Matthew Salazar-Thompson

"Women of Trajectory" is a heartfelt dramedy set inside the buzzing halls of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena during the dawn of America’s space race. Beneath the hum of calculating machines and the pressure of Cold War ambition, six brilliant women work as “human computers,” calculating trajectories that may one day launch mankind beyond Earth, all while struggling to find trajectories of their own in a society determined to define them before they can define themselves.

Full of humorous, deadly intrigue, this electrifying adaptation of Dashiell Hammett’s masterful noir features five versatile performers transforming between roles to bring the San Francisco’s noir underbelly to hilarious life, and featuring the infamous Sam Spade, the definitive hard-boiled detective. With quick-change artistry and acute timing, the ensemble navigates through a labyrinth of deception and desire while delivering taut, unsparing prose that crackles with tension and mirth. Don’t miss this thrilling comical theatrical high-wire act.

We move inside the mind of Walt Disney ,the man who created an icon in Mickey Mouse. "About a Mouse" celebrates the struggles and the human process behind one of the most enduring characters in popular culture. Set in the 1920's, this piece of historical fiction blends the use of classic Mickey Mouse shorts, live animation, and heart felt relationships as we are present for Mickey's earliest successes and Disney's massive risks. Utilizing live animation and classic film projection, this piece tasks us to believe in ideas when no one else does, and how more times than not, the little guy, in this case a mouse, can literally change everything.

World renowned amateur detective Miss Jane Marple encounters a compelling murder mystery in her own sleepy little village of St. Mary Mead, where under the seemingly peaceful exterior of an English country village lurks intrigue, guilt, deception and death.Through her powers of observation, Miss Marple uncovers the truth behind a hidden truth. Five actors play over twenty-five characters in this comic mystery thriller from one of Agatha Christie's most beloved novels.

This streamlined comic adaptation uses six actors to portray all the suspects, allies, and red herrings, shifting roles with swift costume changes and clever staging. From drawing room intrigue to cliffside suspense, this new adaptation captures Christie’s signature blend of elegance, wit, and psychological tension, culminating in Hercule Poirot’s brilliant and theatrical unmasking of the culprit.

In this riotous, quick-change comedy, five overworked actors attempt to stage the farcical and chaotic beginnings of the classic RKO Studios picture "Citizen Kane" —the greatest film ever made. With egos clashing, studio execs panicking, and snow globes rolling underfoot, The Importance of Being Orson hurtles through the behind-the-scenes drama of the Golden Age of Hollywood like a newsreel on espresso.

Nestled in the South during The Great Depression Samantha and Donald Pointiere have been hiding a secret for nearly twenty years which has been tearing at their marriage. Since serving in World War I, Donald has returned and their lives are sinking into the swamp land that surrounds them. A religious visitor named Grace in the form of a young wondering girl attempts to reshape this broken family, but she too is hiding a secret. Believing that Samantha is her half sister she attempts to form this once misshapen family in God's image. In the course of six days this family attempts to find where the line between reality and dreams exist.

The family unit is the center of this Depression era drama where soaring dreams have become buried under the weight of life's expectations.

While Edward is waiting for the bus to take him on his daily loop of chores, a stranger named Albee pays him a visit. As the two men wait endlessly for the bus, they develop a visceral dialogue, engaging in discussions about family, adoption, abandonment, and sexual orientation. The two characters emotionally push and tug as Albee inundates Edward with several cerebral attacks, until Edward is left with questions, decisions, and a major choice at play’s end. Borrowing various themes and structures of Edward Albee’s writing as well as his personal life, the story centers upon the human condition and the idea of self identity.

Five strangers find themselves trapped on the roof top of a Manhattan high rise on New Year's Eve. What begins as an accidental gathering of societal masks quickly turns into a night of unexpected revelations of identity and truth.

