Ford's Theatre was one of the many places affected by the government shutdown this year. During the shutdown, they had to move their performances to a local church, who let them use their space. The theatre was to reopen on Wednesday, October 16, thanks to a private donation.
The show affected by the shutdown was The Laramie Project, a play about the reactions to the 1998 murder of Matthew Shepard, a gay man. Wednesday was supposed to be the play's first performance in the theatre.
The gift shop inside Ford's Theatre sells books and DVDs about Shepard, his family, and the play itself. Shepard's mother, who penned the book The Meaning of Matthew: My Son's Murder in Laramie, and a World Transformed, has become an advocate for LGBT rights.
University of Maryland student Anna Rubino (center) enters the theatre Wednesday night expecting to see the play.
A display of brochures gives theatergoers in the lobby something to read while they wait for doors to the show to open.
A brochure for The Laramie Project is accompanied by pamphlets for Ford's Theatre's full season.
A group of disappointed students leaves the theatre after finding out that the show has been cancelled. The National Park Service pulled the plug on the performance just two hours before curtain-call. With such short notice, the performance wasn't able to be moved back to the church in time.
Ford's Theatre employees give their patrons the bad news. The theatre was not able to put on the play until the next day, when the government shutdown ended.
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