The Laramie Project is often praised, as in American Theatre by Don Shewey, as "a powerful and evocative work of art." The emotions that were exposed after Matthew Shepard's murder may have focused the world's attention on the town of Laramie, but Kaufman's play, as Shewey pointed out, provides not only Laramie but the entire world "an opportunity . . . to talk about things that are on its mind." As M. S. Mason, writing for the Christian Science Monitor explained: "The arts can shed light on social problems, but rarely does a region like this one have so much need for clarity and thoughtful response to its recent history." The Laramie Project, according to Mason, helps people "put hate crimes in perspective." Mason concluded that Kaufman's play offers "a genuine optimism about human goodness" and a "recognition that evil is not beyond remedy, if we as a society...