Matthew is a slight, twenty-one-year-old student at the University of Wyoming who aspires to work in human rights. He comes from a wealthy family and is generous with his money, never worrying about expenses. He is friendly and approachable, often striking up conversations with strangers in local bars. His brutal beating becomes the central incident that the town must examine.

Aaron is a twenty-one-year-old roofer living in a trailer with his girlfriend and their young son. He struggles with poverty and occasionally acts tough, dressing in designer labels to project confidence. He harbors deep insecurities and strong anti-gay prejudices. His actions on the night of the crime force the community to confront the violence within its borders.

Russell is a young local man who acts as Aaron's accomplice. Friends describe him as sweet and passive when he is not drinking or in trouble. He is easily influenced by Aaron and fails to intervene during the assault. Raised in the Mormon faith, his involvement in the crime shocks those who knew him growing up.

Reggie is an Albany County policewoman who acts as the first responder to the crime scene. She works pragmatically and quickly to save the victim's life, initially mistaking his age due to his slight build. During the rescue, she faces a personal medical crisis after being exposed to the victim's blood without adequate protective gear. She maintains a professional demeanor despite the heavy trauma of the investigation.

Rebecca is the head of the theatre department at the University of Wyoming. She welcomes the interviewers and views their project as a necessary educational tool for her students. She confronts local conservatism by programming plays that address complex social issues directly, aiming to broaden her students' perspectives.

Jedadiah is a talented university theatre student from a religious background. He earns a scholarship by performing a scene from a play about gay men, causing a rift with his conservative parents who refuse to attend. He initially distances himself from the gay community but slowly changes his perspective as he engages with the theatre project.

Rob is the Chief Investigating Officer for the Albany County Sheriff's Office. He possesses a methodical and determined approach to solving cases. The severity of the crime personally affects him and alters his previously indifferent attitude toward gay residents. He dedicates himself entirely to securing convictions for the attackers, even at the cost of alienating old friends.

Moisés is the founder of the Tectonic Theatre Project. He initiates the trip to Wyoming to investigate how the town processes the violent crime. He guides his actors through their apprehensions and structures the resulting interviews into a cohesive narrative about the community.

Matt is a student and the bartender at The Fireside. He observes the interactions between his patrons on the night of the crime, noting Matthew's polite behavior and the attackers' arrival. He takes pride in his work and expresses deep regret that he did not intervene or notice the danger sooner. He strongly opposes the death penalty, preferring non-violent justice.

Romaine is a close friend of the victim and an aspiring rock star. She provides insight into his generous and vulnerable nature. Rather than retreating in grief, she organizes peaceful demonstrations—including dressing as an angel—to block out homophobic protests. She eventually decides to study political science to continue her activism.

Doc is a local limousine driver and self-appointed expert on the town's culture. He speaks bluntly about the unacknowledged presence of gay people in Wyoming. He admires honesty and dismisses the polite fiction that sexuality does not matter to the locals.

Marge is a long-time resident who offers a localized perspective on class divides and rural culture. She insists that most people live by a hands-off philosophy, though she recognizes the underlying threat of violence for those who stand out. She worries intensely about her daughter's health and safety following the crime.

The unnamed Baptist Minister represents a strict, conservative religious viewpoint in the town. He condemns the murder but refuses to express sympathy for the victim's sexual orientation. He views homosexuality as a choice and focuses his efforts entirely on the spiritual salvation of the attackers.

Father Schmit is a Catholic priest who organizes a public vigil after the crime. He speaks forcefully against all forms of bigotry, including the everyday slurs that create a culture of violence. He challenges the visiting interviewers to tell the story correctly and respectfully.

Catherine is a university professor and the first openly gay faculty member on campus. She experiences severe anxiety following the attack. Her visibility makes her a contact point for other closeted residents, demonstrating the isolation felt by the local minority population.

Jonas is a gay man living in the community who regularly travels to larger cities for social connection. He sharply criticizes the town's passive approach to tolerance. He argues that staying silent for the sake of safety is not true freedom.

Aaron is a university student who accidentally discovers the victim while cycling. He misidentifies the injured man as a scarecrow before realizing the truth. He relies heavily on his faith to process the trauma, believing a higher power guided him there so the victim would not be alone.

Zubaida is a Muslim feminist and university student. She challenges the town's desire to distance itself from the crime, insisting that residents must accept responsibility for the local culture. She feels conflicted because she attended school with one of the attackers.

Matt is the owner of the bar where the kidnapping begins. He takes pride in the state's pioneer history of equality. He feels defensive about the national media coverage but cooperates fully with the investigation and questions his employees about the night's events.

Reverend Phelps is a minister from the Westboro Baptist Church. He travels to the town specifically to picket the victim's funeral with offensive signs. He uses the tragedy to promote his extreme anti-gay rhetoric on a national stage.

Dennis is the grieving father of the victim. He requests privacy for his family during the intense media frenzy surrounding his son's hospitalization. When he later addresses the court, he makes a difficult choice regarding the sentencing of his son's attackers.

Dr. Cantway is the emergency room physician who treats both the victim and, coincidentally, one of the attackers on the same night. He catalogs the severe injuries with professional detachment but privately wishes the perpetrators had been strangers rather than locals.

Rulon is the CEO of the local hospital. He acts as the official spokesperson for the medical staff and the victim's family. Though he holds conservative personal views regarding homosexuality, he breaks down in tears while reading the medical updates, overwhelmed by the hatred behind the crime.

Trish is a local shop owner and the sister of the victim's close friend. She provides a grounded, everyday perspective on the town's reaction to the crime. She reflects on the heavy burden placed on the local jury members during the trials.

Lucy is the grandmother of one of the attackers. She pleads with the court for mercy, hoping to keep her grandson in her life. Her presence highlights the generational devastation caused by the crime and the impact on the attackers' families.

Kristin is Aaron's girlfriend and the mother of his young son. She lives in a trailer with him and is initially charged as an accessory to the crime. She repeats his defensive claims about the night of the attack, insisting the victim provoked him.

Shannon is a friend of one of the attackers. He casually uses homophobic slurs while insisting that the attack was merely a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. His casual bigotry reflects the environment that produced the attackers.

Jen is a friend of Aaron and Russell. She freely admits that the two men had a history of robbing people prior to the central crime. She acknowledges that homophobia likely played a part in their violence, offering a stark contrast to Shannon's excuses.