Matthew McGee, marketing manager of Freefall Theater, discusses the niche that Freefall has carved out in the St. Pete area, offering unique and innovative shows. They focus on smaller productions with a creative twist, showcasing new plays and world premieres. Freefall also aims to be a world-class theater produced in St. Petersburg, employing local artists. Matthew shares insights into the payment structure for actors, highlighting the weekly payment system followed by Actors' Equity Association. He also emphasizes the importance of branding oneself as an actor and seeking opportunities beyond traditional theater, such as commercials, voiceover work, and hosting events. In this conversation, Matthew McGee discusses various aspects of being a working actor and running a theater. He talks about the importance of asking for what you need as an actor and being prepared for auditions. He also shares insights into the casting process and the mix of local and out-of-town actors used in productions. Matthew discusses his experience working at Walt Disney World and the need for agents in the industry. He also talks about his journey in the theater industry, from growing up in Georgia to settling in Tampa Bay. Matthew shares the day-to-day responsibilities of his role as the marketing manager at Freefall Theatre and the importance of fundraising for the theater. He provides details about the current production, Fable, and the subscription model used by Freefall Theater. Matthew also mentions the possibility of extending shows based on audience demand and his recent involvement in the Rocky Horror Show.
- https://freefalltheatre.com/
- https://www.facebook.com/freefalltheatre/
- https://www.imdb.com/name/nm8065472/
- https://www.instagram.com/thematthewmcgee
- Music by Old Romans: https://www.instagram.com/old_romans
You can listen to the episode here (or wherever you listen to podcasts) or read the transcript below:
Nick (00:01.676)
Well, today on the podcast, I'm lucky enough to have Matthew McGee, founder and founder of Freefall Theater, owner, leader, champion of Freefall Theater and actor. I met Matthew at the St. Petersburg Arts Alliance Arts Business Summit. It's a mouthful of a title a few weeks ago on a class about branding or a workshop about branding.
and he was sweet enough to join me on my podcast, a little conversation about his experiences. So thank you so much, Matthew.
Matthew McGee (00:32.472)
I'm thrilled. This is going to be exciting.
Nick (00:36.31)
Great. So can you just kind of in a quick bit explain what you're doing right now and then I guess we'll move into how you got into that. So maybe not a quick bit. Might take a bit.
Matthew McGee (00:47.264)
Yeah, absolutely. I know. No, no, can make it fast. But you know, right now I'm in the Freefall offices and I know we were supposed to chat at another point this week and we currently were opening a show. So when we do that, like this week, it is a real on all hands on deck type of thing. So we're opening Fable, which is a new play about the making of the Broadway musical Gypsy. I really do compare it to...
Nick (01:10.103)
Mm.
Matthew McGee (01:17.112)
the feud series that you can see on FX. know, Ryan Murphy shows Betty Davis versus Joan Crawford or Capote and the Swans. This one's about June Havoc and Gypsy Rose Lee and their sort of battle for whose story got told in the Broadway musical Gypsy. It's a lot of fun, very dishy, very showbiz. But yeah, I've been with Free Fall now for 12 years. And I'm not one of the founders actually, but I have been here for a long period of time.
Nick (01:22.711)
Mm
Matthew McGee (01:47.04)
with the company. The property itself is owned by Kevin Lane, who is one of the founders of Freefall Theater with Eric Davis, is our artistic director. I feel like I've been here long enough that, I've been a real, a big part of Freefall over the years for sure.
Nick (02:04.374)
Well, can you, I guess, start by, well, can you describe what is the niche, or niche, however you say that, that Free Fall has in the St. Pete area? How is it different from other theaters? What is the, I guess, area that it's carved out?
Matthew McGee (02:21.816)
Sure, absolutely. Well, you know, a lot of people know about American Stage, which has been around for over 45 years. And for the longest time, that was really the only professional theater company in St. Petersburg. So we knew that we weren't going to do anything downtown per se, even though I do think that's sort of like the cult.
that's a real cultural destination for people. We knew that it would be nice to open something up in West St. Petersburg that also had a great deal of parking. There's 160 free parking spaces here at Freefall.
So we knew that we would want to do something that was a little bit different. And I think also our artistic director knew that he wanted to do some shows that were different from the shows at American Stage. Instead of having a big park musical with a cast of thousands, Eric would do a musical here at Freefall and it would be like a 30 person show and he'd make it eight to 10 people and see how ingenious we could be to make that show still make sense and be creative on how to do it with a smaller band and a smaller
cast in a smaller venue. And so that's been sort of the niche he's created here at Freefall. You can see some new shows and world premieres at Freefall, things you've never seen before, but you'll also see things you've seen many times in a very different way. So when we came on the scene with Cabaret, I believe that was about 12 years ago. When we came on the scene with Cabaret, it was a Cabaret like no other, like, you know, in the area. And so we knew
that's what we're going to do. So from plays to musicals to other presentations, we always knew there would be a free fall span. We also wanted to make sure that this was, you know, theater produced, like world -class theater produced right here in St. Petersburg. And so a lot of the artists are from all over the country, but we still like to really honor and employ a lot of great artists right here who make their home in Tampa Bay. So we do a lot of that.
