Interview: Matt Kunkel of THE SOUND OF MUSIC at The Muny

Each summer, The Muny in St. Louis produces a season of full-scale performances of Broadway musicals that must come together in a few short weeks. It takes a lot of work from committed actors and technical theater professionals, plus it requires a little bit of magic, Muny magic. Each night, approximately 11,000 members of the St. Louis community gather in Forest Park to enjoy a show that is built on an epic scale. Attending performances at this outdoor amphitheater is a tradition for many St. Louis families. This season, a former college intern at The Muny gets his opportunity to direct one of the biggest projects of his young career. BroadwayWorld had the opportunity to sit down with Matt Kunkel to learn about his training, his plans for helming his first full-scale Muny production, and how The Muny introduced him to directing and to his soon-to-be-wife.

For this University of Michigan graduate, The Muny and the City of St. Louis has created its own special form of Muny magic. Since 2014, Matt Kunkel spent his summers serving as a directing intern at The Muny working on 15 shows. When Matt was just 22-years-old, The Muny's Artistic Director and Executive Producer, Mike Issacson, granted Matt the opportunity to direct The Muny's 100-year anniversary gala. At the end of the 2019 season, Issacson informed Matt that he was going to direct his first full-scale musical in 2020. Unfortunately, that season was postponed due to the pandemic. This summer, Matt will make his Muny directorial debut with The Sound of Music as part of The Muny's 103rd season. He talks about the challenges of taking a beloved musical that is an audience favorite and breathing new life into the production. Little did he know when he accepted his directing Intern role in 2014 that The Muny would be the place where he would get to take on one of his biggest early-career directorial challenges.

Matt grew up just a one-hour train ride from Manhattan on Long Island. As a young boy, he acted in the community theater companies that were part of Long Island's thriving theater scene. When he was 14, his Mom allowed him to take the train into Manhattan on Saturdays and purchase rush tickets for Broadway matinees. As he got a little older, she gave him permission to stay for both the matinee and evening performances. As a result, this teenager was able to see about 60 Broadway shows each year. It was when he saw the Tony-Winning revival of Larry Kramer's The Normal Heart that he knew he wanted to pursue a career in theater. Matt said, "This was the most powerful drama I'd ever seen. It was all storytelling, truth and honesty that left the audience wrecked at the end of the show." He went on to recount how he was moved by the man occupying the seat to his immediate left who sobbed openly at the end of the performance.

He selected the University of Michigan to earn his BFA in Directing. Matt chose this school because students who attend Michigan get real directing experience with lots of resources. His most proud directorial moment to date was his effort with his senior thesis and the performance of We Are Proud to Present a Presentation About the Herero of Namibia Formerly Known as a Southwest Africa, From the German Sudwestafrika, Between the Years 1884-1915. Matt recounts how he approached this text driven play through collaboration by giving the six actors the space to create. Matt said, "I would give them the tools, allow them to work through the material, and then return to help them shape the scenes." According to him, the director is the audience's eyes to shape what's happening on stage. No doubt these are the directing skills he honed while studying at Michigan and interning at The Muny.

This season Matt has been tapped to direct the 11th Muny prodcution of the classic Rogers and Hammerstein show The Sound of Music. When asked what his vision was for this production Matt confidently said, "This is a show about love, love of God, love of family, and love of country, and I knew I wanted to direct The Sound of Music because The Muny is my family." Another reason he knew he had to direct this show is because he loves education and working with children. He recounted how he had been influenced by teachers in his life and how he loves giving that gift back. He said, "I learn from my students as well. My teaching philosophy is summed up by a theme from The King and I, when you become a teacher by your pupils you will be taught."

Matt is aware that The Muny's Patrons will have expectations from the beloved movie version of The Sound of Music. He said, "I have a responsibility to provide the show the audience loves, but I also want to re-invigorate the material." He went on to explain that while most people expect the movie version, the stage musical and the film are two completely different entities. When The Muny lost the 2020 season to the pandemic, it provided him 2-years to sit with the show and examine its themes to decide how to freshen it. When asked which role is his favorite, he quickly mentions Captain von Trapp because, says Matt, "It is the most actable role in the show." He is excited about the Tony nominated actor who will portray von Trapp, but cannot yet disclose the casting announcement. Matt said, "The hardest roles to cast are that of the 7 von Trapp children. The children must perform as a vocal ensemble that has been singing together for many years." Matt's goal is to find the real story telling in this show. He said, "I want to make the most vivid production with gripping human emotions that we can all relate to." He thinks it is critical to create the appropriate amount of tension at the end of the show to make the production a success.

If Matt could revive and direct any musical, it would be Gypsy. He said, "it is the Hamlet of musical theater. I have a very strong concept in my mind that involves how the overture works in that piece." He went on to share a brilliant idea but asked that it not be printed. When speaking with Matt you get the sense that he approaches his work with a thoughtful intelligence. When asking about his personal definition of what a successful career may look like, Matt said that he simply wants to work his entire life in the theater and be able to pay his bills and support his family. A family that started at The Muny where he met his fiancee' Emma who is a dancer, choreographer and a native St. Louisan. They'll be married next April on Long Island in a wedding that's been twice delayed due to the pandemic.

The Muny will present The Sound of Music, sponsored by Edward Jones, August 3-9, 2021 as part of their 103rd season. New season subscriptions for the five-show season will be available beginning June 7. Individual tickets will go on sale July 12. Tickets can be purchased online at muny.org or by calling (314) 361-1900, ext. 1550. Currently the box office in Forest Park is closed for walk-up service until July 5.

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