“After conducting a national search to find an Artistic Director who fits ArtsWest’s mission and provides a strong artistic vision that will lead us into our future, the ArtsWest Board of Directors couldn’t be happier to welcome Mat to our organization. He brings such energy and talent to ArtsWest and we cannot wait to see him in action as our artistic leader,” stated Dawn Leverett, Board President. Mathew Wright is familiar to ArtsWest’s audiences as both the Director of Little Women and the Music Director of HAIR, two of the most loved and successful shows of the 2013-2014 season. In addition to working as a freelance director at ArtsWest and other theatres in town, Mathew has been part of The 5th Avenue Theatre community since moving to Seattle in 2011. “Mat has been a tremendous asset to The 5th Avenue Theatre as part of our Education Department and as a member of the creative team for a number of memorable productions. We will be sorry to lose him, but are thrilled to see him move into this exciting new role,” shared The 5th Avenue Theatre’s Executive Producer and Artistic Director David Armstrong. Hailing from Newton, New Jersey, Mathew’s extensive education includes a BA in Theater and French with a minor in Linguistics from Rutgers University and an MFA in Directing from Temple University in Philadelphia. With a broad resume of directing and music directing credits spanning a vast range of material, from straight plays with basement budgets to large scale musical theater, Mathew brings to ArtsWest the best of both the theory and practical craftsmanship involved in creating compelling theatre. Before leaving the East Coast, he worked extensively at theatres throughout New Jersey and most notably Philadelphia, where he won the 2007 Barrymore Award for Music Direction of Mum Puppettheatre’s The Fantasticks, and was nominated for two Barrymore Awards for his work on EgoPo’s Marat/Sade for both Outstanding Music Direction and Best Original Score.
