Matthew Laws is an actor based in New York City. Born in Chicago and raised throughout the western United States, Matthew is a graduate of the Stella Adler Studio of Acting in New York where he studied in the conservatory program for three years. Roles include: Snout the Tinker in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Sir Andrew Aguecheek in Twelfth Night, Cinna the Poet and ten other roles in Julius Caesar, Ken Gorman in Neil Simon’s Rumors, and Billy Claven in Martin McDonagh’s The Cripple of Inishmaan. He is a proud member of Actors' Equity.

 

Matthew recently joined acclaimed director Michael Wilson at the Wild Geese Gallery in Manhattan for readings of classics by Tennessee Williams playing Mitch in A Streetcar Named Desire, Gooper in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, and Hank in The Night of the Iguana (in which he also scored the play). The success of the readings prompted additional works to be done with Matthew playing Konstantin in Chekhov's The Seagull and David Ragin in The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window by Lorraine Hansberry.

 

Matthew has had long standing relationships with Denver Center Theatre Company, Curious Theatre Company, The Lark Play Development Center, and Tectonic Theater Project. 

 

In addition to acting, Matthew is also the Executive Producer of the Colorado New Play Festival. Selected as one of the top theater festivals in the U.S. by The New York Times, the Colorado New Play Festival partners with professional theatre companies from throughout the country and hosts them in the idyllic mountain town of Steamboat Springs, Colorado for a week-long workshop of a new play in development that ends with a public staged reading. Matthew is also heavily involved in New American Voices , a program at the Festival in partnership with the International Rescue Committee which provides writing/ art therapy to newly resettled refugees here in the United States.

 

Before becoming the Executive Producer of the Festival, Matthew has worked there as a stage manager, actor, festival emcee, bartender, event planner, travel agent, tour guide and just about every other job needed to put on a theatre event. His tradition of driving to Austin, Texas to pick up BBQ for the artists has been reported on in HowlRound. 

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Outside of his work in theatre, Matthew enjoys playing guitar and mandolin, fly fishing, skiing, traveling, and spending time with his dogs Tug and Lefty. He currently divides his time between Brooklyn and Colorado.