Rebecca Hilliker—Head of the theater department at the University of Wyoming, in her forties; midwestern accent.

Sergeant Hing—Detective at the Laramie Police Department, in his forties.

Jen—A friend of Aaron McKinney, in her early twenties.

Sherry Johnson—Administrative assistant at the university, in her forties.

Stephen Mead Johnson—Unitarian minister, in his fifties.

Two Judges

Jurors and Foreperson

Moisés Kaufman—Member of Tectonic Theater Project.

Aaron Kreifels—University student, nineteen years old.

Phil Labrie—Friend of Matthew Shepard, in his late twenties; eastern European accent.

Doug Laws—Stake Ecclesiastical leader for the Mormon Church in Laramie, in his fifties.

Jeffrey Lockwood—Laramie resident, in his forties.

Aaron McKinney—One of the perpetrators, twenty-one years old.

Bill McKinney—Father of Aaron McKinney, in his forties; truck driver.

Alison Mears—Volunteer for a social service agency in town, in her fifties; very good friend of Marge Murray.

Media / newspaper people

Matt Mickelson—Owner of the Fireside, in his thirties.

Conrad Miller—Car mechanic, in his thirties.

Mormon home teacher to Russell Henderson—In his sixties.

Marge Murray—Reggie Fluty’s mother, in his seventies; has emphysema but continues to smoke.

Doc O’Connor—Limousine driver and local entrepreneur, in his fifties.

Andy Paris—Member of Tectonic Theater Project.

Romaine Patterson—Lesbian, twenty-one years old.

Jon Peacock—Matthew Shepard’s academic adviser, in his thirties; political science professor.

Reverend Fred Phelps—Minister from Kansas, in his sixties.

Greg Pierotti—Member of Tectonic Theater Project.

Barbara Pitts—Member of Tectonic Theater Project.

Kristin Price—Girlfriend of Aaron McKinney, in her twenties; has a son with Aaron; Tennessee accent.

Priest at the funeral

Cal Rerucha—Prosecuting attorney, in his fifties.

Zackie Salmon—Administrator at the University of Wyoming, in her forties; lesbian; Texas accent.

Father Roger Schmit—Catholic priest, in his forties; very outspoken.

Jedadiah Schultz—University student, nineteen years old.

Shadow—DJ at the Fireside; African American man, in his thirties.

Shannon—A friend of Aaron McKinney, in his early twenties.

Dennis Shepard—Father of Matthew Shepard, in his forties; Wyoming native.

April Silva—Bisexual university student, nineteen years old.

Jonas Slonaker—Gay man, in his forties.

Rulon Stacey—CEO Poudre Valley Hospital in Fort Collins, Colorado, in his forties; a Mormon.

Trish Steger—Romaine Patterson’s sister, in her forties; owner of a shop in town.

Lucy Thompson—Grandmother of Russell Henderson, in her sixties; working-class woman who provided a popular daycare service for the town.

Zubaida Ula—Muslim woman, in her twenties.

Waitress (Debbie Reynolds)

Harry Woods—Gay Laramie resident, fifty-two years old.

NOTE: When a character is not named (for example, friend of Aaron McKinney, “Baptist minister”), it is at the person’s request.

PLACE:

Laramie, Wyoming, U.S.A.

TIME:

1998–99

ABOUT THE STAGING