About Me

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Matthew Freeman is a Brooklyn based playwright with a BFA from Emerson College. His plays include THE DEATH OF KING ARTHUR, REASONS FOR MOVING, THE GREAT ESCAPE, THE AMERICANS, THE WHITE SWALLOW, AN INTERVIEW WITH THE AUTHOR, THE MOST WONDERFUL LOVE, WHEN IS A CLOCK, GLEE CLUB, THAT OLD SOFT SHOE and BRANDYWINE DISTILLERY FIRE. He served as Assistant Producer and Senior Writer for the live webcast from Times Square on New Year's Eve 2010-2012. As a freelance writer, he has contributed to Gamespy, Premiere, Complex Magazine, Maxim Online, and MTV Magazine. His plays have been published by Playscripts, Inc., New York Theatre Experience, and Samuel French.

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

A question of psychology

Do you feel that the science of "hard-wired" human behavior and genetic pre-determination makes it challenging to write drama? If your worldview is not Freudian, and you don't believe a person is the sum of their experiences and choices, but is more an external mirror of evolutionary and genetic forces... how does that affect how you write them?

This isn't an endorsement of either view. It's just a question I've been considering. To write drama, there is some part of it that seems to blame choices. If one character would only choose differently, or act with free will, they would be free or happy or safe. Plays have a belief in free will built into their DNA it seems. Even in the Greeks, where the Gods are acting upon human beings, human beings do seem free to act as they choose, and are punished for it or not by other free thinking entities.

If you view human nature as a product of environment, genetics, chemistry; where does that take psychological drama?

Joshua Conkel

Has a nifty blog. Enjoy it. Now. NOW! He's not going to be young and up-and-coming forever.

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Recommendations from Flux



Blue Beard
, by Matthew Freeman
: This haunting and spare look at the classic myth of the Red Door has that rare gift some plays have of making an entirely new world seem real; it is a beautiful and brutal nightmare of a play that the right company could knock out of the park.

Gus at Flux writes this and other dandy recommendations. Check them out. Thanks Gus!

Some fun stuff on the horizon

Three new short plays written over the past week (That Old Soft Shoe, Snake Charming and The Dress You Should Wear) all of which I'm pretty excited about. Had a great meeting about a possible collaboration in October/November. If/when that becomes official, I'll let you know.

Monday, September 28, 2009

Pam's blog

Is still the coolest blog ever.

Plus

A new little ten minute to go along with the new one act, completed this weekend.

It's called Snake Charming for now. Probably will change the title.

Here's a bit of it:

GUS

Amazing isn’t it? How we make it possible for them to have a communist system by feeding their economy from our capitalist trough? The Chinese are a great pig, their nose down in the dirt and pine cones and corn that we call the invisible hand of self-interest. We have reached the end of all possible questions about which economic system functions: there is one answer. We have reached the end of all debate about what sort of political system is uncorrupt and proper: there is one answer. For any elected official or American citizen to acknowledge their legitimacy is to be treasonous against all that was once good and holy and pure about the United States and for that reason I say: Have you no decency Mr. President? Have you nothing, sir, that allows you to rise to the level of putrid chemical moist waste? A second term shall be denied you. A second term shall be your Waterloo, much like Waterloo was Napoleon’s Waterloo and Carthage was Rome’s Carthage.


Friday, September 25, 2009

Glenn Beck is humiliated by Twitter question



Katie Couric is (dare I say it) becoming my best friend.

To quote BECK: "Really? It’s amazing to me that, for the first time, I think in history somebody can ask a question and say, 'Don’t you think that maybe we have several pieces here?' We have several pieces; George Bush says my grandmother was a typical African-American that had, that had her views bred into her. You don’t think maybe we would ask questions about that comment? How is it that the first time I think in history, you should check on it, somebody says, 'Hey. There’s some red flags here maybe we should look at?' … How am I? How am I the target for asking questions?"

Thanks Leonard for the link.

That Old Soft Shoe

The title of my new one-act. Just finished it up. Happy about it too.

Essays by Wallace Shawn

Pam picked up a copy of Essays by Wallace Shawn for me last week, and I've been reading it with interest. I certainly suggest that if you haven't picked up a copy, you do so.

