Matt Barbot

Matt Barbot

Matt Barbot is a writer from Brooklyn, NY. His play El Coquí Espectácular and the Bottle of Doom received its world premiere at Two River Theater in January of 2018. His play Infallibility was produced as part of the 2013 New York International Fringe Festival, where it was named one of Indie Theater Now’s Best of FringeNYC 2013. Princess Clara of Loisaida was a finalist for the Latinx Theatre Commons'...
Matt Barbot is a writer from Brooklyn, NY. His play El Coquí Espectácular and the Bottle of Doom received its world premiere at Two River Theater in January of 2018. His play Infallibility was produced as part of the 2013 New York International Fringe Festival, where it was named one of Indie Theater Now’s Best of FringeNYC 2013. Princess Clara of Loisaida was a finalist for the Latinx Theatre Commons' 2018 Carnaval of New Latinx Work, as well as for the 2018 Columbia@Roundabout New Play Series. Saints Go Marching was a semifinalist for the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center's National Playwrights Conference. Recently, his short play "A List of Some Shit I've Killed” was published as part of the Red Bull Theater's anthology Red Bull Shorts Volume III.

During his time at the Latinx focused digital media company Remezcla, Matt created the webseries "Bodega Chat" for Brisk Iced Tea, and the Pepsi short film "The Perfect Play," shot in East Harlem with the New York Giants' Victor Cruz. Additionally, Matt has worked with comic book creator Edgardo Miranda Rodriguez as an editor and co-writer for Darryl Makes Comics' DMC, as well as Somos Arte's La Borinqueña. Matt received his MFA from Columbia University.

Plays

  • El Coquí Espectacular and the Bottle of Doom by Matt Barbot
    Recommendations: 10
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    Cast: 
    5
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    Genre: adventure, comedy + 1 more
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    Keyword: puerto rico, Latino + 7 more
    Genre: adventure, comedy, fantasy
    Keyword: puerto rico, Latino, hispanic, puerto rican, comic books, comics, superhero, New York, Brooklyn
    [FULL LENGTH] Alex, a comic book artist whose ideas might be "too Puerto Rican," has begun secretly dressing up as his creation: El Coquí Espectacular, defender of Nuyoricans in all five boroughs! When his brother Joe is fired from a project for not being Puerto Rican enough, the two, with the help of a young photographer named Yesica, hatch a plan: to debut El Coquí at the Puerto Rican Day Parade and...
    [FULL LENGTH] Alex, a comic book artist whose ideas might be "too Puerto Rican," has begun secretly dressing up as his creation: El Coquí Espectacular, defender of Nuyoricans in all five boroughs! When his brother Joe is fired from a project for not being Puerto Rican enough, the two, with the help of a young photographer named Yesica, hatch a plan: to debut El Coquí at the Puerto Rican Day Parade and prove themselves to the world. El Coquí Espectacular and the Bottle of Doom examines the ways in which we define our heritage and ourselves.

