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. This three-part fusion oratorio speaks with a fresh and bold voice, incorporating a variety of musical styles seamlessly woven into a unified whole. Intertwined with a wide range of poetic and soulful texts by poets, passages from Matt’s personal journal, interviews and writings from his parents Judy and Dennis Shepard, newspaper reports and additional texts are poignantly appointed throughout the work. This performance is presented by INNOVATheatre and made possible in part by generous grants from the Middletown Community Foundation and First Financial Bank.


Free parking behind the building off of Broad Street and off of First Street.