Nick (04:19.926)
That's awesome, that's great to hear. So how do you go about deciding how many productions per year you're gonna have? Is it like set at the beginning of the year or do you kind of do it based on, I don't know, well what is that? How do you schedule out a year, I guess?
Matthew McGee (04:33.645)
Yeah. Well, you know, we used to only do six performances. We were year round professional theater and we would do six shows a season with like three to four week runs, sometimes five week, depending on if we thought the show would be pretty successful. But yes, it used to be six shows. And now with the way that everything's changing with the subscription model, because after the pandemic, when people didn't go to theater for a very long time, they weren't as
I still think we're still dealing with people who don't necessarily want to subscribe to a whole season of shows. So we decided we go down to five this season, and then we would also do a series of cabarets, concerts, and events that were part of the season ticket as well. So we were basically saying, we'll give you added.
value for your season ticket. It won't just be plays. You can see jazz concerts. You can see film screenings. Popular drag queens like Barla Jean Merman and others. You can see all sorts of different.
performances at free fall and that would all fall within your subscription. And then we also made the subscription to where you could pay for it up all at once, which we actually prefer because that creates a great deal of revenue as our season starts. Or you can do it monthly for only $29 a month. You can see as much free fall as we have to offer. We've actually seen a lot of success with that model. People do like the idea of paying monthly and getting to see whatever they want to see. Maybe they choose not to see the main stage show, but
they'll also have three other unique events or two to three unique events per month they can also enjoy that aren't related to just a play. Because I think a lot of times when it comes to theater, the idea of saying you're gonna come see plays, you're gonna see dramas, it's better to call it storytelling more than just the idea of a play may also, sitting down and watching a play may seem antiquated to some. So we kinda have.
Matthew McGee (06:32.167)
made it more about the experience one can have at freefall as opposed to just sitting down and watching a play.
Nick (06:41.11)
That's beautiful. love that you're incorporating more things to make that subscription more useful. Adding that value to it. That's really cool. So how did you get involved with Freefall? Did you start as an actor at Freefall?
Matthew McGee (06:50.295)
I think so too.
I did, I did. My first show at Freefall was Stephen Sondheim's The Frogs. played, there's Jonathan walking by there and are here in our office. He's waving. None of us have hair here. No, I'm kidding, I'm kidding. But actually, our art director has a beautiful head of hair and we're all very jealous. No, I started...
Nick (07:06.215)
Hehehehe. Hehehehehe.
Matthew McGee (07:14.424)
doing the frogs, Stephen Sondheim's The Frogs. That was our first production here at 6099 Central Avenue. And then I did Midsummer Night's Dream, which is a great Shakespeare play we did here. And then it just so happened I'd been working at a dinner theater for many, many years and acting as well. And that contract ended at the Chopales Dinner Theater and they were looking for someone to come in and do outreach and marketing. And I was really happy to be a part of it. It wasn't necessarily what I had been doing at Chopales.
artistic director. So I was more involved in the day -to -day runnings of productions and staffing productions and that sort of thing. Now I really work in making sure people know a lot more about Freefall, getting the word out about it, but also in group sales and other things. So yeah, I'm very much a spokesperson for the company in a lot of ways.
Nick (08:04.278)
Great. Now, one thing I'm particularly curious about is if someone wants to get into being an actor, what are what can they expect, I guess, as far as payment structures like if you're in a production, are you getting paid weekly or do you get like a lump sum at the front at the back? How does that work?
Matthew McGee (08:20.252)
sure, yeah.
Matthew McGee (08:29.367)
I think at Free Fall, the best thing we have going for us currently is that we are still working with Actors' Equity Association, which is a union for actors and stage managers in United States. They stipulate that you pay people weekly. So each week there is a payment and it's not like pro -rated. doesn't like it starts the first week you start working and goes all the way to the end. Other places do it differently, but Actors' Equity sort of has that rule.
for their actors, so we just pass that on down to everybody in the show, whether they're a member of the union or not. So they do get paid each week. At Free Fall, we try our best to pay actors a living wage. That's not always easy because of the way inflation is going. A lot of times the salaries for actors have not outpaced inflation. So we try to do the best we can to pay people well at Free Fall. And a lot of times that can be a real strain on the budget. And that's why we continue to keep our shows.
and the cast relatively small because it means we can pay more to the actors. And that's always important to us. Here at Freefall, the artists are the most important part. And that goes from not only the people who are in the show, but the wig designers, the lighting designers, the set designers, the scenic painters. There's so many people that make theater happen. So we try to make sure we pay them all as well as we can.
Nick (09:52.874)
Are there unions for all of the behind the curtain rolls too? Or... Okay.
