This past Friday, January 13th we had the pleasure to attend the opening night of Rogue Productions’ very first play “Matt & Ben” at Stages Repertory Theatre.
Local Houstonian actresses, Chelsea Ryan McCurdy and Rachael Logue, launched their new theater company Rogue Productions back in October of 2016.
The play “Matt & Ben”, by Mindy Kaling and Brenda Withers, provides satirical insight into the creation of “Good Will Hunting”. “Matt & Ben” is directed by Julia Traber, and Logue and McCurdy star as Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, respectively.
The Play:
The one act comically unravels the relationship between Damon and Affleck in the start of their careers while living in their apartment near Boston. Unexpected events unfurl as they attempt to create a screenplay to put their names on the entertainment map.
“Matt & Ben’ is a fun, gender-bending, irreverent, satirical one-hour sketch comedy that definitely speaks to our culture’s obsession with movies, television, entertainment gossip, etc,” -Traber said.
Our Experience:
We really enjoyed the show and certainly laughed a lot. We highly recommend coming to watch Logue and McCurdy’s performance; they definitely are a dynamic duo on stage. It’s great to come with friends, colleagues, or your significant other for date night. We promise you will have a great time!
Meeting the Cast:
After the show, we had the pleasure of meeting lovely Logue and McCurdy as they shared a few fun anecdotes with us. They met during college, however, at the time they were more like rivals since they would often audition for the same roles. A few years later they happened to both work for Stages Repertory Theatre’s series–production of The Marvelous Wonderettes for about six years, and from there they became best friends! “We went from frenemies to friendsies” explained McCurdy.
They chose to begin Rogue Productions with Matt & Ben because it was written by and stared two best friends. So, what better way to create a production company with your best friend, than to star in its first production with your best friend, in play about best friends, written by best friends?!
While Louge was living in New York she originally had plans to pitch this play to another production company, but after all her effort, she decided to turn it into her own project and produce it with McCurdy back in Houston. Working on this endeavor turned out to be harder than expected, but with the love and support of family, friends, and the Houston theater community they were able to get sponsorships and make it happen!
Rouge Production is planning on having two annual performance cycles: January – June and July – December. Their next productions will include a larger cast and crew. For this first production, however, they chose to use themselves as guinea pigs to see how their first production would go.
Now you know a bit more about Rogue Productions! Come show some love and support for this AWESOME, new, Houston-based theater company and their amazing actresses. #GirlPower
The production Matt & Ben runs from January 13 – 29
Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 p.m. and Sundays at 3:00 p.m.
Stages Repertory Theatre – 3201 Allen Pkwy, Houston, TX 77019
Tickets prices:
Premium Seating (Front And Center) – $37.00
General Admission – $31.00
Senior Citizen – $28.00
Student – $17.00
*Please be aware, the show has strong, adult language
Rogue Productions Mission Statement:
Our mission is to create accessible theatrical experiences that represent the diverse population of our city. Rogue Productions is dedicated to gender and racial parity both on stage and behind the scenes. We also strive to support the city of Houston by offering competitive compensation for the artists we employ.
Post collaboration: Payton Barrientos
Play photos by: Rogue Productions
Post in partnership with Rogue Productions, all opinions are our own.
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