theaters 

across the United States will simultaneously debut an 80- 

minute epilogue to ‘‘The Laramie Project’’ entitled ‘‘The 

Laramie Project: 10 Years Later’’; 

Whereas the writers of the ‘‘The Laramie Project: 10 Years 

Later’’ are Tectonic Theater Project members Moise ́s 

Kaufman, Leigh Fondakowski, Greg Pierotti, Andy 

Paris, and Stephen Belber; 

Whereas ‘‘The Laramie Project: 10 Years Later’’ focuses on 

the long-term effects of the murder of Matthew Shepard 

on the town of Laramie, Wyoming, exploring how the 

town has changed and how the murder continues to reverberate through the community; and 

Whereas ‘‘The Laramie Project: 10 Years Later’’ will be performed in New York at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall, 

and at over 100 other theaters in all 50 States, including 

the Seattle Repertory Theater; the Arena Stage in Washington, DC; Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland, 

Ohio; Lied Center for the Performing Arts in Lincoln, 

Nebraska; Williams Theatre in Tulsa, Oklahoma; and the 

Berkeley Repertory Theater; and will also be performed 

in Canada, Great Britain, Spain, Hong Kong, and Australia: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 


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•HRES 777 IH 

1 (1) honors all those participating in a produc2 tion of ‘‘The Laramie Project: 10 Years Later’’ in 

3 remembrance of Matthew Shepard; 

4 (2) expresses its continuing condemnation of all 

5 violent acts motivated by hatred, including the tor6 ture and murder of Matthew Shepard, and com7 mends the involvement of all Americans in building 

8 a more civil and tolerant society; and 

9 (3) congratulates the participants and patrons 

10 involved for continuing to engage in activities that 

11 raise awareness of hate crimes in our society. 

Æ 


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