LOOKING BACK A DECADE LATER

“The Laramie Project” draws on more than 200 interviews conducted with residents of Laramie, Wyo., starting just one month after the 1998 murder of University of Wyoming student Matthew Shepard (pictured, in an undated file photo). His killers were convicted in what was considered an anti-gay hate crime. Director George Neilson has added the subtitle “... Ten Years On” to his Pepperdine multimedia production (opening Tuesday) in hopes of sparking debate about how far we’ve come and need to go. “The theme of the play -- a plea for the acceptance of others, for reconciliation and understanding and compassion -- is as relevant in 2008 as it was in 1998,” he says, “and it will always be relevant.” 7:30 p.m. Tue.-Feb. 1; 2 and 7:30 p.m. Feb. 2. Ends Feb. 2. Helen E. Lindhurst Theatre, Pepperdine University. $15. (310) 506-4522; www.pepperdine.edu.arts