Matthew Shepard
Matthew is the main character in the play even though he never really appears because he dies before the beginning of the play. Matthew, more commonly known just as Matt, was a gay student killed in Laramie in 1998. He is described by the other characters in the play and the reader is able to see him evolve even though he never appears on stage. Matt was assaulted and beaten by two other men and it is suggested that the reason they done that was because he was a gay man. Matt was openly homosexual in a homophobic society and that put him in danger and exposed him to bulling and other kinds of abuse. Despite this, he wanted to one day fight for rights of the gay community and help the straight community get over the prejudice they had towards the gay community. His efforts however inspired those who knew him and they continued doing the work Matt hoped to be doing one day.
Aaron McKinney
Aaron is one of the men accused of killing Matt. Aaron was a man born and raised in Laramie and he was known as being a troublemaker. Aaron was raised in a dysfunctional family and as a result he grew up to have homophobic views. Aaron hated homosexuals and his rage became sometimes uncontrollable when it was fueled by drugs and reckless drinking. On the night of the murder, Aaron planned to steal from Matt who appeared to be a wealthy kid but things escalated and Aaron became violent. In comparison with Russell, Aaron did not try to hide his actions and did not tried to plead guilty to escape the death sentence. He was however not sentenced to death but to life in prison without parole. Even after being convicted, he did not seem remorseful for what he had done and was instead proud of his actions.
Russell Henderson
Russell Henderson is the other man involved in Matt’s murder. Russell is good friends with Aaron and the two were together the night they killed Aaron. Russell showed more compassion and remorse than Aaron and he claimed that he was only driving the car and that he didn’t actually hit Matt. What he did however was to tie him to the fence and thus he was just as guilty as Aaron. It is implied that he was a frequent drug user just as Aaron and he was convinced by Aaron to try and rob Matt. In comparison with Aaron, Russell pleaded guilty and was offered two life sentences without parole.
Reggie Fluty
Reggie is the police officer who was the first one to arrive at the scene of the crime. She tried to help Matt and get him off the fence and in the process she came into contact with his blood. When it was later revealed that Matt was HIV positive, Reggie began to be treated for HIV but in the end her results came back negative. Reggie never blamed Matt for almost infecting her but she did resent the boys that put Matt in that condition and claimed that if she were to get infected, it would be because of Aaron and Russell, the two men that killed Matt.
Romaine Patterson
Romaine was a good friend with Matt and also a colleague of his at the University. She is also a lesbian woman who gets involved in the LGBT movement after Matt’s death. She is also the one who organized the angel protest at the trial of the two men involved in Matt’s murder and who protested peacefully against the Baptist Minister, Revered Phelps. At the end of the play she admits that she will get involved in the gay rights movement just like Matt wanted to do when he was still alive.
Aaron Kreifels
Aaron is a Laramie resident who found Matt tied to the fence. Aaron discovered him almost by chance while he was biking and felt from his bike in the area where Matt was tied to the fence. Aaron then called the police and tried to help Matt by giving him CPR until help came. He is the one who compared Matt with a scarecrow and who told the actor that the place where Matt was left to die became something akin a holy spot for the gay community in Laramie.
Kristin Price
Kristin was Aaron’s girlfriend at the time of the murder and the two were living together in a trailer with their infant child. Kristin tried to help Aaron by offering him an alibi but he was convicted nevertheless and she was charged as an accessory in the murder.
Matt Galloway
Matt was the bartender at the bar where Matthew was last seen alive. Matt was interviewed by the theater company and he described Matthew as being a good person, a good customer who never caused any type of troubles. He is also one of the witnesses in the case against Aaron and Russell.
Greg Pierotti
Greg is a member of the theater company from New York that went to Laramie to interview the people who were close to Matt. Greg conducts some interviews and he is one of the people who went to the place where Matt was left to die.
Murdock Cooper
Murdock is one of the men interviewed by the theater company in Laramie. He is one of the people that suggested that maybe Matt was also partially to blame for what happened to him if he hit on Aaron.
Rob Debree
Rob is the detective that investigated Matt’s murder. He is the one who interrogated Aaron and who presented his confession in the court. He then becomes interested in the LGBT cause and at the end of the play confesses that the case changed his perception about the gay community.
