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Not In My Town
120'
English
Synopsis
The musical drama recounts the 1998 torture and murder of Matthew Shepard, a gay college student, through the eyes of his best friend, Romaine Patterson. The story covers his meeting with Patterson, who is a lesbian, his social life, the attack, and his death. The narrative then follows Patterson's response, including her breaking up a protest by a fundamentalist preacher at Shepard's funeral, the trial of the killers, and her eventual activism and marriage proposal from her girlfriend, Olivia.
Composer
Michael W. Ross
Lyricist / Librettist / Playwright
Michael W. Ross
Year of composition/publication / premiere
2013
Genre
Opera
LGBTQAI+ category
Gay, Lesbian
Level of centrality
Main character
Characters
Matthew Shepard, Romaine Patterson, Olivia
Voice type
Mezzo-Soprano, Tenor
Pronouns
Matthew Shepard: he/him; Romaine Patterson: she/her; Olivia: she/her
Publisher / Rights holder
Where to buy / access the work
Performance rights
For performance rights, please contact the composer and/or publisher to ensure legal compliance.
Official website
Audio recording(s)
Video performance(s)
Keywords
Matthew Shepard, hate crime, LGBTQA rights, Romaine Patterson, Michael Ross, musical drama, opera, bullying, tolerance