There's lots of wonderful writing in it about class and the war in Iraq and theater. Reading this book causes the now obligatory pangs of class confusion in me, much like when I read Paul Auster's Hand to Mouth. They're almost opposing approaches to class (Auster seems almost unaware of his own privilege as he chooses to struggle; Wallace Shawn confronts his privilege head on) but both come from a place of relative wealth and ease.

Is it also a privilege to be cavalier about class and art? Wallace Shawn seems to view his privilege the way a neuroscientist must view his own emotions - he is fascinated, aware of all the little intricacies, but is still entirely a slave to it. His view of art is almost too amused - he enjoys it, he finds it pleasurable, he accepts entirely that it's got a small audience, and that he needs to make his living elsewhere. Auster, on the other hand, viewed making a living this way as a badge of honor. They're both kicking or embracing their own upper class...jealousy? Of those that can legitimately claim to have fought or are still fighting just for minor comforts?

Am I wrong in assuming that someone who is actually middle class, or from the working class, would never shrug so loudly at making a living or the legitimacy of his or her own output? I don't believe that people in the working class are immune to Auster's invention of his own struggles. We all want to live a very good story of personal triumph. We don't want it to be too easy. I've known plenty of people who view working as a sort of admission of defeat. Even people who really do need the money.

Worth some consideration. And, you're welcome, Wallace Shawn, for the free advertisement. Here is a carving from his essay "Myself And How I Got Into The Theatre". I'm interested to hear how you respond to it.

"Is theatre an 'art form?' Is drama an 'art?' Poetry is an art. Painting is an art. But can a play seriously be compared to a poem or a painting? Can you seriously claim that a play can be compared to a string quartet? [...] doesn't the essence of theatre really lie not in it aesthetic possibilities but instead its special ability to reflect the real world, its special ability to serve as a mirror?"

Thursday, September 24, 2009

You know what's really great?

Writing plays. I really enjoy it.

Just thought I'd mention that. I don't think I do enough.

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Prepare!

For the nadir!

Thanks and Congratulations

Thanks to the staff of the New York Innovative Theater Awards for inviting me to write the presenter's text this year. Definitely an experience that's hard to replicate: some presenters just sort of wrote their own (all very good); some treated the text like kryptonite ("they gave me something to read...") and others read it with aplomb and grace. All in all, I feel like it went well. All of that was just a bit of background noise compared to the incredibly impressive production that Nick, Shay and Jason were able to put together. 5 years old, huh? Wow.

Of course, congratulations to all the winners and nominees.

Here's the list:

OUTSTANDING ENSEMBLE


RECIPIENT: Christopher Borg, Jeffrey Cranor, Kevin R. Free, Eevin Hartsough,
(Not) Just A Day Like Any Other, New York Neo-Futurists

Kether Donohue, Phyllis Johnson, Jenny Maguire, Chris McKinney, Flaco Navaja, Jennifer Dorr White,
Blue Before Morning, terraNOVA Collective

Bard Goodrich, Ken Matthews, Megan McQuillan, Michael Solomon, Michael Szeles, Chris Thorn,
Most Damaging Wound, The Production Company

Laura Butler, Drae Campbell, Dawn Eshelman, Connie Hall, Ikuko Ikari, Hana Kalinski, Eunjee Lee, Mark Lindberg, Alanna Medlock, Jy Murphy, Jorge Alberto Rubio, Magin Schantz, Maureen Sebastian,
Oph3lia, knife, inc. and HERE Arts Center

Geraldine Bartlett, Brian D. Coats, Katrina Foy, William Jackson Harper, Khris Lewin, Carolyn McCandlish, Joe Mullen, Frank Rodriguez, Christopher Rubin, Jeremy Schwartz, Joe Sullivan, Andrew Zimmerman,
Stomp and Shout (an' Work it All Out), Babel Theatre Project

