Today we’d like to introduce you to Matt Torney.
Hi Matt, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I was born in Northern Ireland in the 1980s in the middle of a violent political conflict known as “The Troubles”. The country was ravaged by insurgent-style warfare, with bombings, murders, kidnappings, and other atrocities happening on a daily basis, and there was a heavy army presence in the streets. As a child, it was extremely difficult to make sense of all of this chaos, especially because we had nothing to compare it to and it seemed normal to us.
My mum signed me up for drama and dance classes, and it was like stepping into a magical world. Everything was focused on creativity, on passion, on collaboration and community – literally the opposite of what was happening on the streets outside. I threw myself into it, doing shows, writing scripts, and learning to play music. The arts became a refuge for me and a place where I could make some sense of a confusing world.
That passion and that solace have carried me through my entire professional career, that spanned time as a freelance actor and director in Dublin, a theatre and film producer in New York, as an Associate Artistic Director of a major theatre in Washington DC, and my most exciting chapter so far: as Artistic Director of Theatrical Outfit in the heart of Downtown Atlanta. Along the way, I’ve met extraordinary people and have worked with amazing companies and have focused on creating vivid and exciting work that has a deep impact on audiences and communities and is grounded in the spirit of collaboration and cooperation.
Theatrical Outfit’s mission is to produce world-class theatre that starts conversations that matter. In many ways, it feels like I’m going full circle, back to my first connections with theatre, and I am excited to build connection and community with artists and audiences in this amazing city.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Every artist I know has had a rocky road – part of the joy and challenge of working in the field is solving difficult problems and building great teams to take on challenges. However, no one in the performing arts was prepared for the intense impact of the Covid pandemic.
When all theatres and live venues were closed down, we had to instantly re-evaluate the role we had to play in this crisis and work out new mediums in which to tell stories. At Theatrical Outfit, we developed a robust program of streamed play readings, filmed and live theatre shows, live discussions with artists and experts, and partnerships with other local companies to develop new work. As the logistical and financial challenges mounted, we had to constantly reinvent how we worked and to keep looking for ways to connect with our community, and most importantly, to keep artists employed! On top of all of this, we were also in the middle of fundraising and planning for a major renovation of the theatre!
The strong teamwork, and creative flexibility, that we developed during that time has sustained us through reopening and has transformed our work culture in positive and humane ways. While we are still facing shifting sands and emerging challenges, the sense of community and purpose is especially strong in our work. Our new building is open, it’s beautiful, and audiences are really loving coming back.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am both a theatre director who works directly on shows and an Artistic Director who leads the creative direction for the whole company and acts as the lead producer for all of our work. I am constantly balancing the deep focus needed to create great theatre with the responsiveness and dynamic teamwork that goes into running a building and several artistic programs.
As a director, I am most proud of my deep work with actors. My shows are known for exceptional acting and strong ensemble work that connects in vivid ways with audiences. My approach is extremely simple: I empower everyone in the team to make bold choices and to go deep into the human truth of characters, scenes, and moments, and then I work with the design team to shape the production and build on the great work that the cast is doing.
As an Artistic Director, I use a lot of the same skills, but the challenges and scope of the work is completely different. I program our Main Stage season but also look for ways to work with artists to develop new projects and support new play development through our Made in Atlanta new work program (which is led by my partner in crime, Addae Moon.) I also support fundraising, marketing, and both short and long-term strategy. What I am most proud of is the culture we are building at Theatrical Outfit – we center kindness and integrity as the foundation of our work and believe that if you treat people well and value them as human beings, we can build an amazing environment that champions creativity and connection, both on and off stage.
What were you like growing up?
I was very curious and was always learning new skills and jumping into new things (and getting into very creative trouble!) I was out every night of the week at a rehearsal, performance, concert, or class and was always bussing around the city listening to U2, Alanis Morisette, and Jeff Buckley tapes on my Walkman. I have a large and extremely opinionated family, so we had a lot of boisterous meals full of big laughs, political disagreements, and good fun.
I also developed a deep love for nature and the outdoors. I used to love sailing with my dad, and we would go up to the Scottish Islands and explore lochs, and coves, and wild places.
Pricing:
- Adult Season Tickets Starting at $195.50
- Senior Season Tickets Starting at $174.25
- Student Season Tickets Starting at $76.50
Contact Info:
- Website: www.matttorney.com
- Instagram: @matttorney
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matttorney/
Image Credits
Matt Torney – Photo Credit Jerry Siegel AN ILIAD – Photo Credit Casey G Ford Photography FLEX – Photo Credit Casey G Ford Photography THE HUMANS – Photo Credit Nick Hattings THE WHITE CHIP – Photo Credit Casey G Ford Photography THE WOLF AT THE END OF THE BLOCK – Photo Credit Casey G Ford Photography
