Age: 34

Location: I live in Harlem and have acting studio in Times Square.

What are you working on now?
Running my acting studio, teaching acting, directing shows with studio (we also have classes for writing (geared toward performance), improvisation and speech/dialects/voice overs) Also, renting out our 40 seat theatre for other productions, seminars, groups etc.

What lessons do you think writers can take from actors?
Writing is expressing yourself on paper, actors express themselves with other people in the moment out loud...both demand such focus and discipline to "stay in there". I think making writing not so much a "solo" art but group is a good idea. Actors are always in a class with other people striving for greatness. It's a good idea to seek out writing goups, where you read stuff out loud and hear it expressed by others.

What's the worst career advice you ever received?
Oh God, probably "either you got it or you don't." I believe, as a teacher, that everyone has "something" in them: art, instinct, an impulse that can be tapped into.

Based on what you've seen as an actor or a director, what are some basic things aspiring playwrights can do to improve their stage writing?
Get into a studio that works with playwrights and original works and do readings. Our studio tries to do this often. My uncle is a playwright and we try to do readings of his work with my actors. We are always looking for playwrights: we want to workshop and nurture a new work that could really "hit" the scene and make a difference. Playwrights need to have their work heard and need feedback and need to be around actors and how they work. Playwrights should also take an acting class. Our classes are based on getting out of your way and expressing truth and many writers benefit from this.

For more info on Matt's studio, check out his site.