Joe Basile, Jill Beckman, Christopher Borg, Jeffrey Cranor, Cara Francis, Kevin R. Free, Ryan Good, Alicia Harding, Eevin Hartsough, Jacquelyn Landgraf, Sarah Levy, Erica Livingston, Rob Neill, Lauren Parrish, Joey Rizzolo, Justin Tolley, Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind, New York Neo-Futurists

Esther Barlow, Jennifer Gordon Thomas, Jason Howard, David Lamberton, David Ian Lee, Michelle O'Connor, Ridley Parson, Nancy Sirianni, Tarantino Smith, Ben Sulzbach,
Universal Robots, Manhattan Theatre Source in association with Gideon Productions


OUTSTANDING SOLO PERFORMANCE

RECIPIENT: Jeff Grow,
Creating Illusion, soloNOVA Arts Festival

Martin Dockery,
The Surprise, soloNOVA Arts Festival

Leigh Evans,
Traces, soloNOVA Arts Festival

Abena Koomson,
Cozi Sa Wala: Magic Words, soloNOVA Arts Festival

Micia Mosely,
Where My Girls At?, Nursha in association with soloNOVA Arts Festival

Una Aya Osato,
Recess, FRIGID Festival

OUTSTANDING ACTOR IN A FEATURED ROLE

RECIPIENT: William Apps IV,
Amerissiah, The Amoralists Theatre Company

Nicoye Banks,
The High Priestess of Dark Alley, Billie Holiday Theatre

Roy Clary,
McReele, Conflict of Interest Theater Company

Clint Morris,
Like You Like It, The Gallery Players

Jeffrey Plunkett,
All the Rage, Manhattan Theatre Source/Dark Brew Productions

Chris Thorn,
Most Damaging Wound, The Production Company

OUTSTANDING ACTRESS IN A FEATURED ROLE

RECIPIENT: Constance Parng,
Lee/gendary, HERE Arts Center

Ivanna Cullinan,
The Granduncle Quadrilogy: Tales from the Land of Ice, Piper McKenzie

Brynn Curry,
Like You Like It, The Gallery Players

Phyllis Johnson,

Blue Before Morning, terraNOVA Collective

Maura McNamara,
The Real Thing, T. Schreiber Studio

Aura Vence,
The High Priestess of Dark Alley, Billie Holiday Theatre


OUTSTANDING ACTOR IN A LEAD ROLE

RECIPIENT: Julian Elfer,
Twelfth Night, or What You Will,
T. Schreiber Studio

Jaron Farnham,
Still the River Runs, Zootopia Theatre Company

Steve French,
Still the River Runs, Zootopia Theatre Company

Jason Howard,
Universal Robots, Manhattan Theatre Source in association with Gideon Productions

David Ian Lee,
The Reckoning of Kit & Little Boots, The Gallery Players in association with Engine37

August Schulenburg,
8 Little Antichrists, Flux Theatre Ensemble

OUTSTANDING ACTRESS IN A LEAD ROLE

RECIPIENT: Elyse Mirto,
Any Day Now, Writer's Forum at Manhattan Theatre Source

Katrina Foy,
Stomp and Shout (an' Work it All Out), Babel Theatre Project

Soomi Kim,
Lee/gendary, HERE Arts Center

Jan Maxwell,
Scenes from an Execution, Potomac Theatre Project

Nedra McClyde,
Miss Evers' Boys, Red Fern Theatre Company

Kate Middleton,
Avow, The Cardinal Group

OUTSTANDING CHOREOGRAPHY/MOVEMENT

RECIPIENT: Austin McCormick,
The Judgment of Paris, Company XIV

Keith Andrews,
Like You Like It, The Gallery Players

Airon Armstrong & Soomi Kim, Lee/gendary, HERE Arts Center

Edward Elefterion,
Shadow of Himself, Rabbit Hole Ensemble

Leigh Evans,
Traces, soloNOVA Arts Festival

Stefanie Smith,
The Selfish Giant, Literally Alive Children's Theatre


OUTSTANDING DIRECTOR

RECIPIENT: Suzi Takahashi,
Lee/gendary, HERE Arts Center

Geordie Broadwater,
Stomp and Shout (an' Work it All Out), Babel Theatre Project

Nat Cassidy,
Any Day Now, Writer's Forum at Manhattan Theatre Source

Gia Forakis,
Blue Before Morning, terraNOVA Collective

Vit Horejs,
The Very Sad Story of Ethel & Julius, Lovers and Spyes and about Their Untymelie End while Sitting in a Small Room at the Correctional Facility in Ossining, N.Y., GOH Productions

