Well, 3 ½ months* have gone by, so you know what that means…time for me to update the ol’ web site!
I’m a really lucky man. Not only have I discovered this wonderful way of communicating (I’m talking about writing plays here, not the internet…I’m no Al Gore), but I’ve had some actual success with it. And that success has introduced me to wonderful people like Gail Winar of Turnip Theatre, Michael Bettencourt , Mark Harvey Levine, Babs Lindsay, Jay Hanagan , Lynden Harris, and Aoise Stratford. And so many more. It’s a lonely task, writing plays. But man, what an amazing community has sprung up around it.
A few words on Ms. Stratford. Faithful readers have read that name before on these pages, and with damn good reason – she’s a fantastic writer with a sparkling sense of humor and a wise soul. And after years of emails, we finally met in January at the One-Act Festival at the Wilmington Drama League. I could bring new meaning to the word “gush” here, but I’ll show a degree of decorum. But I will say that after spending some time with her, I’m a bigger fan than ever. The world domination continues, friends…stay tuned…
So what’s happened since November 15th on the scriptwriting front? Well, my biggest news came in December, when I was awarded an Established Artist Fellowship by the Delaware Division of the Arts. That’s right…now when you call me a Fellow, you have to capitalize it! It’s a huge honor and comes with a nifty sum of money which I’ve already pretty much blown on photocopies, a cool little binding machine, a new laptop, and Moosehead. The only caveat is that I have to present my work in the state before the end of the year. To that end, I chose October 21 and 22 at the Drama League for my production. What am I producing? Heck, I don’t know. Maybe I’ll do my double-jointed thumb trick for 90 minutes. Anyway, be there!
In production news, the Australian debut of “The Key to the Mystic Halls of Time” was a hit! Adam Gelin directed a stellar cast and the play garnered 24% of the Audience Vote – which meant that “The Key” made it to the finals (in front of a sold-out house of almost 800), where Adam was awarded the “Best New Talent” award. I love Australia!
“The Key” has had quite a history, actually. It’s now been produced twice in LA, most recently with Little Fish Theatre, and received production in Omaha and Chicago. But it didn’t get me into the New York 15 Minute Play Festival this year, and it was turned down (although just barely) by my good friends at Geneva Theatre Guild. Aoise and Jay Hanagan made the cuts, though, so you can bet they’ve got a fantastic lineup of shows. And one way or t’other, I’ll be back…
Other recent productions include “Something Went Wrong” with the Madcap Players in D.C. (an ill-timed snowstorm kept me from seeing the production, dammit), “Something Went Wrong” and “The Key” with the Shelterbelt Players in Omaha, and Original Works production of “The Plunge” in Hollywood. So things are still moving!
Otherwise, well, I’m trying to get my two full-length plays – “Eddie” and “The PornoZombies” – produced by someone, anyone. I only just got started sending them out. They can use a little work, but I’m proud of my babies, so we’ll see what happens. Excerpts from these, and some new short plays, will be on the website soon. I promise.
Until then, everyone be good…
- Matt
* Which also happens to be the gestation period of the Burmese Python. But you knew that.
---What's up from November 15, 2004