Meet Matt Stabile | Producing Artistic Director, Theatre Lab, the professional resident company of FAU

We had the good fortune of connecting with Matt Stabile and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Matt, what role has risk played in your life or career?
I think too many people associate a negative connotation with “risk”. Getting comfortable with Risk is really just getting comfortable with the unknown. If this last year has taught us anything, it’s that, even when we think we have it all “under control”, there’s actually very little that is within our control. Every time you try something new – truly new – you’re taking a risk. But those are usually the most enjoyable parts of life – at the very least, they are the times you learn the most. I guess the negative associated with risk is the possibility of failure. But we’ve all failed. At a million things. The question is whether you view failure as a stopping point, or as an opportunity to improve and be better. Our theatre is dedicated to new work. So…every show is a risk. We don’t have recognizable titles – “sure-fire” hits. What we do have is a commitment to our audience that no matter what we do, we’re going to do our absolute best with it. That’s what keeps them coming back – even when they don’t know what the show might be.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I’m a writer, director, actor and educator who found his home in the Theatre at an early age. I proudly serve as the Producing Artistic Director of Theatre Lab, the professional resident company of Florida Atlantic University, where I’ve directed multiple World, US, and Regional Premiere productions. Some of my favorite projects over the first five seasons have been the more than 100 readings hosted by The Lab and I look forward to expanding these developmental opportunities – as with Theatre Lab’s newest program, The Fair Play Initiative, a commission and development program for LGBTQ playwrights. As a central component of Theatre Lab’s mission to “inspire, develop, and produce new work, audiences, and artists for the American Theatre”, I developed and oversee The Future PAGES Project – an educational outreach program that provides writing workshops and live-theatrical experiences at NO COST to more than 1500 students in grades 3-12 each year. In 2020, I was honored to be named the recipient of the REMY “Pioneer Award” by the South Florida Theatre League for Theatre Lab’s work in creating and presenting the Online Original Monologue Festival (#OOMF) to support theatre artists who lost income due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. A proud member of AEA, I have performed on stages across South Florida, written and produced material for the stage and screen, and am a passionate advocate for arts and education. Was it hard? I mean, sure there were points it seemed like this career was never possible. But the truth is: we don’t ever know the path our career will take. We do a disservice to ourselves when we try to imagine “this is the path of a successful career in the arts” – cause a real path is usually just a series of hard work, lucky breaks, and being too stubborn to give up.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Miami-Dade Public Schools Magnet programs – specifically: Norland Middle School and New World School of the Arts;

Website: www.fau.edu/theatrelab

Image Credits
Julia Rose Photo Nicholas Chimienti Nicole Fridh