BACK
by Matthew Webster
Full-Length Play
100 min | 1M, 1W | Flexible Set
What if you could buy a second chance at life? After a devastating tragedy tears high school sweethearts Derek and Leah apart, they encounter a powerful new technology with an irresistible promise. Is the risk worth the reward?
About BACK
Falling in love with your best friend is never easy. And for Leah and Derek, that couldn’t be closer to the truth. Despite their undeniable chemistry and deep trust, their journey toward love is filled with heartache, missed opportunities, and mistakes. Over half a lifetime, their assumptions, resentments, and stifled dreams have kept them trapped in a tortured romantic cycle. It’s a shame they can’t go back in time, do it all over, and build a life without regrets…but what if they could?
Matthew Webster is an award-winning writer, performer, and producer. Matt made his Broadway debut at the Hudson Theatre in DGF Toasts: Stephen Schwartz. In addition to performing in the show, Matt wrote the vocal arrangements. Some of his other favorite performance credits include Glad Hand in the Broadway Tour of West Side Story; Johnny Pope in A Hatful of Rain (BroadwayWorld – Best Actor Award Winner); and Derek in the award-winning, world premiere production of his original play BACK. As a writer, Matt’s plays and musicals have been produced Off-Broadway, regionally, and internationally. Select writing credits include: Love Somebody Now (with Tony and Grammy Nominated composer, Andrew Lippa), BACK (Best Play Award, Lotus Lee), Kingdom Come (winner Best Musical at the Downtown Urban Theatre Fest), Jay and the Contest (winner Risk Theatre Playwriting Award), Reveries, Fat Man’s (O’Neill semi-finalist), and Alex Fox: American Hero. With his frequent collaborator Taylor Ferrera, Matt has co-written: Cinderella; Democracy, Day 1; County Fair – A Country Hits Musical; Tessa Takes a Turn; Betty Zane; Purgastory; and Propaganda! The Musical (Webby Award Winner for Best Podcast Writing), which during the pandemic was released as a full podcast musical, featuring a complete orchestra and a cast filled with Broadway stars. Matt is the Creative Director of Andrew Lippa’s production company, Made Up World, is a founding member of the Magic Forest Theatre Company, and was the Resident Writer at The New York Film Academy for over six years, where he wrote and produced 11 short films. Matt is a proud Appalachian writer, a Johnny Mercer Award Winner, the 2023/2024 Abingdon Theatre Company’s Artist in Residence, and was named the 2024 Honored Playwright at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York City. www.TheOtherMattWebster.com