Matt Henderson

Matt Henderson’s plays explore connection and isolation through an absurd and queer lens. His work has been seen throughout the U.S. as well as England, Scotland, Finland, and Canada. Some of his publicly performed plays include The Ghosts in Aisle 30 (12 Peers Theater, Fundamental Theater Project), Strutting and Fretting (Stage Right, Pittsburgh New Works Festival), Candy Likes Your Status (Theatre Westminster, Bite-Size Plays, Carnegie Screenwriters, Laugh/Riot Performing Arts Company, Hanover College Theatre), The Balancing of the Budget (Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company), The Dating Game (American Repertory Theater of Western New York), Shower Heads (Organic Theater Pittsburgh, Carnegie Screenwriters), A Long Walk on the Beach (Between Us Productions, Carnegie Screenwriters...

Matt Henderson’s plays explore connection and isolation through an absurd and queer lens. His work has been seen throughout the U.S. as well as England, Scotland, Finland, and Canada. Some of his publicly performed plays include The Ghosts in Aisle 30 (12 Peers Theater, Fundamental Theater Project), Strutting and Fretting (Stage Right, Pittsburgh New Works Festival), Candy Likes Your Status (Theatre Westminster, Bite-Size Plays, Carnegie Screenwriters, Laugh/Riot Performing Arts Company, Hanover College Theatre), The Balancing of the Budget (Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company), The Dating Game (American Repertory Theater of Western New York), Shower Heads (Organic Theater Pittsburgh, Carnegie Screenwriters), A Long Walk on the Beach (Between Us Productions, Carnegie Screenwriters, Stage Right), Virtual Reality Bytes (Terra Nova Theatre Group), The Roar of the Crowd (Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company, Players' Guild of Hamilton), and The Most Epic Awesomest Superhero Movie Ever (In Between Theatre). His work has been published by Original Works Publishing and in Smith & Kraus's Best Ten-Minute Plays of 2014 and 2023.

Scripts

Gloria, Jean, and the Sexy Ghost Show

by Matt Henderson

Synopsis

It’s the near future, and a nasty virus has shut everything down. Gloria and Jean have no life whatsoever and never leave the house. In a world plagued by isolation, these two middle-aged women living on opposite ends of the country embark on an epic journey – constant watch parties bingeing a CW TV show about sexy teen ghosts in love. The farther in they go, season after season, an unsettling question emerges...

It’s the near future, and a nasty virus has shut everything down. Gloria and Jean have no life whatsoever and never leave the house. In a world plagued by isolation, these two middle-aged women living on opposite ends of the country embark on an epic journey – constant watch parties bingeing a CW TV show about sexy teen ghosts in love. The farther in they go, season after season, an unsettling question emerges more and more clearly – what does it take to get off the couch?

Summer Solstice

by Matt Henderson

Synopsis

A couple nerds stroll through the park after taking in the latest summer comic book movie. They may or may not be on a real "date." It's a perfect summer day--if you like social awkwardness and an evil demonic supervillain forcing you to confront your issues with emotional intimacy.

A couple nerds stroll through the park after taking in the latest summer comic book movie. They may or may not be on a real "date." It's a perfect summer day--if you like social awkwardness and an evil demonic supervillain forcing you to confront your issues with emotional intimacy.

Bus Warp

by Matt Henderson

Synopsis

In a world where massive cuts to public transportation have been made, a college student and a single mom wait for a bus. They will stop at nothing to get where they need to go, including bending the laws of nature. But at what cost?

In a world where massive cuts to public transportation have been made, a college student and a single mom wait for a bus. They will stop at nothing to get where they need to go, including bending the laws of nature. But at what cost?

The Warrior's Game

by Matt Henderson

Synopsis

A group of manly men are gathered together to play their favorite epic medieval strategy game, in which brutal war is waged and many trolls are beheaded. But are they ready for the most epic quest of all—building emotional intimacy with each other?

A group of manly men are gathered together to play their favorite epic medieval strategy game, in which brutal war is waged and many trolls are beheaded. But are they ready for the most epic quest of all—building emotional intimacy with each other?

The Hula Hoop Savior Ritual

by Matt Henderson

Synopsis

Lulu and Jacob take a trip out to an open field for a mother-son outing. Lulu’s trying to connect, but her son is just as sullen as ever. Things get a little weird when ritual sacrifice gets involved. But who knows? Maybe this is just the bonding activity they always needed.

