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Considering Matthew Shepard
, Forrest now co-directs the national tour of the
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done for dozens of orchestras from coast to coast. My goal in
creating these key still and moving images was to guide the
audience through the narrative while re ecting its meaning
and conveying its mood.
As our work on the project progressed, we continued to
ponder a key question: Why did Matthew’s death become such
a national event and resonate with such force?
Researching deeper into the story, I realized that perhaps
the main reason is the central image:
the fence
. Although
Matthew’s family rejects any talk of their son’s death as a
cruci xion, the profound visual connection to Christ dying on
the cross is inescapable. Also, as was the case with the Biblical
cruci xion, death did not come quickly. Matthew, severely
beaten, was le alone but alive on the fence for hours. His
family, along with the nation, conducted mournful vigils. For
a time, there was hope that he would survive, but his injuries
proved too severe, and a er ve days, his su ering at last came
to an end.
It’s also important to remember the cultural context of
Matthew’s time. Gay men and women were beginning to attain
a level of acceptance that had been unknown until then. Ellen
DeGeneres came out as a lesbian on primetime television in
April
. e rst episode of
Will and Grace
aired on network
television in September
. Matthew was killed a month
later, a cruel and senseless murder that provoked widespread
revulsion. I have come to realize the
connection between this cultural evo-
lution, Matthew’s death, the
Hate
Crimes Prevention Act (o cially named
in honor of both Matthew Shepard and
James Byrd Jr., a black man lynched by
white supremacists), and the passage
in
of the Marriage Equality Act.
Sometimes we create meaning to accept
death; sometimes death results in real
change. Such is one of the main messag-
es in
Considering Matthew Shepard
.
Beyond the social implications of the
work, this project has had deep personal
meaning for me. e TV version was
produced by the PBS station KLRU,
which is housed on the campus of my
alma mater, University of Texas–Aus-
tin. To my surprise and delight, our
rst production meeting was held in a
conference room in a building where
I’d attended classes almost years
earlier. Among the emotions that swept
through me as I entered the building
was gratitude to be a part of this enter-
prise. at sense of gratitude swelled as
I worked with our great creative team.
Sara Robertson, KLRU’s Senior Vice
President for Production and Technol-
ogy, led the project with grace and skill.
Our TV director was Conor McAnally,
an industry veteran with a charming Irish brogue who has
directed countless episodes of the long-running PBS series
Austin City Limits.
Craig, Rod, Conor, Sara, and Conspirare’s
Managing Director Ann McNair and I enjoyed great chemistry
as we worked to turn a choral piece into compelling TV view-
ing and now the live tour.
I was thrilled to work with such high-end resources. e TV
special was lmed in the stunning ,
-seat Moody eater
using eight cameras, two jibs (camera cranes), and crew of .
ere were singers on stage backed by an ensemble of seven
instrumentalists. A massive enterprise by any measure! e
special will be broadcast in the fall of
.
e shoot and the subsequent live-tour performances
have been an emotional experience for all of us involved—in-
cluding, most importantly, the audiences. Matthew’s parents
Dennis and Judy, who appear as characters in the piece, have
supported this project from the beginning and have conveyed
their gratitude for our work. We, in turn, are grateful for their
continued advocacy.
And for myself, I’m thankful for the opportunity to have
played a role in conveying the message of this beautiful piece
to the wider audience it deserves.
Elliott Forrest is a Peabody Award–winning broadcaster, producer, and director
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RAVINIA MAGAZINE | SEPTEMBER 3, 2018 – MAY 11, 2019
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