Matthew McGee (09:56.089)
There are, yeah, there's Otsi, and for instance, right now we're doing a show, Fable. Our lighting designer is a member of a stagehand and designer's union, as well as the actors who are in it, who are part of Actors' Equity Association. I was a part of Actors' Equity for about 25 years, and I think that made it possible for me to say that I was making a living as an actor, but recently I decided to...
no longer be a part of the union because I live here and you don't necessarily have to be part of the union to work in Tampa Bay. And I found that the more people know you and know your work, you're able to negotiate what you would need to be in a show to make it worth your while.
Nick (10:36.994)
Well that definitely comes in handy I guess, because when you do have those unions that are helping determine what is reasonable rates, if you're trying to start your own theater, that's definitely I guess a good thing to keep in mind. So, yeah.
Matthew McGee (10:49.035)
It is, and I think for us it meant that we would just basically use union rules, which there's a certain amount of time you can work in a week and when you need to be done and how long the span of day is. Plus also, we made sure that we paid them along that scale as well. So we try to make that work for everybody involved, not just the people who are members of the union.
Nick (11:12.074)
So when you started off as an actor, how... I guess... At what point did you decide that it was time for you to join a union? Do you have to be invited to join the union? What was your transition into that like?
Matthew McGee (11:24.266)
I ended up getting a contract from a director who was working on a show that thought it would be a great idea if I joined the union at the age that I was going to join it. And at the time, was very smart for me to do. I think it put me into a different bracket. It also raised the rate of pay I could make. And as a younger actor, I was needing all that to kind of...
fall into place. But yeah, now it's open access. So if a person wants to join actors equity, they can fill out the paperwork and there's like a union initiation fee. And they can definitely do that. I would suggest to people who become members of actors equity have more of a connection to New York. Because that's smarter, ultimately, because that's where a lot more union work is. I don't think there's as much in regional. Well, there certainly was a lot more before the pandemic. So
Nick (12:07.778)
Sure.
Nick (12:16.467)
Sure. So, a young actor, a young thirsty actor, what type of options are out there? Is it just theater? Are you doing radio? What kind of things were you doing to be a working actor at the start?
Matthew McGee (12:21.068)
Yeah.
Matthew McGee (12:30.667)
I really wanted to be an actor in the theater and I pursued that greatly. And for many, many years I lived out of a suitcase and really worked hard to be an actor in the theater. I think after the pandemic and with all you're seeing with AI and other things and the growth of streaming platforms, YouTube, I think most people who are actors or who want to be storytellers or at least on -air personalities, the best thing they could possibly do is look toward how they can be.
more visible and present on something like this on a phone. YouTube is a big, know, YouTube is big. People create their own stories that they can stream themselves or, you know, streaming platforms are constantly looking for new stories and new productions. So I would say for younger actors, I would definitely go more into that than theater. And I know that sounds I hope that doesn't sound too.
Nick (13:05.753)
Sure.
Nick (13:23.222)
So you mentioned...
Matthew McGee (13:27.265)
dismissive of theater. certainly don't want people to think that, but I think theater has seen better days since the pandemic. There's still a lot of people doing great theater, but there isn't as much opportunity as there used to be. That may change over time.
Nick (13:40.566)
Well, I can say personally, my wife and I and my friends, we have been investigating regional theater more than we ever did in the last year or two. Because we're like, hey, we can do these kinds of things. We don't have to get permission to go to an interesting event. I don't know. It sounds weird, but it's interesting.
Matthew McGee (13:49.487)
Yeah, yeah.
Matthew McGee (14:00.172)
No, no, it's not weird at all. And in fact, a lot of things that have been happening over the years, I think there was a lot of gatekeeping in theater and there was a lot of people making sure that not everyone had as much of an opportunity. I do think that's a little bit less. There's a lot of people out there making their own work and creating their own art. And what's great about Free Fall is there's a whole tandem series that people can pitch to Michael Rabie, who is the curator and the artistic director of the tandem series per se.
there's opportunity to present new things and get a shot at getting on a stage. And that's very important for young actors, artists, directors, etc.
Nick (14:40.992)
So you mentioned living out of a suitcase. Did you create like an LLC that each production would pay towards and then you'd pay yourself from that or... Okay.
Matthew McGee (14:44.462)
Yeah.
Matthew McGee (14:52.89)
I definitely should have, especially when I started and I wasn't getting paid. If you're getting paid through Actors' Equity, you're getting paid and you also get taxes taken out. I did a lot of 1099 work when I first started performing. I still do now. And I do have an LLC for that now. I think it's very smart. You will avoid major tax issues at the end of every year.
as an independent contractor because a lot of that untext income will come back to bite you a little bit when it tax time comes.
Nick (15:24.428)
So the production then would pay the union and the union is who would pay you? Is that how that worked?
