Who is Matthew Semple?
An excellent question that has stumped theatre patrons and psychologists alike. I’m a non-binary theatre-maker who frequently wears a lot of different hats – playwrighting, composition and lyric-writing, musical direction, performing – and an avid lover of language.
Much of my professional life revolves around how words can be manipulated, massaged, and forced to perform magic tricks. I like to think of myself as the long-lost, evil twin of some kindly English teacher.
What would you do differently from what you do now?
I’d like to go back in time to when I declined piano lessons as a child and slap myself with these clunky, pianistically disinclined hands that had to teach themselves as an adult.
Who inspires you and why?
My amazing wife, whose input into every early-draft-living-room-script-reads has made me cry with laughter too many times to count. She always pushes me to be my own best advocate, and to trust in myself. I’m also massively inspired by every theatre-maker who has created magic with nothing but a budget of four dollars and a paper bag.
What would you do to make a difference in the world?
I think we need to bring back the concept of throwing tomatoes at public figures. Celebrities have felt too safe from fruit-based assaults for too long, and I’m convinced that’s the root of the world’s problems. Politicians spouting lies? Tomatoes. Celebrity selling wellness scams? Tomatoes. Me, baselessly pontificating on politics? Rocks, then tomatoes.
Favourite holiday destination and why?
Kings Canyon, Watarrka National Park. No question about it. The landscape, the wildlife, and the history are nothing short of breathtaking.
When friends come to town, what attraction would you take them to, and why?
There’s a beautiful little microbrewery called Ploughman, just around the corner from my house in Brisbane. It’s all owned, brewed, and operated by a lovely man and his black labrador. The beer is delicious, the cheese platter is to die for, and the labrador pours a great pint.
What are you currently reading?
At the moment I’m doing a re-read of Douglas Adams’ The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. It’s such a timeless classic, and I don’t know that it gets the credit it deserves these days. For me it will always hold a place in the back of my brain, in the bottom of a locked filing cabinet stuck in a disused lavatory with a sign on the door saying, “Beware of the leopard.”
What are you currently listening to?
Musically, I enjoy the iconic duo of Sondheim musicals and queer pop. My current podcast of choice is Knowledge Fight, which dissects the rhetoric of alt-right disinformation grifters who use conspiracy to sell snake oil supplements. It makes for somewhat morbid listening, but when it comes to combatting disinformation, sunlight is the best disinfectant.
Happiness is?
Happiness is curling up between my wife and my cats, with a glass of red wine. Happiness is also buying tickets to Plied and Prejudice, opening on Friday 18 July at His Majesty’s Theatre, Perth! Yes, I’m doing a plug – what do you think this is? When it comes to subtlety, I’m not exactly the silent b.
What does the future hold for you?
Professionally: I’m currently working on another parody show that’s shaping up to be just as silly, even more chaotic, and far more disparaging of its source material. I’ve also been working on a much more earnest musical with the extraordinary playwright Elise Grieg, which is set to debut on Tambourine Mountain later this year thanks to a regional development grant.
Personally: I’m turning thirty next week, so I’m frantically running around the house smashing clocks, burning calendars and desperately holding back these last days before I’m expected to finally act like an adult.
Matthew is the Writer of Plied and Prejudice – which will be presented at Perth’s His Majesty’s Theatre from 18 July – 17 August 2025. For more information, visit: www.artsculturetrust.wa.gov.au for details.
Image: Matthew Semple (supplied)