In this updated adaptation of Patrick Hamilton's thriller "Rope," a 1970's Boston dorm room serves as ground zero for an infamous crime as two brilliant but dangerously entitled undergrad students, Brenda and Grace, murder a classmate as an intellectual experiment, hiding the body inside a designer storage bench in the center of their living room. Convinced that their superiority places them above morality, they host a chic rooftop-view dinner party that same evening, serving cocktails and hors d’oeuvres to the victim’s boyfriend, best friend and their former philosophy professor, whose teachings about power, ambition, and moral relativism they believe inspired their act.

Tatiana is 20 year-old DACA undergrad on a poetry scholarship to UCSD... who happens to be homeless. Through the illumination of words, relationships and empathy she knits an environment of warmth and inclusivity and offers various rays of hope for a tight knit Safe Parking Program community. Her caretaker Auntie is fighting for human equality while her friend Zeal opens up about his experiences in the LGBTQ+ Community that led him to where he is. Pearl, a retired nurse, is in the midst of a re-birth after a family tragedy. Through the various struggles of the human condition Tatiana and the others ultimately manage to embrace a sense of dignity, love, and inspiration.

During the Nuremberg War Crimes Trails at the end of World War II, Gustave Gilbert, a young Jewish American psychologist is jobbed with analyzing the highest remained leader of the Third Reich. What emerges is a social construct that is webbed between fact and opinion, reality and propaganda. Taken from excerpts of this historical interview, this piece reveals the multiple layers of the human condition and how history often times repeats itself.

Synopsis: A divorced couple, haven't seen each other in over ten years. After a chance encounter at Grand Central Station, both of them find new connections with each other as they comb through the bevy of old emotions as they strive to move forward. The past and future come together in this dramedy about the present state of modern relationships.

Three actors embody the spirits of theatrical greats William Shakespeare, Sarah Bernhardt and Constantine Stanislavsky as we move through more than one hundred characters from the plays of history. This interactive farce keeps the audience in stitches at every turn on a rollicking 90-minute ride!

This one man show chronicles San Diego native baseball great, Ted Williams, from his formative years with the Pacific Coast League Padres to the Boston Red Sox then from his dramatic run at .406 and the Korean War. Through this first person perspective we share in Ted's strengths and failures as a ballplayer, husband and father.

In a tragic updated retelling of Strindberg's classic tale of servitude and status, José and Christina live under the auspice of Julia and her father, Mr. Warner. This piece blends social status themes from Miss Julie, the Mexican mythos of Chicanx history, while infusing Greek theatrical models while utilizing Percy Shelly's structure from Prometheus Unbound. The issue of identity is vital to the construction of stories that speak of our humanity and to this piece. We find that the relationship between a Jewish kept daughter and a Chicano valet escalate to a dangerous consummation in a world that is not ready to accept the differences between class, race, and religion. Set in 1942 in California’s great Central Valley the play addresses the shifting paradigms of 20th century cultural identity while also addressing theological contrasts of acceptance. Julia and José are treading on dangers ground as both find out the marked differences between lust and love. José’s fiancée, Christina, is pregnant with their child when the mistress of the ranchero, Miss Julia, attempts to seduce him into stepping above his status. Consumed by the misrepresentation of The American Dream, José and Julia both find a tragic end to their ideals of consummation.

An aging woman leaves her estate to her closest friend creating a cavalcade of opinions and questions regarding culture, racism and ownership of identity. Positioned at the extremes of politics and empathy this play asks the question of ownership through identity.

This piece is based on the historic 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in New York City. Through words, movement and music, four young women share their dreams, thoughts, fears and feelings about their ultimate destinies. An Italian immigrant, Vincenza, shares her last night on Earth with romance, smiles and dancing. Tessa celebrates her life with a story about her brother and mother. Sisters Lena and Yetta meditate on the strength and endurance of moving from Russia to America and the parallels of moving from life to the afterlife. Touching and poetic, this piece illuminates the definition of human courage.

Drown yourself in this outrageous musical comedy adventure that transcends the holidays! A line-up of comedy scenarios mixed with a bevy of holiday inspired songs that will melt your heart and tickle your funny bone. Five actors play over twenty roles in this heartfelt holiday adventure.