Lulu and Jacob take a trip out to an open field for a mother-son outing. Lulu’s trying to connect, but her son is just as sullen as ever. Things get a little weird when ritual sacrifice gets involved. But who knows? Maybe this is just the bonding activity they always needed.

That Old Devil Moon

by Matt Henderson

Synopsis

Robert wants to date men. He also wants to keep his job doing marketing for a conversion therapy camp. Surely there's someone out there for him, even if that someone is an obsessive stalker who has blood-curdling screams emanating from his basement. The bodies pile up and the electroshock therapy chair is sizzling hot in this dark romantic horror comedy about finding love and overcoming shame.

Robert wants to date men. He also wants to keep his job doing marketing for a conversion therapy camp. Surely there's someone out there for him, even if that someone is an obsessive stalker who has blood-curdling screams emanating from his basement. The bodies pile up and the electroshock therapy chair is sizzling hot in this dark romantic horror comedy about finding love and overcoming shame.

Trauma Response

by Matt Henderson

Synopsis

A dog waits for an owner who is never home, becoming overwhelmed with mounting existential dread. A mail carrier approaches. Deep inner truths lie just underneath the surface.

A dog waits for an owner who is never home, becoming overwhelmed with mounting existential dread. A mail carrier approaches. Deep inner truths lie just underneath the surface.

The Most Epic Awesomest Superhero Movie Ever

by Matt Henderson

Synopsis

A nerd, a jock, a budding teen novelist, and a geometry teacher all go through traumatic experiences and decide to become superheroes…or supervillains? They’re not entirely sure. Will they ever find out who’s the good guy, who’s the bad guy, and who’s the damsel (or dude) in distress? Will special effects be added in postproduction? All will be revealed in this comedy about what it’s like to be the hero of...

A nerd, a jock, a budding teen novelist, and a geometry teacher all go through traumatic experiences and decide to become superheroes…or supervillains? They’re not entirely sure. Will they ever find out who’s the good guy, who’s the bad guy, and who’s the damsel (or dude) in distress? Will special effects be added in postproduction? All will be revealed in this comedy about what it’s like to be the hero of your own story…and maybe the villain in someone else’s.

Family Vise

by Matt Henderson

Synopsis

Janis is 27 years old, fresh out of graduate school with an amazing degree, and is
moving back home with her parents and two younger sisters. A home where benign hijinks
occur, and an unseen group of people laugh at them. A home where the prospect of employment
is always just out of reach, and the debt continues to grow. A home where the laughter from an
invisible audience almost drowns out the rumbling of...

Janis is 27 years old, fresh out of graduate school with an amazing degree, and is
moving back home with her parents and two younger sisters. A home where benign hijinks
occur, and an unseen group of people laugh at them. A home where the prospect of employment
is always just out of reach, and the debt continues to grow. A home where the laughter from an
invisible audience almost drowns out the rumbling of hungry stomachs and the howling of the
repo men just outside the door. Almost.

The Political Evolution of Butterbean the YouTube Star

by Matt Henderson

Synopsis

Butterbean is an adorable kitten whose owner loves making syrupy YouTube videos of him. But the more Butterbean’s political awareness grows, the more Butterbean leverages the power of YouTube to wake up his fellow citizens. A revolution may be at hand.

Butterbean is an adorable kitten whose owner loves making syrupy YouTube videos of him. But the more Butterbean’s political awareness grows, the more Butterbean leverages the power of YouTube to wake up his fellow citizens. A revolution may be at hand.

A Long Walk on the Beach

by Matt Henderson

Synopsis

A young woman named Dakota is reading a Nicholas Sparks novel on a beach and feeling lonely when a very attractive young man who seems to be the perfect Nicholas Sparks hero wanders onto the beach with a metal detector. However, it soon becomes clear that he is not looking for the Nicholas Sparks romance she is looking for, and she begins to learn that there are perhaps more profound things to do than live a...

A young woman named Dakota is reading a Nicholas Sparks novel on a beach and feeling lonely when a very attractive young man who seems to be the perfect Nicholas Sparks hero wanders onto the beach with a metal detector. However, it soon becomes clear that he is not looking for the Nicholas Sparks romance she is looking for, and she begins to learn that there are perhaps more profound things to do than live a Nicholas Sparks life.

