Biography
Matt Schatz won the 2012 Kleban Prize for Most Promising Musical Theatre Librettist for Love Trapezoid (workshop production with the Astoria Performing Arts Center, 2012). Also a playwright, lyricist, composer and screenwriter, Schatz's other works include the musical Georama with West Hyler and Jack Herrick (workshop with the Great River Shakespeare Festival, 2012), and the play The Tallest Building in the World (Luna Stage, 2011). Short musicals include Richie Farmer Will Have His Revenge on Durham with Diana Grisanti ("Best of Fest" at Austin's FronteraFest, 2011), and Roanoke with Michael Lew (Humana Festival 2009, Heideman Award Finalist). Schatz has received three commissions from the Ensemble Studio Theatre/Sloan Project, has been a finalist and twice a semi-finalist for the P73 Playwriting Fellowship, and was a finalist for the 2009 Fred Ebb Award for excellence in musical theatre songwriting (with composer Dina Pruzhansky). Member: ASCAP, the BMI Advanced Musical Theatre Workshop, the Dramatists Guild and EST. Alumnus: Youngblood and Interstate 73 writers groups (2009, 2012). M.F.A., Carnegie Mellon University. Schatz is currently working on a number of musical and non-musical projects for the stage and screen, including an original hip hop musical about a 1988 slam dunk contest. Mattschatz.com
