Considering Matthew Shepard

Saturday May 20th, 7:30:pm Mt. Baker Theatre, Bellingham WA

In October of 1998, Matthew Shepard, a young gay student at the University of Wyoming in Laramie was kidnapped, severely beaten, tied to a fence, and left to die in a lonely field under a blanket of stars. Five days later, when Matt passed away, the world was watching. Approaching the eve of the 20th anniversary, Craig Hella Johnson has responded with his first concert-length work, Considering Matthew Shepard.

This three-part fusion oratorio speaks with a fresh and bold voice, incorporating a variety of musical styles seamlessly woven into a unified whole. Johnson sets a wide range of soulful texts by poets including Hildegard of Bingen, Lesla Newman, Michael Dennis Browne, and Rumi. Passages from Matts personal journal, interviews and writings from his parents Judy and Dennis Shepard, newspaper reports and additional texts by Johnson and Browne are poignantly appointed throughout the work.

Considering Matthew Shepard joins the ranks of many significant artistic responses to Matthew Shepards legacy. Most noteworthy is The Laramie Project by Moises Kaufman and the members of the Tectonic Theater Project, which has been seen by more than 30 million people. Jason Marsden, Executive Director of the Matthew Shepard Foundation calls Considering Matthew Shepard by far the most intricate, beautiful, and unyielding artistic response to this notorious anti-gay hate crime.

Matthew Shepards story must never be forgotten.

Director: Dustin Willetts