Candy Likes Your Status

by Matt Henderson

Synopsis

Candy and Sandy are two bright-eyed recent college graduates who are ready to jump into life and love and post about it on Facebook. When one of them starts becoming more successful personally and professionally, however, jealousy and passive aggressive Facebook posts threaten to destroy their once-close friendship in this surreal “online” comedy.

Candy and Sandy are two bright-eyed recent college graduates who are ready to jump into life and love and post about it on Facebook. When one of them starts becoming more successful personally and professionally, however, jealousy and passive aggressive Facebook posts threaten to destroy their once-close friendship in this surreal “online” comedy.

A Love Story

by Matt Henderson

Synopsis

An actor named Jessie arrives onstage to perform her life-changing devised immersive one-woman show. A show that has no script, has never been rehearsed, and may not even be legally sanctioned. Will it get a good review?

An actor named Jessie arrives onstage to perform her life-changing devised immersive one-woman show. A show that has no script, has never been rehearsed, and may not even be legally sanctioned. Will it get a good review?

Children of the Night (AKA Your Neighborhood Singles' Bar)

by Matt Henderson

Synopsis

A blind date. A bar that may or may not serve blood. A denizen of the night determined to beat the odds and find a boyfriend before sunrise. We’ve all been there, haven’t we?

A blind date. A bar that may or may not serve blood. A denizen of the night determined to beat the odds and find a boyfriend before sunrise. We’ve all been there, haven’t we?

Bromantic Encounter

by Matt Henderson

Synopsis

Tom and Charlie are just two masculine straight bachelors hanging out watching their favorite sport, football, and ribbing each other about how "gay" they are. When their hot friend Brooke shows up to join in the fun, things get a little weird and leave all of them wondering just how "gay" is too gay.

Tom and Charlie are just two masculine straight bachelors hanging out watching their favorite sport, football, and ribbing each other about how "gay" they are. When their hot friend Brooke shows up to join in the fun, things get a little weird and leave all of them wondering just how "gay" is too gay.

Frankenstein

by Matt Henderson

Synopsis

A Catholic confessional. A young gay man who's just come out. A priest. And a gun. A stimulating discussion of just war theory ensues.

A Catholic confessional. A young gay man who's just come out. A priest. And a gun. A stimulating discussion of just war theory ensues.

Melanie's Heart

by Matt Henderson

Synopsis

Laura’s first day on the job has been a little hectic. Her boss needs wardrobe advice as she prepares to comfort children who have been separated from their parents at the border. She also needs peace of mind. All bets are off as to which she’ll get first.

Laura’s first day on the job has been a little hectic. Her boss needs wardrobe advice as she prepares to comfort children who have been separated from their parents at the border. She also needs peace of mind. All bets are off as to which she’ll get first.

No Pressure

by Matt Henderson

Synopsis

A woman obsessively blowing her nose. A sad man opening and closing a cow cookie jar over and over again. A young woman silently recording everything around her on her phone. A friendly man who wants to engage in conversation. What will they learn from each other on this bus ride? Maybe a lot, maybe a little, maybe just enough to get them through the day.

A woman obsessively blowing her nose. A sad man opening and closing a cow cookie jar over and over again. A young woman silently recording everything around her on her phone. A friendly man who wants to engage in conversation. What will they learn from each other on this bus ride? Maybe a lot, maybe a little, maybe just enough to get them through the day.

The Roar of the Crowd

by Matt Henderson

Synopsis

Lear has just been evicted and has no money to keep himself from being homeless. Alice is an innocent lady who passes by him on the street on her way to the library. Lear has a camera and an Indiegogo campaign. Clearly, the only solution here is for Alice to pretend to psychologically and physically abuse Lear so that he can put a video of it on Indiegogo so his campaign will go viral and he’ll never have to...

Lear has just been evicted and has no money to keep himself from being homeless. Alice is an innocent lady who passes by him on the street on her way to the library. Lear has a camera and an Indiegogo campaign. Clearly, the only solution here is for Alice to pretend to psychologically and physically abuse Lear so that he can put a video of it on Indiegogo so his campaign will go viral and he’ll never have to worry about money again. Right?