Matthew J. Nichols,
Still the River Runs, Zootopia Theatre Company

OUTSTANDING LIGHTING DESIGN

RECIPIENT: Bruce Steinberg,
Blue Before Morning, terraNOVA Collective

Lucrecia Briceno,
Lee/gendary, HERE Arts Center

Ian W. Hill,
The Granduncle Quadrilogy: Tales from the Land of Ice, Piper McKenzie

Andrew Lu,
Still the River Runs, Zootopia Theatre Company

Jennifer Rathbone,
Angel Eaters, Flux Theatre Ensemble

Federico Restrepo,
The Very Sad Story of Ethel & Julius, Lovers and Spyes and about Their Untymelie End while Sitting in a Small Room at the Correctional Facility in Ossining, N.Y., GOH Productions

OUTSTANDING COSTUME DESIGN

RECIPIENT: Michelle Beshaw,
The Very Sad Story of Ethel & Julius, Lovers and Spyes and about Their Untymelie End while Sitting in a Small Room at the Correctional Facility in Ossining, N.Y., GOH Productions

Emily Morgan DeAngelis,
Angel Eaters, Flux Theatre Ensemble

Olivera Gajic,
The Judgment of Paris, Company XIV

Hunter Kaczorowski,
Like You Like It, The Gallery Players

Becky Lasky,
Stomp and Shout (an' Work it All Out), Babel Theatre Project

Karen Ann Ledger,
Twelfth Night, or What You Will, T. Schreiber Studio


OUTSTANDING SET DESIGN

RECIPIENT: Michael P. Kramer,
Ragtime, Astoria Performing Arts Center


George Allison,
Twelfth Night, or What You Will, T. Schreiber Studio

Jim Boutin,
Coming, Aphrodite!, LaMaMa ETC in association with Watson Arts

Tristan Jeffers,
Stomp and Shout (an' Work it All Out), Babel Theatre Project

Caleb Levengood,
Angel Eaters, Flux Theatre Ensemble

Blair Mielnik,
To Barcelona!, Ignited States Production Company

OUTSTANDING SOUND DESIGN

RECIPIENT: Asa Wember,
Angel Eaters, Flux Theatre Ensemble

Dan Bianchi,
Dracula, Radiotheatre

Katie Down,
Blue Before Morning, terraNOVA Collective

Austin McCormick,
The Judgment of Paris, Company XIV

Nick Moore,
23 Knives, Resonance Ensemble

Chris Rummel,
Twelfth Night, or What You Will, T. Schreiber Studio

OUTSTANDING ORIGINAL MUSIC

RECIPIENT: Kimmy Gatewood, Andy Hertz, Rebekka Johnson, Sarah Lowe, Jeff Solomon,
The Apple Sisters, The Apple Sisters

Drew Cutler,
Still the River Runs, Zootopia Theatre Company

Mark Ettinger & Paul Foglino,
Coming, Aphrodite!, LaMaMa ETC in association with Watson Arts

Gerard Keenan,
Angel Eaters, Flux Theatre Ensemble

Dave Malloy,
Beowulf - A Thousand Years Of Baggage, Shotgun Players in association with Banana Bag & Bodice

Nick Moore,
23 Knives, Resonance Ensemble

OUTSTANDING FULL-LENGTH SCRIPT

RECIPIENT: Nat Cassidy,
The Reckoning of Kit & Little Boots, The Gallery Players in association with Engine37

Johnna Adams,
Angel Eaters, Flux Theatre Ensemble

Derek Ahonen,
Amerissiah, The Amoralists Theatre Company

James Carmichael,
Stomp and Shout (an' Work it All Out), Babel Theatre Project

Kate McGovern,
Blue Before Morning, terraNOVA Collective

Mac Rogers,
Universal Robots, Manhattan Theatre Source in association with Gideon Productions


