The Laramie Project

Fiction | Play | Adult | Published in 2001

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Act III, Moments 10-12Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Act III, Moments 10-12 Summary

Describing the “Aftermath” of Aaron McKinney’s trial, Reggie Fluty tells us that people were moved to tears, and expresses a hope that the people of Laramie “can quit being stuck” (85). DeBree notes that the case, which has occupied all his time for a year, has come to an end. Aaron Kreifels believes he now knows why God wanted him to discover Matthew tied to that fence: so “that he didn’t have to die out there alone” (86). Matt Galloway is glad the trial is over. He found testifying difficult, as it involved “funneling” (86) answers to the jurors in a particular way, rather than just tell your story.

In “Epilogue,” company member Andy Paris tells us that, on their last trip to Laramie, they watched Jedadiah Schultz perform in Angels in America and spoke to him afterwards. He reveals that he resisted becoming personally involved with the Matthew Shepard case for a long time. He now regrets what he said in earlier interviews about homosexuality and doesn’t understand how he could have “let that stuff make me think that you were different from me” (86). Romaine reveals that her ambitions have changed from being a rock star to studying communications and political science. She has been honored in Washington by the Anti-Defamation League for her Angel Power protest and she feels that Matthew is shining a light on a new path for her. Jonas Slonaker notes that “Change is not an easy thing” (87), and that a year after Matthew’s death there has been no anti-discrimination or hate crime legislation passed in Wyoming. The narrator informs us that the theater company visited the fence one last time. There, Doc reveals that on the night he and Matthew drove around, he said “‘Laramie sparkles, doesn’t it’” (87). Every time Doc visits the fence he thinks about that and about the fact that Matthew’s last view would have been of “the sparkling lights” (87).

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In “Departure,” members of the theatre company describe saying goodbye to the people they have met over the past year: Jedadiah cries; Marge says to Stephen, “take care, I love you, honey” (88); Doc is interested in ghostwriting a book about the event and Matt Galloway offered them a place to stay if they ever come back. Father Schmit reminds them, again, to “say it right” (88). In his last look at the town, Andy Paris sees “the sparkling lights of Laramie, Wyoming” (88).

Act III, Moments 10-12 Analysis

The end of the play is also concerned with the end of the drama that has enveloped Laramie over the year since Matthew Shepard’s tragic death. The titles of the last three moments—Aftermath, Epilogue and Departure—suggests that this is a long, drawn out process filled with uncertainty. Reggie’s hope that the town will no longer be “stuck” suggests the degree to which this crime and its aftermath have taken over the daily lives of the people of Laramie. Indeed, for Rob DeBree, this case has been his whole life for a year. The fact that he doesn’t mention what the future might hold points to the fact that he does not know or cannot say. Aaron Kreifels believes he finally understands why God had him find Matthew and is relieved by this newfound sense of meaning. Similarly, Romaine’s response to Phelps’ protest has opened a new future for her and she is grateful to Matthew for showing her the way. However, Jonas Slonaker points to the fact that nothing has been done at a legislative level to address the issues that led to Matthew’s death and questions the possibility that this incident will bring about any kind of lasting change for the lives and rights of LGBT people in America. Thus, there is ambivalence about whether Matthew’s death can be made to have meaning on anything than an individual level.

Jedadiah’s final interview notes the way Matthew Shepard’s death and his friendship with the theatre company have changed his attitudes towards homosexuality. He also points to the fact that many members of the theatre company are gay and thus have a particular stake in telling Matthew’s story. This kinship with Matthew is reflected in the symmetry of the last lines of the final two moments. In “Epilogue,” we are told that the last thing Matthew saw were the “sparkling lights” (87) of Laramie; these “sparkling lights” (88) are also what Andy Paris sees when he takes one last look at the town. This image then points to the similarity between Matthew and Andy and the possibility that, without change, they could yet share the same fate.