The play begins with something entitled A definition in which the characters come forward, present themselves and say how they have been affected or how they were not affected by Matthew’s murder. The author of the play also comes forward and presents the creative process of the play and how it is the result of hours and hours of interviews and research.
The characters mentioned are Detective Sergeant Hing, Eileen Engen, Doc O’Connor, Philip Dubois, Zackie Salmon, April Silva and Jedadiah Schultz. The general impression left is that the town is a peaceful one and that the characters feel frustrated to a point because their town’s reputation was tarnished by a murder.
In the next part, the narrator presents different diary entries from different actors and members of the theater company asked to go and interview people in Laramie. What seemed to be common was a sense of fear that dominated and the sense that their presence would be intrusive in the small town. The actors agreed nevertheless to go to Laramie and interview people about Matthew’s case. The company felt out of place in Laramie and they were all amazed to see herds of buffalo. The company then begins to assist at different religious services and they divide themselves to cover more ground much quickly.
A person who did get involved was Rebecca Hilliker, the head of the theater department in Laramie and she hoped that art will help the people involved get some kind of closure and move on without hating those involved. The next person who was interviewed was Jedadiah Schultz a student who won a theater scholarship.
In the next chapter, two social workers named Alison and Marge are interviewed and Marge points that for the people in the town, education is extremely important. She also claims that the people in the city tend not to get involved in controversial matters and most people would not do the things the two boys did to Matthew.
Next, a shopkeeper who knew Matt is interviewed. The shopkeeper, Trish Steger talked fondly about Matt but also revealed that he was open about his sexuality and did not try to hide it at all. Trish’s sister, Romaine was a close friend with Matt and when Romaine was interviewed she told that Matt was a funny man, with a charming man and interested in politics. Matt was interested in human rights and he wanted to make a difference and militate for the rights of the LGBT community.
Doc O’Connor claims that there are many gay people in Wyoming but most of them chose to remain not discuss openly their sexuality so many people are not aware of the gay community. A woman named Catherine Connolly who is also a university teacher and a lesbian claims that there are indeed many lesbians and gay men in the city but they fear the public so they remain for the most part hidden and chose not to associate themselves with people who are openly gay. Then, another gay man named Jonas Slonaker writes that he is often asked by other gay men how he can live in a town like Laramie since they have prejudice against gay men.
In the next part, various members of religious groups are interviewed and they all talk about homosexuals from a religious perspective. The people interviewed are a Baptist Minister, a Unitarian Minister named Stephen Mead and a Mormon leader named Doug Laws. Some characterize religion in the same way they would with politics and put religiousness on a scale, from left to right. The religious group that acted in the most surprising manner was the Catholic Church and a Catholic priest named Father Roger even organized a vigil for Matthew. The other religious groups however did nothing and just claimed that they were following what the Bible said. Some even hinted that they were okay with what happened to Matt because it was his choice and he had to face the consequences of his actions.
In Act 1: Lifestyle 1, a phone conversation between a woman named Amanda and the wife of the Baptist Minister is presented. Amanda called to talk with the Minister about what he said about homosexuals but his wife claims that his views are correct but that he doesn’t promote violence either.
Next, the actors went to the bar where Matt was last seen alive and talked with the bartender and the owner of the bar. From their words, it seemed that Matt was just a normal man who did not spend his every waking moment trying to pick up guys as some other people suggested. Then, Matt’s killers came in, ordered a beer and played some pool. The two men were named Aaron and Russell and according to Aaron’s girlfriend, Matt tried to hit on Aaron and thus they decided to rob him. The bartender points out however that this was not true and that Matt never hit on anyone in the bar. The bartender finishes by saying that he saw Matt leaving with the two men.
The actors visited the place where Matthew was left to die and Mead Johnson claimed that the place became something akin to a holy spot for those who knew Matt. The person who discovered him was a boy named Aaron Kreifels who went through that area with his bike. At first, Aaron thought that Matt was a scarecrow and only when he got closer he realized that it was a real person. The person who responded to Aaron’s call was Officer Reggie who later told that Matt was covered almost entirely in blood. Reggie tried to help Matt as best as she could but she saw that he had a deep head wound.
