The Hub’s new associate artistic director
Matt Bassett is not one to shy away from playing multiple roles. His first foray into theater, at 11 years old, had the now 33-year-old doubling as a street urchin and a greedy merchant from whom he stole. Throughout his career he’s been on both sides of the stage, acting in productions at Ford’s Theatre, Arts on the Horizon, The Bay Theatre, Washington Stage Guild and The Kennedy Center’s Theatre for Young Audiences, as well as directing performances—some of which he’s written and directed with his wife, Tia Shearer. In 2011, Bassett joined Fairfax’s The Hub Theatre as a company member, and in 2014 directed the theatre’s production of “Failure: A Love Story.”
Now, Bassett moves into the next chapter of his career as The Hub’s associate artistic director. There he will not only help Artistic Director Helen Paufumi mold scripts into productions that bring hopeful stories of the human condition to audiences, but he will also direct his wife, as she has joined the company.
How did you get started in the theater industry?
I was never and athletic kid, so when it came to extracurricular activities it took me a little while to find what I wanted to do. I was dragged to my first audition by my best friend and I kind of have him to thank for it because I was hooked. I performed all through high school, all through college, and then I lucked out, because when I graduated from college I jumped right into professional work.
What was the first performance you auditioned for?
“Aladdin,” in the fall of 1992 when the movie came out. I wish I could say the performance I was in was as stylish and successful as that one. I was 11 years old. I played two completely opposite characters; I was Aladdin’s fellow urchin on the street, but then I also played one of the greedy merchants that they stole from. It was the first in a long line of bad guys I played.
How has working at Ford’s Theater, Kennedy Center and the National Shakespeare Festival, among others, differed from the work you are doing at The Hub, a suburban theater?
Market does play a lot into it, but it’s also comes down to the theaters individual mission statements. Ford’s Theater is very interested and focused on being America’s theater … plays [revolving] around America’s identity. Other theaters push for newer plays. [At The Hub] we look for material that addresses our common humanity … for plays that really engage the human capacity for hope. We do material that very often touches on themes of family, and tend to have a little magic and whimsy in them because we are interested in finding work that challenges the audience to look at life through a hundred different perspectives. … [W]hat initially attracted me about working at The Hub, and what has kept me there, and what I’m excited about to enter into this new phase, is that even with less resources than a larger theater in the heart of the district, The Hub challenges itself to bring the exact same level of artistry and craft to every single production. What Ford’s, Shakespeare or Woolly Mammoth brings to downtown D.C., that’s exactly what The Hub strives to bring to Fairfax or Reston, to the residents of Northern Virginia.
You are currently serving as a judge for the Helen Hayes Awards. How much of that position do you glean inspiration for the work that you are doing at The Hub?
It’s a bit like trying to second-guess what audiences want to see. Trying to create to award is where madness lies. Knowing what my own opinions and takes are, and how different they are from the judges sitting next to me, I don’t really look for that to see what we can do to win nominations or awards, but it is always helpful to see other artists at work. The category in which I judge is not a category that any of The Hub’s productions are what I’m eligible for. Even before I was offered this position, what I found inspiring is watching other actors and directors and designers at work, and really getting the opportunity to immerse myself in a live stroke of beautifully crafted work. I get to see shows at the best theaters in the region. I judge at Shakespeare Theater, Signature Theater and Imagination Stage, Studio Theater and at Ford’s. I get to see some of our nation’s greatest theater makers at work, and it’s always inspiring to see artists using their skills to take risks, and that is something we highly value at The Hub. Our shows are never safe. We always like to take chances–shows that are bold, thoughtful and inspired. –Lynn Norusis
(October 2014)
