On Oct. 6 1998, Matthew Shepard was found beaten and covered in dried blood except for one area – where he had been crying.

He was bound to a fence next to railroad tracks in Laramie, Wyo.

On Oct. 12, Shepard died.

The 21-year-old University of Wyoming student was the victim of an anti-gay hate crime.

These events inspired the play “The Laramie Project” that opened this weekend in the Tarble Arts Center.

Monica Mazzaro and Genie Lenihan co-directed the Charleston Community Theatre production.

The script of the play, by Moisés Kaufman and members of the Tectonic Theater Project, is based on 200 interviews the group conducted regarding the Laramie incident.

The characters in the play are based on citizens of Laramie and the script includes journal entries from the interviewees as well as news reports.

Mazzaro, a seamstress, said the script addresses the issue from different sides.

“It’s not just coming from one perspective,” Mazzaro said. “I think that it’s such a complex issue that that’s the way to be true to this topic.”

Many characters portray Shepard’s friends; however, non-sympathetic characters are also present as well. During the scene of Shepard’s funeral, a picketer is shown with a sign that reads, “Matt in Hell.”

The cast includes Tim Broeker, Zoe Corso, Heather Holley, Andy Hudson, Dar’Keith Lofton, Matt Piescinski, Cathy Sheagren, Jimmy Tyrone Stewart and Judi Vaughn.

Before the play starts, eight empty wooden chairs sit on the stage while coats, hats and bags of all of colors hang behind.

The cast enters, each dressed in a white shirt and a pair of khakis.

They change into characters by putting on different items that hang behind the chairs, allowing them to play about 60 different people.

A police badge thrown around the neck suddenly transforms that actor into a police officer.

When a scarf is added, the actor becomes a theater teacher.

Sometimes just changing the accent or inflection of voice allows the actor to portray someone else.

The set comprises two podiums and a small table. A screen next to the stage projects actual images of Laramie, used to show change of settings.

The characters, citizens of Laramie, express their reaction to the Shepard hate crime.

The cast takes turns talking directly to the audience, often adding a “You know what I mean?”

Piescinski, narrator, and Moisés Kaufmann, the bailiff and a reporter, said overall, the weekend’s performances went well.

“We’ve had some really good interaction with the way the cast is presenting their lines and then also communicating with the audience,” Piescinski said. “You can see from up there how connected the folks in the audience are to what we’re doing.”

Mazarro said they have received wonderful responses from people who have seen the show. She said on Friday, the group performed to a full house.

“There’s a lot of talk about how affected people are by being here and experiencing it,” Mazarro said. “So it seems to me the point of doing this show was to invoke thinking, I guess, and I think we’ve achieved that.”

Mazzaro said she was at Western Illinois University during the Shepard hate crime and can remember when it happened.

Mazzaro said performing the play makes the situation more personalized.

“I think, more than anything, that this script points out how it doesn’t matter where you are, that if things aren’t addressed – if things aren’t talked about – then you turn around and that horrible thing that you thought couldn’t happen here, has happened right there in front of you,” Mazzaro said.

Piescinski expressed similar sentiments.

He said Laramie is not that different from Charleston.

Piescinski works as a chemist and manager in Mattoon and announces various ceremonies and events at Eastern. He used to visit Laramie on business and also has a friend from Eastern in Laramie.

“You get (to Laramie) and it looks like Charleston,” Piescinski said. “Inside the town, you have homes that have the same architecture. The university’s only about 10,000 kids at Laramie, just like Eastern.”

He said the biggest buildings in the state of Wyoming are the two University of Wyoming residence halls that look just like Lawson and Andrews halls.

He said Laramie is a university town with many different types of personalities and people.

As Piescinski got further involved with “The Laramie Project,” he said he saw how relatable the play was to Charleston.

Mark Hudson, director of housing and dining, attended the play to watch his son Andy perform.

He said he would have come anyway, but his son’s acting in the play was an extra incentive.

The proud father thought the entire performance was excellent.

“I think it’s a very powerful message of a very important topic,” Hudson said. “Hate’s a terrible thing, and this show demonstrates how it plays itself out in the worst possible form.”

Fact Box:

Upcoming shows at the Tarble Arts Center

Thurs night (student discount) – 7:30 p.m.

Friday night – 7:30 p.m.

Saturday night – 7:30 p.m.

*doors open at 7 p.m.

Tickets: $10, $8 for seniors, $5 students

Judi Vaughn plays a newsperson during the Laramie Project on Oct. 27 in the Tarble Arts Center. Vaughn portrayed a total of nine roles in the play which told the story of the aftermath of Matthew Shepard death in the town of Laramie, Wyo. Karolina Strack/

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