An update! (Friday, July 16^th)

And why not? Geez, it's only been three months, or about the average lifespan of the sea slug.

Speaking of slugs, I've been one as far as this website goes. Sorry about that. It certainly isn't for a lack of things to report. Quite the opposite. I better start with the big, upcoming event: the City Theater 10-Minute Play Festival! The good people at CT selected "The Boy Who was Bory With a Tail" and "The Plunge" - and they cast me in three plays, including the aforementioned "Plunge" play. Why me? Cause I'm the only one brave enough to take the plunge, that's why! Well, so's my wife Carol, and the unstoppable Georgie Staley...anyway, we'll certainly be presenting the BARE facts in that show! Ha ha! It'll be a treat to the NAKED eye! Ha ha! You might even say we'll be running around on stage with no clothes on! Ha...wait, strike that last one. Anyway, I'll be at the fest every night. See you there.

It's been a crazy/wonderful few months. So crazy/wonderful, in fact, that I've apparently been reduced to bullet points. I'll try to keep them interesting. To wit:

• APRIL: Went back to NY to see Kristyn Leigh Robinson's play "Poisoned," starring Kathy Buterbaugh and Michael Beattie, at the New York 15 Minute Play Festival. It was a fabulous performance and a great production. It didn't win.



• MAY: The ArtsCenter in Carborro, North Carolina, selects "Something Went Wrong" for their Ten by Ten Play Festival. The author goes wild - even lifting his shirt for the cameras - because the ArtsCenter produced "Yes, Mamet" two years before, and by all accounts, the production tore the roof off the proverbial sucker.



• JUNE: A lovely month, June. First, HONK! opens at the Drama League, and it's a lovely production. Gorgeous. Gets the fastest standing O I've ever seen at the WDL. Thank you, Nick and Chris. Thank you, Georgie. Thank you DIS-IL-LUS-ION-MENT. Whoa, sorry! Had an Alanis moment. Which is ironic (a little tooo ironic.) because there was nothing disillusioning about the show or the whole music directing experience. It was a joy to work with my good friends, the cast was terrific, the flowers were purple.



• Still on June. Before Honk, and the lovely week-long vacation in Canada that followed (no Alanis sightings, but not for a lack of looking), went to Charlotte to see the Barebones production of "The Boy Who was Born With a Tail." First of all, honestly, North Carolina - what are you feeding your citizens? They're all gorgeous! Every damn one of them! Tell you what, I was fully prepared to take my shirt off, twist it 'round my hand, and spin it like a helicopter every chance I got! Turns out I got no chances. But still, they did a beautiful job with the play, and it was voted "Audience Favorite." Woohoo! Thanks, Beth . you did a fabulous job, and you.re a wonderful and gracious host.



• Now after the NC trip but before the Canada trip, my good friends at Emerging Artists Theatre performed "Job Strikes Back" at the Samuel French Off-Off-Broadway Festival. It didn't win. But hey, it's a thrill just to be nominated, right? Right?



• July! Started with some funny good/bad news: my new play, "The Mystic Halls of Time," was rejected by the Lebanon Community Theatre, even though I wrote it specifically for their contest. It was disappointing, but that's okay...it was accepted to the Brown Couch Theatre in Chicago as part of their "Last Call" 10-minute play series! So nyeah! Thanks to K and Michelle, Andrew, Gary B., and Elam for reading this one and helping me out!



• Got the word that "Job Strikes Back" was a winner (you hear that, Sam French??? A WINNER!) at the 15Minute Festival in Belfast, Maine! This is a big deal. They picked 5 plays out of 265 - including my rival Aoise Stratford's "Elephants and Coffee!" The shows get produced in a massive theater that they intend to sell out, and they invite all kinds of important industry people to see the show (Alanis?). This is quite an honor, and I can't wait to head Maineward to see the show in August.



• But first, I'll be back in NY, to see (from the tech booth - what better way to see a show?) the off-off-Broadway debut of "The Boy Who was Born With a Tail!" The original cast and director - that's Kathy Buterbaugh, Karen McCaffrey, Chris Turner, Georgie Staley, and Greg Robleto for those of you keeping track at home (and for those of you not keeping track - what the hell are you thinking! If you don't keep track you're just going to lose your place. Come on, try to keep up) - are all back. We're performing at the Strawberry Festival at the Riant Theatre on August 14 & 15 - with more productions if we win our night! Come up and check us out. It's not the same without you there. You know that.



• And finally, I just got back from the ArtsCenter's Ten by Ten Festival (scroll up for the link). Friends, not only did they put on a wonderful show, but they were the friendliest, most welcoming people I've met in a long, long time. Not only did they put me (and two of my fellow writers) up in a fabulous bed and breakfast, but they showed us nothing but love. And again, North Carolina, may I just say, and I mean this...damn. Y'all FINE. Thank you for being so cool - I sure hope to be back.




And the bullets are over! Which is good - there are more than enough bullets in the world as it is.

See you next time. You folks are the best! Come on, everyone, group hug!

Rockin' you like a hurricane,
Matt

Guns don't kill people. It's those damn bullets. Guns just make them go really really fast. - Jake Johanson

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