Judy Shepard will present “The Legacy of Matthew Shepard” at Saint Paul College on March 27, 2015. Shepard will headline a day of events, including a production of “The Laramie Project” produced by the Saint Paul College Theatre and Drama department. Shepard’s son, Matthew, was an openly gay student who was tortured and murdered because of his sexual orientation in Laramie, Wyoming in October 1998.

Earlier this year, Shepard was featured in the new documentary “Matt Shepard Is a Friend of Mine.” The film, released in February, was produced by Matthew’s close friend Michele Josue.

"We will remember and we need to remember this tragedy," said John Parker – Der Boghossian, director of student life at Saint Paul College. "This day will be a collaboration of student, staff and faculty leadership to honor Matthew’s memory. With recent gains on one very particular issue, gay marriage, we are at risk of ignoring and minimizing the threat of violence that is still very real for so many in the GLBT community."

At 1 p.m. PRISM Campus Alliance, a Saint Paul College student association, will host a resource fair in the college’s learning commons. Students will have a chance to engage with community groups and nonprofits working on GLBT issues in the Twin Cities. At 3 p.m. Mrs. Shepard will speak in the college’s theatre on Matthew’s legacy. At 5:30 p.m. there will be a reception for “The Laramie Project” with Shepard in attendance. At 7:30 p.m. the college will premiere its production of “The Laramie Project” featuring students and a college staff member.

The play was written by Moisés Kaufman and members of the Tectonic Theater Project who traveled to Laramie, Wyoming after Matthew’s death. They conducted more than 200 interviews with people of the town. The result is a play the New York Magazine said is a “mosaic as moving and important as any you will see on the walls of the churches of the world.”

For more information regarding these events, visit www.saintpaul.edu/SpringPlay