The Van Gogh Exhibit & The Zebra Baby

    Written by Matt Fotis

  Directed by Matt Fotis (VGE) & Jonathan Thomas (TZB)

     January 5th-28th at American Theater Company

-In The Zebra Baby a young newlywed couple has just moved into their new home. But when talk of a baby arises, Greg's world is thrown into a bizarre time-warp where the most sane person just might be a kid who likes sandwiches.   The Van Gogh Exhibit is "less about Van Gogh's paintings than what happens when his swirls are set in motion...The narrative itself takes the passenger seat as the idiosyncratic characters direct traffic...trying to work out where the shapes of marriage, sexuality, bus routes, politics and memories fit into one masterpiece." -Minneapolis Skyway News

-"Fotis' wit is evident" - TimeOut Chicago

-"In these two one-acts, promising young playwright Matt Fotis delivers smart, funny dialogue and honest observation of diverse characters...these short works provide some sharp humor and a few provocative ideas."

-Chicago Reader

-"The Van Gogh Exhibit, a multi-character La Ronde-like piece laced with biting humor and a lingering sadness... Shantz’s initial Chicago outing is still filled with plenty of promise and insight. Minneapolis’ loss has the potential to be a strong Chicago gain." -The Windy City Times

Deviled Eggs

    Written by Nick Ryan

Directed by Matt Fotis

March 23-April 8th @ Gorilla Tango Theatre

-The millennium has passed. The world awaits its Antichrist. If only the Devil could rise to the occasion. A story of love, tyranny and erectile dysfunction. 

Requiem for a Department Store,

or how Jesus taught me to shop at Macy's

    Directed by Matt Fotis

December 8-17th at Gorilla Tango Theatre

Shantz Theatre's critically acclaimed holiday sketch show extravaganza.  Featuring Jesus' lost USO show, Santa's WWII hideouts and the real Mrs. Claus.

-Recommended by The Chicago Tribune, The Daily Herald, New City Chicago, and MidwestBusiness.com...that's right, MidwestBusiness.com

The Candid Biography of a Single Chess Table Chosen at Random on an Ambiguous Spring Day in Central Park

    Written & Directed by Matt Fotis

August 25-September 3rd at The Indianapolis Fringe Festival

-Rather than follow the trials and tribulations of a main character, this off-beat one-act comedy tracks the life of a chess table in Central Park through fourteen interconnected vignettes about life, death, sex, and jogging.  Come meet the bevy of unique, colorful, and rather strange characters that inhabit this play’s world and you just might leave the theater with a new understanding of life...maybe.  Okay, that’s a bit of a stretch, but you’ll laugh your butt off!

-"The most fully realized productions in the fringe." -Nuvo

A Year in the Life of Twenty-Five Strangers Living in a City by the Lake

    Written & Directed by Matt Fotis

August 3-14 at The Minnesota Fringe Festival

-The lives of 25 strangers are woven together in more ways than they might think in this smart new play.  Featuring a scene for every month, A Year in the Life examines relationships and life with sharp wit and chilling accuracy.  

-Selected as a Finalist for the Guthrie Theatre Fringe Encore

-The #7 ranked show of the festival (out of 165)

The Marriage of Marcus Tyler

    Written & Directed by Matt Fotis

May 3-27th at Breadline Theatre

-When the Tyler’s eldest son brings his fiancé home to meet the family, the Tyler’s put her through their own unique test to see if she really is “the one.”

-"Gary Saipe's blustering grandfather...dominates the action from his perch on the sofa, looking like a great malevolent owl." -Chicago Reader

A Year in the Life of Twenty-Five Strangers Living in a City by the Lake

    Written & Directed by Matt Fotis

July 29-31st at The Kansas City Fringe Festival

August 19-28th at The Indianapolis Fringe Festival

Sept 9-11th at Links Hall (Chicago)

-The lives of 25 strangers are woven together in more ways than they might think in this smart new play.  Featuring a scene for every month, A Year in the Life examines relationships and life with sharp wit and chilling accuracy. See if you can connect the dots between the Sound of Music and low sperm counts, St. Patrick's Day and ducks, or gay marriage and meteorology.  

-"Actress Sadieh Rifai gives an especially solid performance and is a joy to watch." -Nuvo (Indy alt. paper)

-"The clever script...good acting and some particularly excellent moments of comic timing make A Year in The Life worth the price of admission." - Nuvo

The Van Gogh Exhibit

    Written & Directed by Matt Fotis

August 6-15th at The Minnesota Fringe Festival

The Van Gogh Exhibit is "less about Van Gogh's paintings than what happens when his swirls are set in motion...The narrative itself takes the passenger seat as the idiosyncratic characters direct traffic...trying to work out where the shapes of marriage, sexuality, bus routes, politics and memories fit into one masterpiece." -Minneapolis Skyway News

-"What an ear for dialogue!" -mnartists.org

-"Highly quotable piece, smart, philosophical." -mnartists.org

-"Relationships are tenuous, vibrant things. The Van Gogh Exhibit explores twelve of them with insight and wit."   -mnartists.org

-Named "Anna's Pick of the Fringe" by Minneapolis Skyway News.

The Diner Variations

    Written & Directed by Matt Fotis

August 1-10th at The Minnesota Fringe Festival

-Inspired by David Mamet’s The Duck Variations, this slightly absurdist black comedy follows two lifelong friends as they reflect on their past and speculate about their future after the tragic death of someone near and dear to them both. Touching on everything from McCarthyism to feminist interpretations of 17^th Century French literature, The Diner Variations is sure to have something for everyone.

The Candid Biography of a Single Chess Table Chosen at Random on an Ambiguous Spring Day in Central Park

    Written & Directed by Matt Fotis

August 2-11th at The Minnesota Fringe Festival

October 7-28th at The Bryant Lake Bowl Theatre

-Rather than follow the trials and tribulations of a main character, this off-beat one-act comedy tracks the life of a chess table in Central Park through fourteen interconnected vignettes about life, death, sex, and jogging.  Come meet the bevy of unique, colorful, and rather strange characters that inhabit this play’s world and you just might leave the theater with a new understanding of life...maybe.  Okay, that’s a bit of a stretch, but you’ll laugh your butt off!

"Fotis’s script enlivens both mundane and bizarre human interactions...[A] tightly acted composition that evokes the gamut of emotions." -City Pages

"Everyone in the room was tearing with laughter." - Augsburg Echo

"Banter...as fresh as if it were improvisation." -Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

"No one ever plays chess." -Pittsburgh Post-Gazette