Existence and the Single Girl

by Matt Henderson

Synopsis

Ashley is a 12-year-old girl with a severe psychological problem: she can’t stop pondering the meaning of life. Her long-suffering mother finally decides to call a psychologist for guidance, who provides her with the best treatment possible for a young girl with existential blues—she molds her into a pop culture phenomenon. Attempting to find her place in the world, Ashley adopts the various teen girl pop...

Ashley is a 12-year-old girl with a severe psychological problem: she can’t stop pondering the meaning of life. Her long-suffering mother finally decides to call a psychologist for guidance, who provides her with the best treatment possible for a young girl with existential blues—she molds her into a pop culture phenomenon. Attempting to find her place in the world, Ashley adopts the various teen girl pop culture personas that are given to her, with the hope that she will discover the answer to the age-old question--Can the secret to purpose and meaning in the universe be found in a Cosmo personality quiz?

The Balancing of the Budget

by Matt Henderson

Synopsis

A young woman named Joan Flat is on the run from an army of outraged revolutionaries out to kill her. Her crime: singing incredibly off-key in a Youtube video which went viral and brought her fame and fortune. When this millionaire happens upon a sad homeless man named Willy at a bus stop, he agrees to hide her from her ubiquitous enemies for a price: she must turn over all her earnings. However, not all...

A young woman named Joan Flat is on the run from an army of outraged revolutionaries out to kill her. Her crime: singing incredibly off-key in a Youtube video which went viral and brought her fame and fortune. When this millionaire happens upon a sad homeless man named Willy at a bus stop, he agrees to hide her from her ubiquitous enemies for a price: she must turn over all her earnings. However, not all goes according to plan, and both Willy and Joan are killed by a revolutionary, left in their dying moments to wonder where they went wrong.

Strutting and Fretting

by Matt Henderson

Synopsis

Tracy, 55, Jim, 68, and George, 47, are three young kids rehearsing a play as part of an amateur group, but what they really want to do is move to New York and make it big. When one of them drops to the floor and appears to be in some mysterious condition called “dead,” the other two must race against time to figure out what the play means and if this strange “death” concept does, in fact, come to us all.

Tracy, 55, Jim, 68, and George, 47, are three young kids rehearsing a play as part of an amateur group, but what they really want to do is move to New York and make it big. When one of them drops to the floor and appears to be in some mysterious condition called “dead,” the other two must race against time to figure out what the play means and if this strange “death” concept does, in fact, come to us all.

Smile for the Camera

by Matt Henderson

Synopsis

A homeless man named Jeremy is picked from obscurity to become the recipient of talk-show host Mylanta’s charity, via her highly-rated television show “Mylanta, Help Me Live!” However, the plan to fix Jeremy’s life goes awry when a dream vacation trip gets derailed by a plane crash. Mylanta and Jeremy find that they are the only survivors, stranded with two huge Mylanta fans whose lives are so poverty-stricken...

A homeless man named Jeremy is picked from obscurity to become the recipient of talk-show host Mylanta’s charity, via her highly-rated television show “Mylanta, Help Me Live!” However, the plan to fix Jeremy’s life goes awry when a dream vacation trip gets derailed by a plane crash. Mylanta and Jeremy find that they are the only survivors, stranded with two huge Mylanta fans whose lives are so poverty-stricken they may be beyond even Mylanta’s help. Pushed to their limits, Jeremy and Mylanta struggle to come to terms with their views on life, death, God, and how to create meaning in their lives from the perspective of the Big Camera that sees all.

The Ghosts in Aisle 30

by Matt Henderson

Synopsis

Kevin is single, jobless, living with his parents, and about to turn 30. When he has a very awkward and embarrassing encounter with a former high school classmate in Wal-Mart, his life plunges down a surreal rabbit hole where the ghosts of his past lurk just behind the toilet paper, the uncomfortable truth of his present is waiting to spring out behind the hand moisturizer, and the answers to whether he will be...

Kevin is single, jobless, living with his parents, and about to turn 30. When he has a very awkward and embarrassing encounter with a former high school classmate in Wal-Mart, his life plunges down a surreal rabbit hole where the ghosts of his past lurk just behind the toilet paper, the uncomfortable truth of his present is waiting to spring out behind the hand moisturizer, and the answers to whether he will be able to survive his impending adulthood will be discovered through playing the Wal-Mart-sponsored game show somewhere near the shoe racks. Retail therapy is given a whole new meaning in this surreal comedy about the perils of life in the Boomerang Generation and all the social stigma that comes with it.