Matthew Lopez Named 2014-15 Denver Center Playwriting Fellow

The Denver Center for the Performing Arts has announced the appointment of Matthew Lopez as Denver Center Playwriting Fellow for the 2014/15 Theatre Company season.

Denver audiences will remember Lopez as the playwright of The Legend of Georgia McBride and The Whipping Man. The Whipping Man, which was presented by Curious Theatre Company, won the Henry Award for Outstanding Drama. The Legend of Georgia McBride, which received a world premiere at the Theatre Company, received the Henry for Outstanding New Play.

"I'm delighted to be returning to the DCPA this season to continue what has already been a happy and fruitful collaboration," said Matthew Lopez. "The Theatre Company's commitment to playwrights and new plays isn't just boilerplate. Writers know the difference between companies who claim to support new work and those that actually do. The Theatre Company is most decidedly on the right side of that divide and I am excited by the opportunity to deepen my relationship with this wonderful theatre."

During the duration of his six month fellowship, Lopez will serve as part of the Theatre Company's artistic team. Lopez will bring the playwright's voice into the production process for the upcoming Theatre Company world premieres of Benediction and Appoggiatura, assist with play selection for the 2015-16 Theatre Company season and serve as the Playwright Host for the 2015 Colorado New Play Summit.

"We are thrilled to welcome Matthew back to Denver," said Kent Thompson, Producing Artistic Director for the Theatre Company. "He is a remarkable talent and was the perfect choice to serve as our inaugural playwriting fellow. We look forward to adding Matthew's unique voice to our artistic discussions throughout the season and know he will help us take the Colorado New Play Summit to new heights."

Lopez is the author of The Whipping Man, one of the most widely produced new American plays of the last several years. The play premiered at Luna Stage in Montclair, NJ and debuted in New York at Manhattan Theatre Club. That production was directed by Doug Hughes and starred Andre Braugher. The sold-out production extended four times, ultimately running 101 performances off-Broadway and garnering Obie and Lucille Lortel Awards. Matthew was awarded the John Gassner New Play Award from the New York Outer Critics Circle for the play. Since then, it has received over 40 productions worldwide. His play Somewhere has been produced at the Old Globe, TheatreWorks in Palo Alto and most recently at Hartford Stage Company, where his play Reverberation will receive its world premiere in 2015. His newest play, The Legend of Georgia McBride, premiered earlier this year at the Denver Theatre Center for the Performing Arts. His play The Sentinels premiered in London at Headlong Theatre Company in 2011. Matthew currently holds new play commissions from Roundabout Theatre Company, Manhattan Theatre Club, Hartford Stage, and South Coast Rep. Matthew was a staff writer on HBO's "The Newsroom" and is currently adapting Javier Marias' trilogy "Your Face Tomorrow" for the screen.

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