Aaron and Reggie took Matt down from the fence and then an ambulance took Matt to the hospital where he was treated by Dr. Cantway.
In the second act, the characters reveal how they found about Matt’s attack and their initial thought that maybe it was not the Matt they knew. When the bartenders realized that the two men Matt left the night before were most likely the culprits they went to the police to tell them what they knew. Aaron McKinney and Russell Henders were charged with assault and then brought in front of a judge. The judge found the two men guilty and concluded that they also wanted to rob Matt’s house. The police also found some of Matt’s belonging in one of the men’s car.
After the attack, the press became interested in Laramie and some of the residents were bothered by this fact. They also confessed that they no longer felt safe and as confortable in their own town as they used to in the past. Some people even blame Matt for what happened to him saying that he must have hit on one of the boys and that was the reason why he was attacked. The rest of the gay community in Laramie felt threatened even worst when they heard such accusations and confessed that they no longer felt safe manifesting in public their affection for their partners.
Some feel that the only reason the story became so popular was because Matt was a homosexual. Were he a normal guy, the media would have not be interested in the case.
Matthew arrived at the hospital in critical condition and after a few days, he died. The two men charged with the murder pleaded not guilty even though it was clear that they were the ones to blame. The people who had some kind of contact with Matt the day before he died felt guilty that they did not notice that something was wrong and kept asking themselves what they could have done to save Matt. Some people became angry at Matt after they found out that he was infected with HIV and everyone who got into contact with his blood had to get tested and start taking treatment. The person who was exposed the most was Officer Reggie but she did not blamed Matt for having HIV like other people did.
After Matthew’s death was announced, vigils were held for him all over the country and people who never knew him expressed their condolences. Vigils were held in Laramie as well but some people who were present there tried to minimalize the gravity of the problem and were more interested in fixing the city’s broken reputation. A moment was even held for Matthew during the homecoming parade and even those who did not knew him were moved by the sight of the parade.
Two girls who knew both Matt and the two men who killed him claimed that the boys would have never done something like that unless they were provoked but they also revealed that the two men were drug addicts so a violent attitude would not have been so hard to explain.
Another person who got involved and organized vigils for Matt was the catholic priest, Father Roger. He knew that he would be criticized for doing such a thing but he felt that it was his duty to do it and to give a positive example for the other people living in Laramie. The Baptist Minister however was not as forgiving and when he was contacted by the theater company he tried to protect his views and claimed that while they may seem radical, he doesn’t try to impose his views on anyone else. He also claims that he hopes the two men involved in Matt’s murder will receive the death penalty.
The second Act closes with the company going back to New York but promising to return when Aaron’s and Russell’s trials will be held.
The third act opens with various characters talking about Matt’s funeral that took place on a snowy day. The funeral was held in two separate churches because a large number of people wanted to attend the service. The funeral was protested against by the Baptist Church who claimed that the gay community tried to push their own secret agenda and that they were using Matt’s death in their advantage. The group began shouting homophobic slurs but another group tried to ‘’fight’’ them by singing ‘’Amazing Grace’’.
When Russell’s trial came up, he claimed that he wanted to change his statement and plead guilty instead. Russell came forward and expressed his regret and hope that he will one day be forgiven. The judge however refuses to believe him and gives him to consecutive life sentences.
For Aaron’s case however, it is implied that it will most likely be a death penalty case. Aaron confessed that he premeditated the robbery but claimed that he only became violent only after Matt put his hand on his leg. He also confessed that Matt begged for his life but he refused to listen and hit him with his pistol and with his fists. The jury finds Aaron guilty of robbery, first-degree murder and kidnapping and thus he qualified for the death penalty. Despite not being against the death penalty, Matt’s parents decided to ask for life in prison for Aaron instead of the capital punishment.
The play ends with some information about various characters in the play. While Matt’s death changed many, what it did not change was the legislation so little things were improved when it came to protecting the gay community.
The writer tells the audience that the play was the result of six visits to Laramie and over 200 interviews over the course of a year. During those visits, the company became close with various characters and became sure that while the city had its problems, they were not impossible to fix.
