they/them
Matty Mahoski is an interdisciplinary creator and alumni of NYU Tisch School for the Arts, Department of Drama, in the New Studio on Broadway and the Experimental Theatre Wing. Matty’s work focuses on creating art and telling stories through a combination of theatrical mediums; choreography, musical composition, spoken text, and visual design. As a queer, trans, non-binary, neurodivergent, Jewish and anti-zionist, artist who lives with HIV, Matty’s experience navigating these intersections of identity and perspective heavily influences their work. Featured in New York Theatre Barn’s 2022 OPEN Choreography Lab. Winner of the 2023 WIO! Playwriting Prize for their play UN(IN)SURE. In 2024 alone Matty was a semifinalist for Rattlestick Theater’s Terrence McNally New Works Incubator, La Mama’s Experiments in Playwriting Fellowship, and Fault Line Theatre Company’s Irons in the Fire. Their solo work REACHING was performed at the 2024 Spring For Spring Dance Festival in CT. A collaboration with AYA, X:\>runprogram…SUSPIRIORUM.exe, premiered at Reframe Dance Theatre’s recent To Be Danced showcase in NJ. An excerpt of Matty’s dance-play THE ROCK will be performed at the upcoming Dance Bloc NYC Festival at Dixon Place on November 1st.
Q: What are some plays/playwrights that inspire you?
A: ‘how to clean your room’ by J. Chavez. Also Donja R. Love, Jess Barbagallo, Haruna Lee, and all the other writers in this year’s cohort!
Q: What’s a fun fact about yourself?
A: As a little kid, I had a third set of front two teeth, growing backwards into my skull. They had to cut open my pallet to dig them out of my head. I got to keep the teeth, which are long and thin like tiny boney tubes.
Q: Would you rather fight one horse-sized duck or 100 duck-sized horses?
A: 1 horse-sized duck. But I don’t want to fight it, I want to befriend it, earn its trust, and ride it like a mount. Like some kind of super sick absurdist fantasy knight on duck-back.