In October 1998, a twenty-one-year-old student at the University of Wyoming was kidnapped, severely beaten, and left tied to a fence in the middle of the prairie outside Laramie, Wyoming. His bloody, bruised, and battered body was not discovered until the next day, and he died several days later in an area hospital. His name was Matthew Shepard, and he was the victim of this assault because he was gay. Moisés Kaufman and fellow members of the Tectonic Theater Project made six trips to Laramie over the course of a year and a half, in the aftermath of the beating and during the trial of the two young men accused of killing Shepard. They conducted more than 200 interviews with the people of the town. Some people interviewed were directly connected to the case, while others were citizens of Laramie, and the breadth of the reactions to the crime is fascinating. Kaufman and Tectonic Theater members have constructed a deeply moving theatrical experience from these interviews and their own experiences in Laramie. THE LARAMIE PROJECT is a breathtaking collage that explores the depths to which humanity can sink and the heights of compassion of which we are capable.

How Do You Like Me Now (HDYLMN) Productions, Inc. exists because great success is the best revenge.

The organization formed following the suicide death of a local young man named Nicolas.

“Nic” had been bullied relentlessly about his perceived sexual orientation — perceived because, at 14, how could anyone other than Nick have known? — before ending his life on October 8, 2011. While his classmates celebrated a birthday less than two miles away, Nic tragically left this world, his family and his friends.

We, the founders of HDYLMN (Ed, Grant and Robert), felt compelled to take action. For months, we attempted to honor Nic’s memory and raise awareness of the devastating impact of bullying by working with local community theaters to bring a production of “The Laramie Project” to the stage.

Finally, frustrated by insurmountable obstacles, we started our own nonprofit theater to produce the play in Howard County, thus beginning an amazing adventure. And though Robert soon moved on to pursue other opportunities, HDYLMN continues to push forward in its mission.

The organization has expanded into two divisions: (1) Stand Up For…Theatre (SUFT) presents musicals and straight plays with themes that advocate acceptance over tolerance. (2) Erase Hate Through Art (EHTA) curates fine art exhibitions of original work by artists who support our fight against bullying and hate crimes in the LGBTQ community and for all of humanity. 

EHTA also volunteers to curate exhibits at More Than Java Café (MTJC) on Main Street in Laurel, Md.

MTJC opened in 2015 planning to display the work of local artists to set a relaxing tone for customers to enjoy their coffee and healthy food. 

Every 28 days, EHTA and MTJC — a minority, women-owned business serving coffee from Dublin Roasters Coffee of Frederick, Md. (also women-owned) and teas by local tea master Minna Nilanont of Hemp Kettle Tea Company — feature a new artist working in a unique medium using one-of-a-kind techniques.

Previous exhibits have included works created with encaustic (bees) wax, sharpie marker on canvas and even make-up on paper.

HDYLMN also produces the “Magic and Muggles” summer camp for 8–12-year-olds at the Chesapeake Arts Center in Brooklyn Park, Md. Loosely based on the J. K. Rowling books, “Magic and Muggles” is an art and theater camp structured to teach kids how to deal with bullying while creating on-theme art projects. The camp culminates in the presentation of an original play written by HDYLMN co-founder Ed Higgins.

Our motto is: “When you get there, look over your shoulder and ask, ‘How do you like me now?’”