Nicole Castro

“We had a responsibility to tell this story and do it in a way that honored Matthew,” said Christine Cummings, director of “The Laramie Project.”

“The play has really changed my perspective on life,” said junior Sophie Clancy, who performed in California Lutheran University’s production of “The Laramie Project.” The play tells the story of the residents of Laramie, Wyoming, after the attack and death of Matthew Shepard.

According to the Matthew Shepard Foundation, Shepard, a gay college student, was murdered in a 1998 hate crime that garnered national attention and inspired the Tectonic Theatre Project to create the play through a series of interviews in Laramie.

Students performed in the Black Box Studio Theatre from Oct. 15-19 during Cal Lutheran’s Homecoming weekend, with each cast member portraying several different Laramie residents throughout the show.

“I am so grateful that this university is not only allowing us to do this show, but people are championing it,” said Christine Cummings, director and assistant professor in the Theatre and Dance Department.

The show dives into themes of homophobia, religion, violence and death. The audience received a trigger warning before the show about the heavy content. 

In addition, attendees found a card and envelope under their seats to write their “thoughts, emotions, prayers, or reflections” after the performance. They also received a yellow wristband reminiscent of those first worn in 1998 to honor Shepard.

Cummings said she was initially “nervous” about receiving backlash from attendees due to the play’s LGBTQ+ themes and subject matter, but students have approached the heaviness with acceptance.

“Our students decided to make pride posters, and posters about love and acceptance, and they wanted to decorate the lobby with them. I wasn’t sure if that was going to turn anyone off or offend anyone,” Cummings said.

These signs, created at a department-hosted sign-making event on Oct. 9, displayed messages including, “Love Wins” and “Queer Existence Is Queer Resistance,” and greeted attendees entering the Black Box Studio Theatre.

Despite her nervousness, Cummings said the play has received a different reaction from the audience than she anticipated.

“I didn’t hear anything negative at all. Quite the opposite actually. People were moved, some of them were speechless,” Cummings said. “It was really lovely. Some of them thanked us for telling this important story.”

Clancy, who played five different characters, said she also felt nerves going into the production.

“I was very nervous going into it … but once I got into the characters it was honestly very healing to me, because some of the characters I play, I share similar traumas to them,” Clancy said. 

One of the five roles Clancy played is Aaron Kreifels, the young man who found Matthew Shepard tied to a fence, 18 hours after he had been beaten and left for dead. 

“I was really scared for the big monologue I had because I share a similar trauma with that character … but getting to perform it every night has been so healing to me,” Clancy said. “I love that one of my characters finds hope in why he had to go through what he went through.”

First-year Stella Lindstrom, also in the cast playing 11 roles, said the department’s sign-making event and talk back panel with cast members after Friday’s show focused on messages of hope.

“I think it’s really important when you do a play like this that you focus on the hope aspect. I feel like the sign-making [event] and the talk back [panel] kind of focused on hope and the positive side,” Lindstrom said. 

Clancy said she and Lindstrom would pray before every show and that the themes of religion in the show were meaningful for her.

“I really love that in the show we have some religious leaders who actually say, ‘Well I am religious, but it’s also really important to me to be accepting of all people and people deserve to live their life and love who they want to love,’” Clancy said. “I mean this happened in 1998 and it’s 2025 and we are still reliving it.”

Cummings said the cast’s understanding of the play’s meaning and importance caught her attention from the beginning of rehearsals.

“Maybe more than any other cast in the past, [this cast] showed me from day one that they knew how meaningful this play was. This was not like every play,” Cummings said. “We had a responsibility to tell this story and do it in a way that honored Matthew. They taught me how resilient and compassionate and empathetic [this cast’s] generation is.” 

Lindstrom said she hopes the LGBTQ+ community will feel support watching the show. 

“Matthew did feel alone a lot of times in life but look how many people showed up for him. I think that’s what I take away from this play — that no one is really alone,” Lindstrom said.

Clancy said acting in this play changed her perspective on life and gave her a deeper appreciation for community, as Shepard was 21 years old when he was murdered.

“Every time I perform this play, it is really sad, but it makes me so grateful to be alive,” Clancy said. “[Shepard] was our age when he died. I’m alive and I have friends and I get to do what I love, and this is amazing, and not everybody gets that opportunity.”

Cummings said she hopes “The Laramie Project” will have lasting effects on those involved and the audience. 

“It takes a village to do this [production]. There are so many people behind the scenes who helped us do this,” Cummings said. “This one is special. It’ll always be special.”