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Playwright finds piece of his own story in wilder's 'Theophilus North'

First-time playwright gets world première of his adaptation of a Thornton Wilder novel at Arena Stage.

By LUCIA ANDERSON

Date published: 2/2/2003

ASHINGTON--Matthew Burnett had no intention of becoming a playwright.

"I never considered pursuing writing as a serious career choice," he said. "I wanted to be an actor."

So how is it that Arena Stage is presenting the world première of a play written by Burnett?

"It was a creative exercise," Burnett said of his adaptation of "Theophilus North," Thornton Wilder's final novel.

Burnett, now 36, was pondering life choices when he first read the book at the suggestion of a former teacher. That was 10 years ago.

The novel deals with the adventures of a young man who sets out to see the world but is stranded in Newport, R.I., when his car breaks down.

Burnett drove across country from his native California to seek his fortune as an actor in New York City. His car broke down in New Haven, Conn., stranding him there before he could get started in New York.

"I responded emotionally to something in 'Theophilus North,'" he said. "His situation was similar to mine."

The novel, constructed of a number of loosely connected episodes and rich in dialogue, appealed to him as something that belonged on stage. He started turning it into a play just for his own satisfaction.

Burnett spent a year and a half in New Haven, picking up acting jobs at the Long Wharf Theatre, the Yale Repertory and Shakespeare on the Sound. Then he moved to New York and found acting jobs there as well.

But they weren't all that plentiful. To pay the bills, Burnett took a job as office manager with a legal support firm.

"I would get frustrated when I wasn't acting," Burnett said.

As an outlet for his creativity, he'd work on the play.

Eventually, he got to the point where he was having readings in his apartment. He began to think about the possibility of putting his play on stage.

To do that, he needed permission from Thornton Wilder's estate to adapt the novel as a play.

The book had a lot of dramatic material, but it dealt primarily with the title character's interaction with others, not his own personal growth. Burnett had to create material to fill the gaps and bring the play to a satisfying dramatic conclusion.

That didn't bother Tappan Wilder, Thornton Wilder's nephew and executive director of the estate.

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Date published: 2/2/2003