Matthew McGee (15:28.731)
Well, the production so here, the production, we pay the actors, and then the union has stipulated certain amounts that that go to pension, health, and of course, union dues, etc. So we have to basically so it's an intricate kind of interesting accounting process. It does take a lot of work to do that. But if we're paying someone who's non union, they're just acting here or designing, they'll get a fee and that fee will be non taxed at 1099 style fee. So many of them have a LLC, which we pay
Nick (15:44.031)
Yeah.
Matthew McGee (15:58.694)
that directly so that they can find a way to lessen their tax burden at the end of every year.
Nick (16:05.482)
Mm -hmm. It's fascinating learning about all the, I guess, the less glamorous bits, but that's what I find interesting.
Matthew McGee (16:13.591)
Yeah, and I think when you run a theater, it's all about the less glamorous bits. I think there are tons of actors who only perform in a show and they get these beautiful costumes to wear and wigs and they get this really unique and fun experience. There's a whole group of people beneath them making it all happen. I always say it's like an iceberg, right? The top of it is the show, the tip, and down below is everything else that people do. There's a lot going on.
Nick (16:17.654)
Mm
Nick (16:36.15)
Well, I'm also more curious too about your specific journey. Like, what was the first production you were in? Did you have to start behind the curtain? Is the phrase behind the curtain or is there a different phrase I should be using? Okay.
Matthew McGee (16:46.209)
Yeah, yeah, or like your backstage work or, you know, yeah, tech work. I always acted. I did a lot of school theater when I was a kid. I remember being on the stage as soon as I could. And then I did a lot of high school theater, community theater, went to college for theater, and the opportunities just grew over the years. A lot of it is, a lot of people would tell me,
that I had sort of a privileged background in doing this. I guess there is some of that, but I knew very early on.
what I wanted to do, what my type was, and how I wanted to be perceived in the business. When you know that, you'll avoid a lot of heartache. I knew this hairline started to go in my 20s. I knew I was gonna be doing character work. And so I put everything I had into that. I always went for the role that I felt I was the most right for. I think if you don't do that per se, I think you can find this business very hard to break into.
Nick (17:43.32)
that's interesting you bring that up because, winding this back to that branding workshop from the summit, you talked about branding freefall, but as an actor, you have to brand yourself. Like, so as you mentioned, you went to specific roles that you thought would, you would not necessarily just do well at, but would help launch you into the next role after that.
Matthew McGee (17:49.036)
Mm
Matthew McGee (17:55.542)
You do.
Matthew McGee (18:04.99)
Absolutely. There's a most people will so when I was growing up, I would watch movies, let's say back to the future, really, really like pivotal movie and my kind of understanding what I wanted to be as an actor. I was a young guy and I didn't I didn't relate to Marty McFly at all. But I loved Doc Brown, you know.
Nick (18:24.927)
Mm -hmm
Matthew McGee (18:25.782)
the older mad scientist, you know, created the time machine. I loved his performance and even Christopher Lloyd at that time was a much younger actor. He was wearing like wig and hair appliances, but I knew that that was something that I really thought a lot of and wanted to do. So I spent a great deal of my time really searching out, possibly searching out the role that no one else really wanted. Everyone wanted to play the lead. I didn't necessarily want to do that.
I knew where I could be of service in a play and I went for those roles because I felt they'd be the most available.
Nick (18:58.666)
So what's a role that you found most challenging and then what's a role that you found most rewarding?
Matthew McGee (19:05.698)
You know, recently, most challenging, recently I'm playing the narrator in the Rocky Horror show at the Straz Center in the J -Theater. And it's been a really successful run. A lot of the characters in Rocky Horror are pretty iconic and they have a lot of great material. The narrator just has exposition. So your humor comes from how well the audience responds to you or how much they heckle you.
I would find it challenging on nights that they didn't do a lot of heckling because heckling these days could be seen as micro or macro aggressions. know, everybody's very sensitive and I really want the audience to bring it on and make fun of the fact that I may not have a neck or what have you, you all the stuff that they talk about in Rocky Horror. So I did find that to be the most challenging thing I've done in a long time because I found myself having to really ride the wave of the audience and feel their energy and it always informed how my show would go. That was really, that was really tough.
Easiest role I've ever played was Edna Turnblad in Hairspray. The hardest part of it was getting into drag, but the easiest part was being sort of Broadway's favorite mom. I really loved playing that role and I would do it again and again if someone let me. I would say yes to it in a heartbeat.
Nick (20:21.268)
Awesome. So what were some of the things that you've done that are acting adjacent during your acting days?
Matthew McGee (20:27.309)
Mm -hmm. Yeah, yeah, I've always tried to do commercial work when I can find it. think people in Tampa Bay can see me doing a whole series of commercials for Bathmasters, where I play a wide variety of characters, including a little devil. That makeup for that was insane. I was in red makeup for many hours and looked pink for many days after it, but the check was nice, so who cares? I like to do voiceover work. I have been sort of breaking in as best I can to podcast work.
