For many in the LGBT community, the murder of Matthew Shepard is simultaneously harrowing and mythical: it brought forth hatred in its most viceral state while also ushering in a surge of LGBT activists, lobbyists, and supporters that was needed in order for the community to take a step forward in garnering rights during the late 90s and early 00s.
And though controversy still surrounds his death and who he was, theatre has often been a medium used to tell Matthew’s story. Moises Kaufman’s The Laramie Project—a series of interviews with those involved in Matthew’s life or murder acted out—has become an iconic piece of theatre as well as the most well-known piece of art focused on Matthew’s murder. Various productions, in which Laura Linney, Peter Fonda, Cyndi Lauper, Christina Ricci, Stockard Channing, Darren Criss, and more have performed, have reached multiple countries across the world.
This year marks the 15th anniversary of Matthew’s death and, adding to the canon of art that has already been contributed to Matthew’s story, the South Coast Chorale (SCC) has gathered to perform Beyond the Fence.
In an interesting twist, rather than tell the tale of Matthew’s murder, SCC has opted to look at the way in which the murder altered the American legal, social, and cultural landscape.
In addition to its six scheduled performances, two forums on bullying will be held on October 12 and 19 at 6:30PM before the performances those evenings.
SCC will premiere Beyond the Fence on October 11 at 8PM at the Scottish Rite Theatre located at 855 Elm Avenue. Additional 8PM performances are scheduled for October 12, 18, and 19; matinee performances at 2PM will occur on October 13 and 20. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased by clicking here.