Rulon Stacey
Rulon is a member of the Mormon Church and the CEO of the hospital where Matt was taken to when he was discovered tied to the fence. Rulon was the one who frequently made statements to the public about Matt’s state. Despite being a religious man, he chooses to show sympathy towards the family and tries to understand the struggles the family has to face.
Revered Fred Phelps
Revered Fred Phelps is a minister in the Westboro Baptist Church. He comes to Laramie when Matt is killed and he gathers with a group of his supporters at Matt’s funeral where they protest against homosexuality. Their approach however is filled with hatred and the people gathered there to protest shouted homophobic messages.
Father Roger Schmit
Father Roger is the Catholic priest in Laramie who is also interviewed. In comparison with other religious leaders, he is not as against the gay community as the Mormon or Baptist Church. While he does agree that homosexuality is a sin, he thinks that doesn’t give the others the right to hate on those who chose to live their life differently. According to him, everyone should accept the choices other people make and be loving and accepting. Father Roger also organizes a vigil for Matt in the Church even though he knew that he will be criticized for his decision.
Matt Mickelson
Mickelson is the owner of the bar where Matt was last seen alive. He is interviewed by the theater company and despite agreeing that Aaron and Russell should be punished for what they did, he is against the death penalty.
Zubaida Ula
Zubaida is a student from Laramie who defines herself as a Muslim feminist. She is interviewed and tells the interviewer that she had to face prejudice as well because she decided to wear a veil. Zubaida was present at Matt’s funeral and she was saddened to see the religious bigotry and the fact that a religious group decided to protest his funeral.
The Baptist Minister
The Baptist Minister is an important character but he remains unnamed. He is among the more extremist religious leaders but he is not as extremist as Revered Phelps. The Baptist Minster claimed that homosexuality is a sin but he also states that he does not force anyone to share his views. He also hoped that Aaron and Russell would be sentenced to death for their crimes.
Doc O’Connor
Doc is a limousine driver in Laramie who was frequently hired by Matt who told him to take him to different gay bars. Doc talks fondly about Matt and about his character and he doesn’t consider that what Matt did was wrong to the extent that he deserved to die.
Rebecca Hilliker
Rebecca is among the first people interviewed in Laramie by the New York theater company. She is the head of the theater company and she later stages the play Angels in America after Matt’s funeral.
Marge Murray
Marge is a social worker in Laramie who is interviewed by the theater company. Marge has a daughter, the police officer that was the first on the scene where Matt was left to die. After Marge found that Matt was HIV positive and that her daughter may have been infected as well, she tried to convince Reggie to give up her job but was unsuccessful.
Stephen Mead Johnson
Stephen Mead Johnson is a Unitarian Minister who, in comparison with the other religious leaders, is the most accepting towards the LGBT community. He is criticized by the others for his views but he considers that God wants everyone to be loving, not hating those who are different.
Dennis Shepard
Dennis is Matt’s father who appears only during the trial of the two men that murdered his son. Despite everything that happened, Dennis and his wife chose not to push for the death penalty for Aaron thinking that was not what their son would have wanted.
Jedadiah Schultz
Jedadiah Schultz is a resident of Laramie and a theater student at the University of Wyoming. He is fairly accepting towards gay people and even played in The Angels of America where he portrayed a gay character. Despite this, he admits that he has to face some problems because his parents are not as accepting as he is and thus he is sometimes judged for his sentiments and attitude towards the gay community.
Tiffany Edwards
Tiffany is a local reporter in Laramie and she was also present at Matt’s funeral and at Aaron’s and Russell’s trials. She reported on the protests that took place then and about the way the Baptist Church reacted.
Shannon
Shannon is a woman who is interviewed at the Fireside Bar. Shannon was one of Aaron’s classmate and friends and she is the one who reveals that Aaron had a drug problem. She also concludes by saying that his judgment was probably affected by the drugs he was probably using at the time when the murder happened.
Dr. Cantway
Dr. Cantway was the doctor who worked at the hospital the day when Matt was discovered. The doctor describes Matt’s injuries and lets the reader know just how severe they were by comparing them to the injuries a person involved in a car crash would normally sustain. This has the purpose of showing the brutality with which Matt was attacked by the other boys.
Zackie Salmon
Zackie is a faculty member at the University of Laramie and she is also an openly lesbian woman. She moved to Laramie from Texas and she talks about the struggles the gay community has to face because they are open about their sexuality. Zackie claims that there is a large gay community in Laramie but because they fear for their lives, they chose to remain hidden and to not associate themselves with people who are open about their sexuality.