And also I've been a host for numerous events. I host the Strass Center kickoff party every year. I've occasionally done guest hosting on local morning shows. So yeah, I find that all to be very acting adjacent.
Nick (21:11.36)
Are those roles acquired through an agent or is that just word of mouth and you finding things?
Matthew McGee (21:16.916)
Some are, and some are just the fact that I've done work before and people want to work with me again. Listen, no one wants people to be complaining or difficult to work with. The more you do and the more you succeed at it and the better, best foot you put forward, you can start to name your own price over time. Yeah, totally. You've got to be agreeable.
Nick (21:19.98)
Hmm
Nick (21:35.82)
Do you f - Do you find yourself in positions where you have to say no to opportunities?
Matthew McGee (21:41.751)
As I've gotten older, I say no to a lot of things. I think over time, I'll be hitting 50 next summer. And I still think I have a lot of career ahead of me and a lot of exciting things to do. the hustle of it that is required in Tampa Bay, don't know if I'm as up to it as I used to be, absolutely.
Nick (21:44.949)
Yeah.
Nick (22:04.766)
Yeah, I forgot who's... I heard someone say that when you say yes to something, you're inadvertently saying no to ten other things. So, yeah. So that's something that I've taken to myself, too. Like, I spend less time working on commissions because, you know, like, if I spend ten hours working on a piece for somebody else, I only get paid once. But if I spend ten hours working on a piece for myself, I can sell a million prints of it. So...
Matthew McGee (22:14.998)
You are, you are.
Matthew McGee (22:31.552)
No, absolutely, absolutely. And I think when you're early on in your career, and I don't think you are, I think you've been doing this a while, but young people who have questions about how to break in, you know, you will take everything. You kind of are conditioned to do so. I don't know if it's always the best thing, but if you're young and you're trying to get your face and name out there, yeah, you probably should take as much as you can. But you do get to a point where not only is it not good for your brand, but it's not easy or feasible to do.
As you get older, you get more tired. Things take more of a toll.
Nick (23:06.002)
As an actor looking for roles, what is a red flag that should have their alarms go off?
Matthew McGee (23:15.978)
Anything that says they'll pay you in experience. Experience doesn't help you. You know what I mean? That sort of thing. think when you hear stipend, I know it sounds exciting to be on stage, but a stipend means one lump payment that probably is not going to.
Nick (23:19.611)
haha
Matthew McGee (23:36.46)
pay the bills, you know, it's like an expensive hobby. If they don't, if they're unable to take care of your parking, I know that sounds crazy, but like if you're paying a bunch for parking, plus making a low wage, that's not fair, I don't think. They should find a way to make sure you don't have to pay to park to do your not completely lucrative gig.
Nick (23:59.68)
It's just flashbacks to college where you have to pay for parking at a place you're already playing tuition for. Yeah.
Matthew McGee (24:01.749)
No, Yeah, yeah, I mean, yeah, exactly. I mean, that to me, it just seems ridiculous. So I always try to say, look, is there a way I can get my parking covered? And if they can't do that, then you don't do the gig, right? If they can, it's never bad to ask. People are afraid to ask in this business. You should ask for what you need. And then you and the people offering you the part or the job can reevaluate how important it is for either of you to be involved.
Nick (24:14.871)
Yeah.
Nick (24:32.33)
So as someone putting on a show, are some red flags when it comes to casting actors?
Matthew McGee (24:39.784)
I don't know. I mean, I don't I haven't gotten to do a lot of casting over the years. I think if you are auditioning for show and you come in unprepared, that's a red flag or if they seem unprepared or if they seem the worst thing in the world as a director who gives you confusing direction.
Nick (24:51.106)
You
Nick (24:57.644)
Can you give me an example of that?
Matthew McGee (24:59.104)
A person that will give you contradictory direction tells you to be one thing while also saying to do the other. You're confused, they're confused, it's not gonna be a good product. Yeah.
Nick (25:08.298)
Okay, okay. So, I forgot my question was, I'll probably edit this part out.
Matthew McGee (25:16.44)
No, no, that's fine. I'm totally fine with that.
Matthew McGee (25:26.135)
I think other red flags for actors, know, or for things like that, we were talking about directors and stuff. Never be afraid if a show isn't working out for you to move on from it. Especially if it's early on and you're not putting them in much of a lurch. I mean...
I always say, don't know if I should tell people to trust their gut because I don't think that always works, but there are certain aspects of any production or certain things that take place within any company that may not be right for you. And it's okay to say no to it early on or feel like maybe it's not working out after the first week.
Nick (25:57.702)
So thinking about free fall productions, how regularly are you, I guess what percentage of each production comes from people who are already in house versus what percentage are job postings or auditions that are open?
Matthew McGee (26:00.386)
Mm -hmm.
Matthew McGee (26:13.389)
Well, you we have a really small staff of people, so we can't always use the people around here. I we use a lot of the people around here to create the art that we do, but we can't always do that. So, yeah, we use a nice mix of people from out of town and local professionals. And so you'll see different people throughout a season, because not every show we pick works for the talents of the people around and involved. You know, it doesn't always work out.