OUTSTANDING SHORT SCRIPT

RECIPIENT: Nico Vreeland,
Elephants on Parade 2009, EBE Ensemble

Martin Dockery,
The Surprise, soloNOVA Arts Festival
Ira Gamerman,
Elephants on Parade 2009, EBE Ensemble

Jeff Grow,
Creating Illusion, soloNOVA Arts Festival

Kristen Kosmas,
The Scandal!, The Management

Kitt Lavoie,
Perceptions, An Evening of One Acts, The Rising Sun Performance Company

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE ART PRODUCTION

RECIPIENT: Creating Illusion,
soloNOVA Arts Festival

Cirque du Quoi?!?,
Human Flight Productions, Lady Circus & Gramily Entertainment

Dracula,
Radiotheatre

Miss America,
LaMaMa ETC in association with Split Britches

Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind, New York Neo-Futurists

Traces,
soloNOVA Arts Festival


OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION OF A MUSICAL

RECIPIENT: Like You Like It,
The Gallery Players

The 103rd Annual Performance of Ruddigore, or The Witch's Curse, Presented by Murgatroyd's Hospital for Mental Rehabilitation,
Ruddy Gore Maine
,
Theater 1010

The Apple Sisters,
The Apple Sisters

Coming, Aphrodite!,
LaMaMa ETC in association with Watson Arts

Ragtime,
Astoria Performing Arts Center

The Who's Tommy,
The Gallery Players


OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION OF A PLAY

RECIPIENT: Lee/gendary,
HERE Arts Center

Blue Before Morning,
terraNOVA Collective

The Reckoning of Kit & Little Boots,
The Gallery Players in association with Engine37

Still the River Runs,
Zootopia Theatre Company

Stomp and Shout (an' Work it All Out),
Babel Theatre Project

Suspicious Package: an interactive noir,
The Fifth Wall

Universal Robots,
Manhattan Theatre Source in association with Gideon Productions



ARTISTIC ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

RECIPIENT: Maria Irene Fornes

STEWARDSHIP AWARD

RECIPIENT: Material For The Arts

OUTSTANDING STAGE MANAGER

RECIPIENT: Jillian Zeman

CAFFE CINO FELLOWSHIP AWARD

RECIPIENT: The Brick Theater, Inc.

Monday, September 21, 2009

Sunday, September 20, 2009

NYIT Awards Tonight


Sorry I have been remiss is blogging the last week or so. Life catches up with a person.

Tonight is the 5th Annual New York Innovative Theater Awards show. The presenter's text was written by yours truly. Never written anything quite like it before, so...I hope it goes well. But I'm just background music to the awards, including a special citation for the Brick Theater.

The event is sold out, but you can enjoy live coverage of the event here. The live blogger will be Aaron Riccio, of ThatSoundsCool.

Best wishes to all the nominees and to the production team as well. See you there!

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Sunday, September 13, 2009

Remy




One of our cats.

That's right. She's pretty.

Friday, September 11, 2009

9/11 today

I've got nothing to say that hasn't been said. I hope everyone is feeling okay - especially here in NYC.

Thursday, September 10, 2009

writing The Bull Crime

I'm in the midst of writing a new play called The Bull Crime. It's a fun piece of trickery, full of hogwash and weirdness and scenes about the removal of body hair. I hope to see it born shortly.

For all you structure-happy process fetishists, it's a two act play that's set almost entirely in a single conference room. I've been futzing with my plan of attack. When certain pieces of information appear, how to slowly ratchet up the dilemmas of the characters, who tells the truth, who lies. It's probably closest in spirit to The Most Wonderful Love or The Great Escape. Certainly more outlandish than Glee Club, but less moody or novelistic than When is a Clock.

I shared a bit of it on the blog not long ago here.

I find it sort of fun to share things in process with you guys. Hopefully, this stuff is fun for you to read as well.

Here's another little tidbit.