    Sample available. Contact infallibilityplay@gmail.com to read.
  • Saints Go Marching by Matt Barbot
    Recommendations: 5
    ·
    Cast: 
    7
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    Genre: comedy, drama + 1 more
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    Keyword: Latinx, religion + 7 more
    Genre: comedy, drama, fantasy
    Keyword: Latinx, religion, family, afterlife, supernatural, ghost, large cast, funeral, double casting
    [FULL LENGTH] Jo's grandfather—a decorated veteran—has died, leaving emotional wreckage and unpaid debts in his wake. As she prepares for the funeral, Jo's heart is set on keeping grandpa's burial flag; to get it, she'll have to deal with her despondent mother, an attempted exorcism, and competition from a secret aunt young enough to be her little sister. It won't be easy, but nothing...
    [FULL LENGTH] Jo's grandfather—a decorated veteran—has died, leaving emotional wreckage and unpaid debts in his wake. As she prepares for the funeral, Jo's heart is set on keeping grandpa's burial flag; to get it, she'll have to deal with her despondent mother, an attempted exorcism, and competition from a secret aunt young enough to be her little sister. It won't be easy, but nothing an aspiring saint like Jo can't handle.
  • Princess Clara of Loisaida by Matt Barbot
    Recommendations: 6
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    Cast: 
    4
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    Genre: comedy, drama + 1 more
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    Keyword: Latinx, family + 5 more
    Genre: comedy, drama, fantasy
    Keyword: Latinx, family, video games, fairy tale, magic, magical realism, New York
    [FULL LENGTH] With Mamá long gone and Papá catatonic (and only able to sing old sitcom theme songs), aspiring baseball player and high school super-senior José finds himself in charge of his video-game obsessed little sister, Clara. Scraping by together on the Lower East Side, the siblings try to stay distracted from their bleak reality through José’s fanciful stories: that she was a fairy princess of a magical...
    [FULL LENGTH] With Mamá long gone and Papá catatonic (and only able to sing old sitcom theme songs), aspiring baseball player and high school super-senior José finds himself in charge of his video-game obsessed little sister, Clara. Scraping by together on the Lower East Side, the siblings try to stay distracted from their bleak reality through José’s fanciful stories: that she was a fairy princess of a magical realm, left in Central Park for their parents to find. Unbeknownst to him, Fefu, a magical fairy scout embedded in New York to keep an eye out for the lost princess when she comes of age, has identified her target to bring her home. When the siblings realize José’s stories might be true – that, in fact, he may be making them come true – Clara is faced with a choice, and José will fight a magical battle for his sister’s destiny.
  • Infallibility by Matt Barbot
    Recommendations: 3
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    Cast: 
    2
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    Genre: commedia dell'arte, dark comedy + 2 more
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    Keyword: religion, Catholic + 6 more
    Genre: commedia dell'arte, dark comedy, docudrama/historic, political
    Keyword: religion, Catholic, Catholicism, History, metatheatrical, commedie dell'arte, bare stage, props
    [FULL LENGTH] After being whisked off to Rome and tricked into playing a role in an infamous trial, aspiring actor Carlo has been thrown in a dungeon, guilty of committing a crime on behalf of the corrupt and vulgar medieval Pope Stephen VI, who has become obsessed with undoing his predecessor's work. (Sound like anyone you know?) With the help of Saint Genesius - the Patron Saint of Actors, Clowns, and...
    [FULL LENGTH] After being whisked off to Rome and tricked into playing a role in an infamous trial, aspiring actor Carlo has been thrown in a dungeon, guilty of committing a crime on behalf of the corrupt and vulgar medieval Pope Stephen VI, who has become obsessed with undoing his predecessor's work. (Sound like anyone you know?) With the help of Saint Genesius - the Patron Saint of Actors, Clowns, and Lawyers - Carlo must perform the story of how he wound up in this situation, regain his faith, and find a happy ending. Based on the true story of the Cadaver Synod.
  • A List of Some Shit I've Killed by Matt Barbot
    Recommendations: 5
    ·
    Cast: 
    7–10
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    Genre: adaptation, comedy + 2 more
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    Keyword: Greek, Hercules + 4 more
    Genre: adaptation, comedy, dark comedy, satire
    Keyword: Greek, Hercules, classical, masculinity, Trojan War, war
    [10 MIN] The story of Heracles' Bow, told in reverse. A play about the Trojan War, and how men ruin everything.
  • Boldly Go by Matt Barbot
    Recommendations: 6
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    Cast: 
    2
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    Genre: comedy, romantic comedy + 1 more
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    Keyword: space, aliens
    Genre: comedy, romantic comedy, science fiction
    Keyword: space, aliens
    [10 MIN] Aboard a familiar starship, a bravefaced medic and a bookish linguist must untangle their differences, past feelings, and a curious superstition about away teams.
  • The Tragedy of Sultan Khalid bin Barghash; or, The Entire Anglo-Zanzibar War in Real Time by Matt Barbot
    Recommendations: 3
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    Cast: 
    10
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    Genre: adventure, biography + 6 more
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    Keyword: zanzibar, Race + 2 more
    Genre: adventure, biography, comedy, dark comedy, farce, period, political, satire
    Keyword: zanzibar, Race, History, loose adaptation
    [ONE ACT] The Anglo-Zanzibar War lasted less than forty minutes. This play isn't much longer. On the morning of August 27th, 1896, the British fought a thirty-eight minute war for control of the sovereign archipelago nation of Zanzibar. Now, a group of performers have come together to tell the story of this war from start to finish...plus a little extra.
  • O, Little Town by Matt Barbot
    Recommendations: 8
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    Cast: 
    2
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    Genre: adaptation, comedy + 6 more
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    Keyword: christmas, Jesus
    Genre: adaptation, comedy, dark comedy, fable/folktale, holiday, parody/spoof, romantic comedy, satire
    Keyword: christmas, Jesus
    [10 MIN] Joe, a stressed out soon-to-be father, just can't seem to get a break. His wife's due any minute, now, all the hotels and inns are booked, and this friendly concierge has suggested his wife give birth in a barn of all places. This is the kind of crap that made Joe leave Bethlehem in the first place...
  • A Mostly True Story About F. Scott Fitzgerald's Penis by Matt Barbot
    Recommendations: 3
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    Cast: 
    3
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    Genre: adaptation, biography + 2 more
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    Keyword: F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway + 4 more
    Genre: adaptation, biography, comedy, period
    Keyword: F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, novelist, Sex, literature, Paris
    [10 MIN] In a fit of panic, F. Scott Fitzgerald asks his friend Ernest Hemingway for help with a *small* problem. Loosely based on Hemingway's account in "A Movable Feast."
  • Somewhere a Place by Matt Barbot
    Recommendations: 2
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    Cast: 
    1
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    Genre: adaptation, drama + 1 more
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    Keyword: Latinx, west side story + 4 more
    Genre: adaptation, drama, melodrama
    Keyword: Latinx, west side story, puerto rico, latina, women, Hurricane Maria
    [MONOLOGUE] María is trying to win back an old friend after tragedy ripped them apart years ago. She tries to remember her home in Puerto Rico, and most of all a song she once sang with her lover. Except...no one sings anymore.

    A new story from the West Side.
  • Faith by Matt Barbot
    Recommendations: 6
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    Cast: 
    1
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    Genre: adaptation, dark comedy + 4 more
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    Keyword: Bible, religion + 3 more
    Genre: adaptation, dark comedy, drama, faith-based, fantasy, satire
    Keyword: Bible, religion, judaism, christianity, History
    [10 MIN/MONOLOGUE] Abraham's son won't talk to him, and it's all God's fault. Now Abraham's got a bone to pick with God. Does faith always mean doing the right thing? Does faith make things that seem wrong right?