Nick (26:41.632)
So with the, I guess specifically with the actors that you have on hand at Freefall who regularly return for roles, are they auditioning for roles or are you just offering them because you know they'd be good for something?
Matthew McGee (26:47.02)
Yeah. Yeah, yeah.
Matthew McGee (26:52.404)
No, yeah, absolutely. There are many times where we do just offer people parts. I don't really feel bad about that really, and I don't think. But we do have auditions. We have at least one or two auditions per year for every show that are like big group calls. We do see people for a lot of things. And throughout the time that we're casting, we will see people for specific roles if we don't.
There are certain shows like we did a show Nollywood Dreams. We didn't have a ton of people for that. And so we looked everywhere and found the best group of people to do the show. We're very lucky. A lot of them did happen to be right in our backyard.
Nick (27:28.128)
So I want to take it back to, you mentioned that some of the other gigs you got from working with an agent, how did that relationship start? And is that something that actors should try and work towards?
Matthew McGee (27:38.68)
Yeah, it's almost like you're trying to get a job. sent my headshot and information, my picture, my resume to different agents to see if they would represent me. I have an agent in Orlando, Tracy Danielle, and I have one in Tampa with Level Talent Group, who's the best in Tampa, Kelly Page and Brittany Ferrot, who do a great job. But it takes a long time to be seen by an agent. know, they sometimes want you to send footage. You might have to create your own.
You might have to go in for them and audition for them like any other thing. But if they like you and they think they can get work for you, they'll take you on. I think it's smart to have an agent for at least film and television type things and commercials and voiceover.
Nick (28:21.152)
So is it normal then that agents would, I guess, acquire a client before they've started working? Or is it usually they do it after they've started working?
Matthew McGee (28:31.858)
A little bit of both sometimes. Sometimes they just find somebody who has the right look they're looking for and they not only while they're trying to get them work, they also try to hone and work on their career and help them move to the next level. Yeah, a lot of the times that happens.
Nick (28:45.866)
Okay. So going back to your history in the industry, where did you start? I guess what was hometown when you were doing the school plays?
Matthew McGee (28:57.037)
Yeah, no, absolutely. I grew up in Washington, Georgia, and then ultimately I went to in -state college because it was affordable for me and my family.
I went to Valdosta State University in South Georgia. It's a great theater school, still is. And from there I moved to Atlanta, Georgia where I worked for about a year in their theater scene. And then I moved to New York for a couple years and worked a lot out of town, not much in New York actually. And then I basically came down to Florida to work at Walt Disney World as an actor. And then I began as being here to start learning more and more about...
the great deal of theater that is in Florida and the great deal of theater jobs. There's a lot of theater in Florida, because we have lot of retirees who enjoy going to the theater. So there are opportunities. And the more I learned about the area, the more I liked being here. And I've been here since 2001.
Nick (29:48.748)
How did the Disney experience compare to the non -Disney experience? Like, is it - are they still working with guilds and stuff like that or
Matthew McGee (29:54.35)
Well, I love working, yeah. You are, yeah. Yeah, there's Actors' Equity Association is also a part of the Disney performers as well. That's their union.
Loved working at Disney. I wish I still was. After the pandemic, many people who worked at Disney as part of their entertainment group, they were laid off and so there isn't as much opportunity. I hope to go back at some other time, but because I've got a full -time job here and I live in Tampa Bay, I can only really work for them in a casual part -time sense as sort of a cover. But if the opportunity arises, I'd love to go back and work at Disney part -time because it's just so much fun. But I knew I didn't really
I the area of Orlando to live in. I knew I really preferred Tampa Bay.
Nick (30:40.396)
So what are some of the, I'm sorry, my wife and I are huge Disney fans. What are some of the roles you had there?
Matthew McGee (30:44.205)
Me too, me too. yeah, great. I've been a citizen of Hollywood, you know, at MGM or it was called MGM, but it's Hollywood Studios now. So those are the people that ran around and did what they call streetmosphere. I was part of the Royal Majesty makers. I was cast to be a sub for the American Idol experience before that went away. And then of course I had just started to train in on the Frozen sing -along as Eric the historian, but the pandemic came along and
I wasn't able to train into that show and still have it, but I would love to. That's a good fit for me, I think there. Yeah, I love working at Disney because I love going to Disney and it was free admission and you cannot beat that. I would do a shift at Disney during the day and then just go be in the park for a couple of hours. It was marvelous.
Nick (31:20.815)
That sounds fun
Nick (31:31.871)
Ha ha ha
So, see, I, my wife and I just recently went to the, what's it called? The Hooptie to review. I know it's, it's impressive.
Matthew McGee (31:43.328)
wonderful show.