MAGNUS

Profit margin zed nine alpha oversight committee fifty three means the equation of selflessness and altruism is as good as makes no odds. Graph 32, here shown as exhibit B, ruins all hope for a mortal life. Vampirism and overhead compartments are mandatory under the rules of Section 3(d) of the California Department of Regulated Insurance properties. As such, we maintain reserve requirements in excess of the amount of blood it would take to replace the Indian Ocean. Keep it up mister, and this slide will call forth a flurry of beetles. Note here the fish again, the Bull Crime, its almost softer than a feather and twice as thick. Must add underlying principles of laws for cripples to five to the power of twelve against before committing to the better nature of all horticulturalists. What is this slide? Hope. Don’t fail me now algorithm, because advertisement depends on a willing suspension of certain underground factions of the shadow anarchy. All charts say yes, up, higher, more, bigger, best, confirmation, affirmative, seek, Shakespeare and a bellyful of scratch tickets. In short, to sum up, in closing: extinct the fish.


3rd Annual One-Minute Play Festival

This year, the 3rd, there are two must-see evening, Saturday and Sunday, at HERE.

Read all about it on Broadway World, find it on the HERE calendar, or find details on Facebook.

Saturday is Program A with plays by Program A (Sat Sept 12th): plays by: Ashlin Halfnight, Emily Conbere, Bixby Elliot, John Devore, Michael John Garces, Jakob Holder, Jessica Litwak, Matt Olmos, Saviana Stanescu, Kyle Jarrow, Ken Urban, David Zellnik, Lanna Joffrey, Megan Mostyn-Brown, Liz Meriwether, Mat Smart, Mac Rogers, Andrea Thome, Matt Freeman, James Comtois, anton dudley, Christine Evans, Robert Kerr, Callie Kimball, Sam Forman, Rajiv Joseph, Padraic Lillis, Trav SD & more!

Sunday is Program B with plays by
Callie Kimball, Clay Mcleod Chapman, Dave Anzuelo, Bixby Elliot, Kris Diaz, Christine Evans, Jeff Lewonczyk, J Julian Christopher, Courtney Brook Lauria, Adam Szymkowicz, Migdalia Cruz, Chiori Miyagawa, Ian Cohen, anton dudley, Michael John Garces, Matt Olmos, Saviana Stanescu, Crystal Skillman, Liz Meriwether, Matt Freeman, Matt Schatz, Caridad Svich, August Schulenburg, Chris Harcum, Daniel Talbott, Trav SD & more!

I have plays in both evening: Saturday is Carbon Footprint, from last year's festival, back by popular demand. Sunday is the new one: Good Advice.

This. Will. Sell. Out. It has a billion writers. Not buying a ticket now is basically not getting in.

See you there!


"You lie!"

I get the impression that this is the GOPs version of the Howard Dean scream moment. Wilson will be hung around the Republican's neck as an example of what they've become.

Something biblical applies here, no? Reaping and sowing?

Tuesday, September 08, 2009

Effie Jean in Tahiti

I went to see the new family-friendly musical Effie Jean in Tahiti this past week. It's written by David Johnston and Stephen Speights, and features a fantastic cast.

If you have children, you really have to see it. My friend's six year old has already seen it twice. It's got fun performances, hilarious dances, colorful costumes, and a plucky leading lady (played with aplomb my Laura Desmond) and her awesome brother (played by Matt Trumbull.)

But as an adult, childless and, in fact, without even so much as my own womb, I sat there laughing my butt off, delighted by the whole thing. David Johnston is easily one of the best writers working in New York today, and in a way that is entirely satisfying. He's clever without grandstanding, heartwarming without a hint of sucrose, is a master of the turn of phrase and, yes, an expert joker. He's definitely stretching by writing family friendly work (most of his work will make you cry laughing) but it feels as if he's been doing it for years.

It runs until September 20th. So get your tickets. Bring the kids.

The most useful fall preview I've seen yet

Arranged by author.

How great is that?

Tuesday, September 01, 2009

September 1st

How the hell did that happen?

It's clear that, as the summer ends, I'm doing this and that and not blogging very hard and fast. I'm sure that will change at some point. In the meantime, prepare to be linked to stuff more often than not.

I'm excited to be writing the presenters' text for the 5th Annual NYIT Awards, by the way. It's certainly a challenge.