Visceral stories for the stage.
Matthew
Salazar- Thompson
Playwright
The Maltese Falcon - The Laguna Playhouse
Upcoming Productions
The Maltese Falcon
The REV Theatre Company (COST)
Auburn, NY
Sept 8-27, 2027
The Maltese Falcon
The Laguna Playhouse (LORT C)
Laguna Beach, CA
April 15-May 3, 2026
The Maltese Falcon
North Coast Repertory Theatre (SPT-8)
Solana Beach, CA
March 6-April 5, 2026
Upcoming Collaborations
At Rope's End (1M / 4W)
Synopsis
In a 1970's Boston dorm room, two brilliant but dangerously entitled undergrad students, Brenda and Grace, murder a classmate as an intellectual experiment, hiding the body inside a designer storage chest in the center of their living room. Convinced that their superiority places them above morality, they host a chic rooftop-view dinner party that same evening, serving cocktails and hors d’oeuvres to the victim’s boyfriend, best friend and their former philosophy professor, whose teachings about power, ambition, and moral relativism they believe inspired their act. With a twist at play's end this piece pays direct homage to Patrick Hamilton's original psychological thriller.
The Roustabouts Theatre Company (LOA)
San Diego, CA
AEA Staged Reading
2027
Press Reviews for
The Maltese Falcon
“
Salazar-Thompson’s witty script - packed with hilarious metaphors and
• similes make for a consistently amusing trip back in time. A clever noir send
up.
“
...a playful, fast-moving romp that embraces both the intrigue and the
absurdity of its source material.The humor, physical comedy, and inventive
staging ensure the mystery remains entertaining regardless of how many
noir tropes you recognize.
“
Salazar-Thompson’s spoof rolls along at about 110 minutes of
• tongue-in-cheek guffaws and chortles that will keep you on your toes all
evening.
Pam Kragen
The San Diego Union-Tribune
Erin Marie Reiter Broadway World
Carol Davis
San Diego Critics Circle
Now Available for Licensing
The Maltese Falcon
A Mysterious Comedy
Cast Size: (3M / 2W / 1 Either)
Genre: adaptation, comedy, mystery/thriller,
parody/spoof, period
Synopsis
Full of humorous, deadly intrigue, this electrifying adaptation of Dashiell Hammett’s masterful noir features five versatile performers transforming between roles to bring the San Francisco’s noir underbelly to hilarious life, and featuring the infamous Sam Spade, the definitive hard-boiled detective. With quick-change artistry and acute timing, the ensemble navigates through a labyrinth of deception and desire while delivering taut, unsparing prose that crackles with tension and mirth. Don’t miss this thrilling comical theatrical high-wire act.
Licensing for the sold out, smash hit comedy is now available! Please contact me directly with regards to this title.
Agatha Christie's The Murder at the Vicarage
A Mysterious Comedy
Cast Size: (2M / 3W / 1 Either)
Genre: adaptation, comedy, mystery/thriller,
parody/spoof, period
Synopsis
World renowned amateur detective Miss Jane Marple encounters a compelling murder mystery in her own sleepy little village of St. Mary Mead, where under the seemingly peaceful exterior of an English country village lurks intrigue, guilt, deception and death.Through her powers of observation, Miss Marple uncovers the truth behind a hidden truth. With a live on stage foley artist and five actors playing nearly thirty characters, comedy mixes with mystery from one of Agatha Christie's most beloved novels.
Licensing for this is new comic adaptation is now available. Please contact me directly with regards to this title.
At Rope's End
A Psychological Thriller
Cast Size: (1M / 4W)
Genre: tragedy
Synopsis
In a 1970's Boston dorm room, two brilliant but dangerously entitled undergrad students, Brenda and Grace, murder a classmate as an intellectual experiment, hiding the body inside a designer storage chest in the center of their living room. Convinced that their superiority places them above morality, they host a chic rooftop-view dinner party that same evening, serving cocktails and hors d’oeuvres to the victim’s boyfriend, best friend and their former philosophy professor, whose teachings about power, ambition, and moral relativism they believe inspired their act. With a twist at play's end this piece pays direct homage to Patrick Hamilton's original psychological thriller Rope.
Licensing for this classic tale is now available! Please contact me directly with regards to this title.
Full Length
The Complete History of Theatre (abridged) Dramatic Publishing
If the Shoe Fits
Dramatic Publishing
A Christmas Carol: A Live Radio Play
Heuer Publishing
The Little Mermaid
Heuer Publishing
Tiny Tim's Christmas Carol
Eldridge Publishing
One-Acts
The 146 Point Flame
Dramatic Publishing
The Audition
Dramatic Publishing
Publications
BIO
Matthew Salazar-Thompson is a West Coast based playwright and has been commissioned by The Laguna Playhouse (The Maltese Falcon), The San Diego Repertory Theatre (Star Crossed, Who’s Afraid of Me, Myself and Edward Albee?), North Coast Repertory Theatre (Mistletoe, Music & Mayhem!,Ted Williams: A Tip of the Cap, The
Little Mermaid - TYA, The Perfectly Preposterous Pirate Adventure - TYA), The Roustabouts Theatre Company (‘hoods), Compass Theatre (Switching Tracks, The 146 Point Flame), Point Loma Playhouse (The Complete History of Theatre {abridged}, A Christmas Carol: The Classic Radio Drama). His play, Who's Afraid of Me, Myself and
Edward Albee? was co-conceived of and mentored by Edward Albee. In 2016 Mr.Thompson collaborated with La Mama Experimental Theatre Group with resident master playwright Mac Wellman in the development of his comedy The Complete History of Theatre {abridged} and the revision of The 146 Point Flame. Switching Tracks was a semi-finalist for the Detroit New Works Festival in 2017 and a Top Five Finalist for the Garry Marshall New Play Festival 2018. Grants include the MiraStar Playwright Award and Direct to Arts Award from the city of Solana Beach. He has written material for Disney, Lionsgate Entertainment, Molyneaux Entertainment and Unity
Entertainment. You can find his non-fiction published through Arcadia Publishing. His twenty-plus plays have been published through Dramatic Publishing and Heuer Publishing. He received his MFA in Playwriting from The University of California, Riverside.
CONTACT
For all licensing and inquiries regarding, please contact Matthew Salazar-Thompson directly for the titles on this site please.
Tel: 818-694-1701
Canneryrow1945@Gmail.com | WampaMatt@Gmail.com
To view all titles and synopsis of new work please visit my profile at The National New Play Network Website.
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