Matthew McGee (31:47.55)
It really is. It's just a fun show. The meal is great. And it's just a great time. Yeah, yeah, my partner and I, George, we go to Disney all the time. We're fanatics. We're adult Disney people. We're Disney adults.
Nick (31:51.148)
Yeah. Yeah.
Nick (31:59.412)
Yeah, wife and I too, no kids, so we get to have fun. As opposed to having to watch someone.
Matthew McGee (32:01.272)
Yeah, yeah, we don't care. We have a great time. I know that people have a lot of funny takes, I guess, about the Disney adult, but we have a wonderful time,
Nick (32:10.406)
So, why did you decide to anchor yourself in Tampa Bay?
Matthew McGee (32:15.641)
I really liked the theater scene here, I really did. And I worked a lot at American Stage for a long time, and then was able to really become a part of Free Fall as that grew in 2012. I've been very pleased to have a lot of great opportunity in Tampa Bay, and I like the area. I love St. Pete, I love Tampa. My partner and I live in Tampa because that's where his house is, and he works at Moffitt Cancer Center. So I do make a big commute every week, five or six days a week. But I love both sides of the bay. I really feel great about being a
of what happens on both sides.
Nick (32:48.746)
So with Freefall, I know you have that subscription model. I know we're jumping all over the place with this conversation, but you have that subscription model. Do you have to do any fundraising on top of that? Or is it, okay. So what percentage of the overall pie chart that is the income, how would that cut up?
Matthew McGee (32:54.103)
No, no, I love it.
Matthew McGee (33:00.466)
absolutely. Fundraising is a very big part.
Matthew McGee (33:09.34)
Yeah, we say that we say it's always been about 60 40 60 % from performances 40 % from charitable giving over time after the pandemic that sort of changed a little bit.
We have had some real success with things over the years. We're still building back from that time. I mean, before the pandemic hit in 2020, Freefall was wondering how we could continue to do shows in our small space, that we needed a new space, a bigger space. But years of not really being able to present anything, it changed that a lot.
Nick (33:41.452)
So, you have the subscription model. On top of that, you also have, do you, do sell individual tickets too, or is it only that subscription?
Matthew McGee (33:52.131)
No, yeah, individual tickets as well. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And we have varying degrees of prices. It's cheaper to see the, I see another little dog in here.
No, that's your little dog. I thought I saw a dog in here. I'm looking after a little dog. yeah, he's right behind me. Very good. I'm looking after a little mini Aussie named Barry who stays at the theater a lot. He's a sweetheart. But but yeah, no, we offer, we do have just regular price tickets and like the previews are 25. And the shows Wednesday through Sunday vary between 45 to 55 with certain discounts here and there. But after the pandemic, we used to do a lot more specials. And we even had a
Nick (34:02.628)
yeah.
Matthew McGee (34:31.547)
Free fall under 40, a very special deal for people who may not come to theater all the time or can afford the prices. That isn't back yet, but I think it will be coming back in the future. Yeah, no, definitely. I know, isn't that amazing? I know, it's crazy, time just flies.
Nick (34:44.112)
I'll keep my eye out for that because I've got one year left of being able to qualify for that. So, so you're still, guess you're doing two roles currently, you're still acting here and there, and you're also working as the marketing person, marketing manager, I guess. So what is your day to day look like for the marketing side of Freefall?
Matthew McGee (34:57.648)
Yeah.
Matthew McGee (35:03.107)
Yes. Yep. That's it. I'll read. Yeah. Yeah outreach marketing. Yeah. Yeah communications all of that
Matthew McGee (35:12.699)
You know, we've been very busy this week because we have a show opening and so basically it's press releases, it's scheduling promo photos, photos that are super important to selling the show. We scheduled a guy to take production stills of the actual performance because we need pictures to sell the show. We need video to sell the show. So this week, that's why I was kind of missing in action sometimes and letting the time get away from me. This week, it's going to be a huge week. I we're putting in way more than 40 hours this week.
Nick (35:29.814)
All right.
Matthew McGee (35:42.845)
to get this show up and running. Once it's open, we can kind of take a little breather, take a couple days off. But when we ramp up in rehearsals to performance, it does really take a lot of work. So yeah, this week is my most busy week. It's a very, when you say it's a full -time job, it very much is, it very much is. The show is called Fable, it's by Doug DeVita. And it is a, yeah, no, no, but that's fine. It's good to talk about it a little more. It is...
Nick (35:59.97)
So what is the show?
Nick (36:04.38)
yeah, you mentioned that, I'm sorry. Yeah, sorry. Yeah, bring it up.
