Introduce Yourself, Matthew Hadley

Theatre or theater? 

Haha, I went through a whole phase where I tried to make "theatre" happen (as in even kind of pronouncing the "truh" at the end).  These days, I'm happy when I can manage to find time to sit in a darkened room and watch people bring a playwright's words to life--regardless of whether its highbrow, classical standards--or kitchen-sink drama.

Strangest theater-related job? 

I actually haven't had a ton of theater related jobs, having put my acting career on hold for the time being.  But the strangest theatrical experience I ever had was doing a show (the name of which escapes me) where the performances started every night at 10pm, in a basement in NoHo; my character was called "Rooster" and the final moments of the show were a choreographed, heroin-fueled, dance sequence in which all the characters came back from the dead in order to torment the heroine-lead during a drug fueled frenzy.  Come to think of it...that might actually qualify as my most fun theatrical experience.  Haha!

What experience made you want to become an actor? 

I can't pinpoint an exact moment.  It was more like a gradual succumbing.  I did theater in high school, and enjoyed it, got lauded with a bunch of silly awards, and ultimately decided wouldn't it be fun if everyday I went to play instead of work?

Very first role on stage? 

Kaiser.  Kidding.  Uhhh, lets see that must have been when I was 10, and played the emcee in my church's production of "Look In the Book"...my first, and last musical.  But, as they say "a stahhhh was born."

Tragic flaw? 

Of mine or theaters?  I suppose they might be one in the same...I'm terrible at this whole making theater a money making venture, and I suppose thats the fault of theater as well--its just not designed in a way that the majority of people who want to do it, and are good at it, are able to make a living at it.  Shame really; if we were more civilized, like the Europeans, there would be subsidies for artists--because THEY realize arts are vital to the health of a culture.

If you were a 1980s television show sidekick, who would you be?

You expect me to remember TV shows from the 80s?  I was barely alive back then...my knowledge of 80s tv consists of Smurfs, Gumby and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.  And because of that, I'll say "Pokey".  Always loyal to his good friend Gumby, never one to say an unkind word, and willing to carry his friends on his back when they need him!