Review Fix chats with ‘Back’ author Matt Webster, who discusses the production and impact he’d like it to have on audiences.
About The Production:
90-minute drama will perform on Saturday 8/10 @ 2:15pm; Tuesday 8/13 @ 8:45pm; Friday 8/16 @ 7pm; Sunday 8/18 @ 4pm; Friday 8/23 @ 9:15pm with tickets being available at www.BackThePlay.com (further info at @BackThePlay)
Love takes lifetimes.
Leah travels to New York City to reconnect with her best friend Derek. Their undeniable chemistry and inherent trust would otherwise make these two a perfect match, if it weren’t for something in the past keeping them apart. Leah tells Derek about an incredible opportunity: a chance to go back in time and change the course of their lives. But there are rules about altering the past that could have devastating effects on the present. Will they risk everything in search of a second chance at life?
About Matt Webster:
Matt Webster is a New York City based actor and writer. Most recently, Matt performed on Broadway at the Hudson Theatre in DGF Toasts: Stephen Schwartz. In addition to singing in the show, Matt contributed the vocal arrangements. Matt has been seen onstage as Glad Hand in the Broadway Tour of West Side Story and won Best Actor for his portrayal of Johnny Pope in A Hatful of Rain (BroadwayWorld.com). Matt has performed with many companies throughout NYC, including: LaMaMa Theatre, LABA Theatre, Vital Theatre, Connecticut Children’s Theatre, and Rescue Agreement. Matt can also be seen on screen in various feature films, commercials, web-series, and short films. As a writer, Matt’s first musical, Kingdom Come, won Best Musical at the Downtown Urban Theatre Festival in NYC. Since winning the festival, Kingdom Come has been featured at the New York Theatre Barn and the Secret Theatre in Long Island City. Kingdom Come made its regional premier at Concordia University in St. Paul, Minnesota.
His second original musical, Propaganda! The Musical was produced at the Pearl Theatre on 42nd St. as part of the New York Musical Theatre Festival. It won several awards, including: Best Featured Actress and Best Choreography. It had its regional premier in Orlando, Florida at the Winter Park Playhouse in 2017. Propaganda! The Musical made its international debut at the Gaetnerplatz Theatre in Munich, Germany in July of 2018. This summer, Propaganda! The Musical will be released as a one of a kind, fully produced, podcast musical, featuring a full sound design, complete orchestra, and a cast filled with Broadway stars. Matt’s children’s show, a fast-paced, four-actor version of Cinderella, featuring songs from the Great American Songbook, premiered in March 2017 in Washington, DC with the American Pops Orchestra.
He is currently writing several projects including: a new adaptation of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing featuring chart topping country hits; a film called “Super,” about the opioid epidemic in Ohio; and a new play called Jay and the Contest. He received his BFA in Acting from West Virginia University where he was named the outstanding graduate from the College of Creative Arts. Matt is a founding member of the Magic Forest Theatre Company – a traveling children’s theatre that performs at pre-schools and daycares across the NY Metro area. Matt won the 2016 Johnny Mercer Award for Songwriting and currently works as an assistant to Broadway’s Andrew Lippa. www.TheOtherMattWebster.com
Review Fix: What was the inspiration for this project?
Matt Webster: When I started to form the story, I was inspired by an invitation to my high school reunion. I didn’t want to go because I didn’t think people from high school knew the real me – they just knew their own version of me that they had created in their heads from social media. So that sparked the idea of everyone in the world having the ability to create their own private universe.
Review Fix: What is your creative process?
Webster: I listen to a lot of scores while I write – film scores, mostly. They’re filled with emotion and story, but no lyrics to trip up my thoughts. I often write at my dining room table with noise-canceling headphones, or I’ll head to a coffee shop down the street if I need a change of scenery. I often come up with new ideas while walking. My father in law told me about a whole group of artists that consider themselves a part of the “wander society.” They walk around and allow the meditative action of walking to help them clear their minds. Â
Review Fix: What did you learn/are learning about yourself through this process?
Webster: I’m learning that I have really wonderful people surrounding me. Everyone is encouraging, supportive, and positive. I’m learning that I need to be around good energy and good people in order to be the most creative and successful.
Review Fix: What are your ultimate goals for this piece for the future? for the company?
Webster: I want as many people as possible to see this love story and be inspired by it. We only have one life, so let’s spend it sharing love and speaking love and giving love.
Review Fix: What’s next ?
Webster: I’m looking forward to a writing retreat in Georgia coming up in September. It’s a great opportunity to focus on a new play and provides a distraction free environment. I’ve never spent any time in Newnan Georgia, so I’m looking forward to being in a new community of artists and learning from their experiences.
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