Matthew McGee (36:10.23)
It's the story of the making of the musical, Musical Gypsy, a very popular musical that starred Ethel Merman. It's about the, it's a true, based on a true story of Gypsy Rose, Leanne, her sister, and of course their mother, Rose Hovick, who of course Ethel Merman played. It's the famous stage mother from hell, Mama Rose. But it's about the making of that. And there were two sisters involved and they didn't particularly like, one of them didn't particularly like the way they were being presented in the musical. And it's the,
Nick (36:14.336)
Mm
Matthew McGee (36:39.982)
battle to tell the story of what really happened truthfully. And that's what this play is. It's a lot of fun and it has music as well. And it's very glamorous. It's very old showbiz, but it's also very much a story about families, you know, and how they, know, the kind of things that happen in all families is just imagine if you were suddenly became huge stars and it was all put out on the stage and became a movie about your life and you didn't necessarily like the way.
Nick (36:45.216)
Okay.
Matthew McGee (37:08.782)
your story was told. That's what it's about.
Nick (37:11.97)
is really cool that, now I mean I've only lived here 15 years but I feel like there is a growing need for playwrights to tell stories in St. Pete. Way more than when I first came here. Like there's different locations popping up so it does kind of put a nice fun little zing in the air when you're at a play.
Matthew McGee (37:24.376)
Mm -hmm. Sure.
Matthew McGee (37:31.628)
It really does. even though Doug DeVita, who wrote this new play, he hails from the New York, but we've had many different plays from St. Pete Playwrights. Absolutely. Oz, a new musical, was written by our musical director and our artistic director. They both live here in Tampa Bay. And of course, Natalie Simons wrote a couple of plays for us, and she's a very popular local playwright and novelist. yeah, we really, we love our connection to local here. We really do.
Nick (37:58.326)
So when does Fable open?
Matthew McGee (38:00.462)
Fable opens, I guess, when does this air?
Nick (38:04.319)
so this is going to be just under two weeks from now so it'll be on the twenty first
Matthew McGee (38:11.522)
So it's running right now, and it's running through to September 8th.
Nick (38:17.948)
Awesome. people can buy an individual ticket or they can do the subscription. With the subscription, guess, just like Disney style, you have to also book the thing you just want to pay.
Matthew McGee (38:22.742)
Absolutely a free pop
Matthew McGee (38:27.518)
You do, you do, but you know, but they're like members seats. There's nice seats for subscribers. They get their first dibs at that. So it's a nice perk. But yeah, absolutely. They can start buying them, you know, right now, freefalltheatre .com. I actually think the show might extend because it's already selling quite well. So that's a good thing for us.
Nick (38:48.758)
So is that when you, I guess with these pre -sales, is that when you decide how long a show will be going on?
Matthew McGee (38:54.041)
Absolutely, and like we're doing a Sherlock Holmes play. We did one a couple years ago that was hugely successful. Actually, it's an opportunity for the artistic director, Eric Davis. He plays Sherlock Holmes. I played Dr. Watson. It's a great moment for us to perform together. But people love it so much. We're probably going be doing it until we're 90. But just like Deadpool and Wolverine.
Nick (39:07.745)
No.
Matthew McGee (39:15.735)
People really do love the Sherlock Holmes stuff, that happens. And we do have a six week run for that because we know that there's a built in, there's gonna be a real audience for that, so we know that. But most of our runs are between four and five weeks with the possibility of an extension.
Nick (39:32.522)
Are you gonna be performing any roles in Fable?
Matthew McGee (39:35.521)
Nope, not in fable. And in fact, I was during the rehearsal process, of course, I was doing the Rocky Horror show. So I was in another show, but I'm super excited to be a part of fable, even in a small part of what I'm doing administratively. It's been fun to watch it come to life.
Nick (39:52.598)
And so when is the next Rocky Horror Show and can people see you there?
Matthew McGee (39:56.75)
That basically will be ending that, as we're taping this, I'm doing the final performance tonight. But there was some discussion about bringing it back again. So who knows, we might be bringing that back again because it was really a smash. It was a big, big hit and there's nothing better than being in a big hit. I tell you, it's a great feeling.
Nick (40:15.916)
Alright, well thank you so much Matthew, was wonderful chatting with you about your history, the ins and outs of being a working actor and running a theater. So, I know I learned a whole lot in a very short amount of time, so thank you for your time. Thanks. And so people will be able to follow the theater at freefalltheater .com.
Matthew McGee (40:18.199)
Thank you.
Matthew McGee (40:22.551)
Yep. Wow. I know.
Matthew McGee (40:28.053)
It's always great to talk with you. Thank you so much.
Matthew McGee (40:34.967)
That's right, we're on Instagram, X, and Facebook, and they can follow me at TheMatthewMagee on Instagram. T -H -E -A -T -T -H -E -W -C -G -E -E.
Nick (40:45.718)
Thank you so much, I'll make sure to include all those links. Appreciate your time, Matthew.
Matthew McGee (40:46.807)
Thank you. I love it. Me too.
Outro
Chain Assembly: Art for profit sake is recorded through Riverside FM, distributed through Spotify for podcasters, and edited on Adobe Audition. The music is provided by Old Romans. If you learned anything useful or found this podcast helpful, please rate and review us five stars. If you want to learn more about me or my art, head over to ChainAssembly.com.
