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.

Monday, November 30, 2009

"Strange and Pointless"

I must frame this amazing review on Amazon.com from Deborah W. Seigman of Killeen TX. She literally threw WHEN IS A CLOCK away to protect her friends and family.

I'm sure Tom Stoppard is relieved to have been spared her fury.

Why not just say it?

The Women's Project sent out a press release billing itself as the NEA-Rejected Women's Project.

Fan-fucking-tastic.

All the Albee that's fit to print

Who's Afraid of Edward Albee?, an article by Laura Parker, calls Edward Albee an old fogey. Leonard Jacobs and George Hunka discuss the matter here and here, respectively.

Then, as George points out, there's this. Which I sort of wanted to hug.

So what is there to say? It's not news that Albee personally feels this way, and as, is stated all over the place, there's a sort of personal preference at play here that simply can't be argued with or about.

Still, I think it's noteworthy to point out that plays are more and more often written with the assumption of a director. The director as a second, independent, creative force is now a part of DNA of many new plays. Playwrights should understand why we're making certain choices as we write, or we'll find that we're unconsciously styling plays to fit the needs of others. Instead of writing down a fully formed vision, we'll reduce our impact on our own productions by leaving room for our collaborators before they've even shown up.

Year-End Approaches

Tomorrow it will be December. Year-End Wrap ups commence. People publish all those best-of lists and what have you. Best Kitchen I Saw In Brooklyn. Ten Best Horticulturalists of 2009. Top Ten Ways I Stopped Myself From Drinking Too Much in 2009. That sort of thing.

I wonder if I'll compile a list like that.

I wonder if you'll help me.

I wonder what it should ... be?

Thanksgiving is over

Stop giving thanks and get on with it.

-the Management

Monday, November 23, 2009

The arbitrary choice?

You're watching a traditional play about something like politics. A politician is meeting with a journalist off-the record. The journalist agrees to call the prominent politician a "well positioned source" and commits to anonymity otherwise. Then, slowly it becomes clear that there's more than just fund-raising shenanigans involved in this story. This political champion appears to have done some truly terrible things.

Throughout the fun little scene, the actor playing the journalist keeps clicking her pen. It's looks like a nervous gesture at first, but the longer you watch, the more you realize it seems almost like a...signal? Or even something deeper. The actor is making a point of the pen's importance in the scene perhaps. You notice, with the clicks, what is written down and what, pointedly, is not.

What you don't know is why this is actually happening. Is it because the director believes that the pen of a journalist is symbolic of something or other? Or, did the director just say... "You know what would look cool? Click the pen. I dunno. Click it after each third word that you say."

Is it possible that an arbitrary decision by the creative team and a decision with some complex thought behind it...can look exactly the same? And does it make a difference, really, to the audience member? Does how a decision is arrived at inform what we see?

Can we sense the arbitrary? Or do we just assume that everything we see onstage was put there with a rigorous sense of purpose?

Exposition closes

Our three day run of Exposition went beautifully. (Here's a nice write up.) I'm proud of the production, and the great work by the cast. Also, this was my first collaboration with Michael Gardner, who worked quietly worked miracles.

Thanks to all who attended and to the Brick. More to come.

To Lieberman someone

I believe that Lieberman should be a verb. To Lieberman someone. "He totally Liebermaned me!"

Help me define this.

Would it be cite facts that have been long discredited to defend one's position?

Or to stand next to a friend, and then do everything in your power to cause your friend to fail?

Friday, November 20, 2009

Women's Project - Call for Lab Applicants

Hey there blog reading friends and pals and people who I do not know! Got this note and I wanted to pass it along. A great opportunity for you or maybe someone you know.

Women’s Project is pleased to
announce the call for applications to our 2010-2012 Lab for Producers, Directors and Playwrights. The Lab is New York City based and begins in September 2010. The application deadline is January 18, 2010.


Thursday, November 19, 2009

Johnna Adams interview

Lovely interview with her over at Zack's blog.

Opening night




Exposition begins its brief appearance at the Brick (only three nights) this evening at 9pm. Be there or b squared.

"Here is where you should head this fall to warm your soul amid the diversions of that ever-great and ever-endangered American art form, musical comedy."

- New York Times, Charles Isherwood, about a different play.

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Exposition Tickets are available

Tickets for Exposition are now on sale. Go here for details.

Three nights only!

Thursday Nov. 19th 9pm
Friday Nov. 20th 8pm
Saturday Nov. 21st 8pm

From Exposition

A bit of text from EXPOSITION.

I woke up and it occurred to me immediately that I was covered in blood. My blood. I thought “Did I lose my dick?” Then I thought if I was going to become a hermaphrodite like one of those frogs. Then I realized “No, no. That’s not what a hermaphrodite is.” Then I thought I must be in shock. Then I went into shock.


Friday, November 06, 2009

Exposition

We're entering into crunch time for Exposition. There will be three performances, November 19th - 21st. When tickets are up for sale, I'll let you know first!

If you're interested in seeing this, make sure you get tickets in advance. Three performances and a cast of seven means seats will go fast.

Thursday, November 05, 2009

Might I recommend...

That you DVR 30 Rock? That show is terrific. Tonight's episode featured some lovely Seagull jokes.

Wednesday, November 04, 2009

Look out!

The GOP won two gubernatorial races in states where the incumbent was weak or already deeply unpopular! Democrats are doomed, clearly.

Maine, though, just decided it prefers living in 1955.

Monday, November 02, 2009

Question

Would your work be any different if selling tickets wasn't a factor?

Let's assume that whatever you did would have a full house. The audience is not guaranteed to enjoy or understand the production, but they're guaranteed to attend.

Would your choice of production be different? Would your choices as a writer or director be different? As an actor, would you have a different relationship with the audience?