Interview with "Kill Local" Playwright Mat Smart

A deadly new comedy is coming to La Jolla Playhouse this August, and it's courtesy of a local alum. Mat Smart is a graduate of the MFA playwriting program at UC San Diego, and he won the 2015 Equity Jeff Award for Best New Work in Chicago for The Royal Society of Antarctica. Now, Smart returns to La Jolla with his world premiere play Kill Local.

The play centers around Sheila, who works with her mother and her sister... as a hired assassin. After years of enjoying her job, Sheila is now beginning to question her line of work––and if she's not careful, that may get her killed. This black comedy focuses on blood ties, revenge, and moving forward in life. FINE Magazine spoke with playwright Mat Smart about his deadly new play Kill Local.

How did your relationship begin with the La Jolla Playhouse?

My closest connection with the Playhouse while I was grad student was with La Jolla Playhouse's dramaturg, Shirley Fishman. She was the very first dramaturg I worked with on one of my new plays, and it's a real joy that she's on the Kill Local team.

Tell me about Kill Local. Where did your idea for the play originate? How was it, putting yourself in the mind of assassins?

I'd never written a violent or bloody play before, so I wanted to give it a try. I always wanted to start a play with a man tied up and a woman with a gun. For some reason, that image has been in my mind for many years. As brutal as it sounds, I really tried to get in the mindset of assassins like it's just any other job that you might get disillusioned with.

It feels like family is a major theme throughout the play. Did you enjoy writing a different family dynamic?

I love exploring family dynamics onstage. The main character and her sister have a lot of parallels with my sister and I. I mean, my sister and I aren't assassins, but we've been through everything together––much like the sisters in the play. I think it's fascinating to see, even as the years go on––the ways we're similar and the ways we're so different. Each character has a very different philosophy on life and on killing. It's fun to pit those against each other.

Any sneak-peek, behind the scenes info to share?

It has been a huge team effort to make the special effects in this play work. Everyone at the Playhouse has been so great in thinking outside of the box. The audience will see a few things they've never seen onstage before. I can't wait to hear the gasps.

La Jolla Playhouse's new show Kill Local opens Sunday, August 6th at 7pm. The production runs through August 27th. Tickets for the production are available at La Jolla Playhouse's website.

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