Detective Sergeant Hing
The Detective appears in Act 1:A definition and he describes himself as a native to Laramie. The Detective was born and raised in Laramie and he considers the city as being the best place a person could live in. he is however sadden to see that the town’s reputation was destroyed forever by Matthew’s murder and believes that there is more to the town than the bad reputation it ended up having.
Gill and Eileen Engen
The two are a ranching couple who believe that taking care of the land is extremely important. They are interviewed in Act 1: A definition and they later express their opinion and state that they do not believe that Matt’s murder had anything to do with the town’s homophobic attitude.
Philip Dubois
Philip is the president of the University in Wyoming who claims that Laramie is a safe place for his children and for his family. He is interviewed in Act 1: A definition.
April Silvia
April is a student who moved to Laramie when she started college and who admits that she likes Laramie better than her old town.
Andy Paris
Andy is a member of the Tectonic Theater Project who went to Laramie and who conducted some interviews.
Stephen Belber
Stephen is a member of the Tectonic Theater Project who went to Laramie and conducted some interviews, Stephen confessed that he felt that their presence was not welcomed and even had second thoughts about wheatear he was going to go to Laramie or not.
Amanda Gronich
Amanda is a member of the Tectonic Theater Project who went to Laramie and conducted some interviews. She confesses that she did not felt prepared to talk with other people about what happened to Matt.
Barbara Pitts
Barbara is a member of the Tectonic Theater Project who went to Laramie and conducted some interviews. She is the one who saw the signs in the city claiming that Hate is not a Laramie value.
Alison Mears
Alison is a social service worker who lives in Laramie. She is good friends with Marge Murray. Alison is the one who tells Greg that Marge knows more about the case that what she told him.
Trish Steger
Trish is a shopkeeper in Laramie and the sister of one of Matthew’s close friends. She talks fondly about Matt and presents him as a good person interested in making a change.
Anonymous Friend of Aaron McKinney
The anonymous friend remains unnamed but he is important because he gives some information about his friend, Aaron. He is the one who describes Aaron as being a scared child.
Sherry Aanenson
Sherry Aanenson was Russell’s landlord and she never suspected that Russell was able of murdering someone.
Jon Peacock
John was Matt’s academic advisor when he arrived in Laramie. John describes Matt as being a shy child, who was reluctant to open up about his plans for the future and about his ambitions. He did however open up in the end and he admitted that he wanted to militate for human rights and for the rights of the LGBT community.
Jeffrey Lockwood
Jeffrey is a Laramie resident interviewed by the theater company. He claims that he never thought something like that could happen in Laramie because he believed that their children were thought to be accepting of everyone’s lifestyle.
Conrad Miller
Conrad is a Laramie resident interviewed by the theater company. He claims that homosexuality is wrong and should not define human beings but rather only animals.
Sherry Johnson
Sherry is the wife of a police officer in Laramie who feels that Matt’s murder was not the result of homophobia and that saying that it was a hate crime it is not correct. She also has prejudice against Matt because he had AIDS.
Kerry Drake
Kerry is a reporter who was present at Matt’s funeral. He reported about the protests that took place during Matt’s funeral.
Lucy Thompson
Lucy is Russell’s grandmother that is present at the trial. She is also his legal guardian.
Judy Shepard
Judy is Matt’s mother but she does not appear in the play. She is however mentioned by various characters.
Andrew Gomez
Andrew is a man with whom Aaron McKinney was imprisoned with. Andrew claims that Aaron told the other inmates that the only reason he attacked Matt was because he tried to hit on him.
Bill McKinney
Bill McKinney is Aaron’s father, one of the men who killed Matt.
Harry Woods
Harry Woods is a gay resident in Laramie who saw the parade held for Matthew after his death. He was inspired to see so many people gathered in one place to show their support.
Governor Jim Geringer
Jim Geringer was the Governor in Wyoming at the time when Matt was killed. He claimed that while he was against what happened to Matt, he was not going to create special laws to protect the gay community.
Shadow
Shadow is the stage name of a DJ that worked at the bar where Matt was last seen alive.
Doug Laws
Doug is a Mormon minister in Laramie who is interviewed.
Phil Labrie
Phil was one of Matt’s friends who was interviewed.
