Matthew Leavitt

Matthew Leavitt, a lifelong Los Angeles native, is an award-winning playwright, director and librettist. He is also the co-artistic director of the classical theatre company The 6th Act. After a summer of studying playwriting at Harvard University, he was a semifinalist in the Young Playwrights National Playwriting Competition, founded by Stephen Sondheim, for his play Losers and Fools. Leavitt later graduated from Pomona College with a degree in creative writing. His most recent play, Sukkot, just held its world premiere at The Skylight Theatre in Los Angeles. His previous play, The $5 Shakespeare Company, was recognized as an LA Times Critics’ Choice. His award-winning play The Boomerang Effect, which debuted at the Odyssey Theatre in Los Angeles, received seven Stage Scene LA Awards, including Best World Premiere Play and Outstanding Production, Comedy. He has been commissioned by LA Opera twice to write the librettos for new operas, Orpheus and The Wreck of the Miranda (both collaborations with award-winning classical and film composer Nathan Wang).

Directing credits include Hamlet (The 6th Act, Stage Scene LA Award – Best Direction of a Play), Legally Brunette (World Premiere – The Garry Marshall Theatre in LA, 54 Below in NYC), Sonnets From Suburbia (World Premiere – Edinburgh Fringe Festival, 59E59 in NYC, Hollywood Independent Theatre Festival), The Scorpion and the Frog: a time killer (World Premiere – Hollywood Fringe Festival), Double Play (World Premiere – Stephanie Feury Theatre), Barfly Shakespeare (The 6th Act), Arrival (Sci-Fest LA), Human History (Sci-Fest LA), The Taming of the Shrew (Village Green Productions) and Goes The Weasel (Ammunition Theatre Company).