137. Whit MacLaughlin, Part Two - Surfing the Wave of Chance

Whit MacLaughlin is the OBIE and Barrymore Award-winning Artistic Director of New Paradise Laboratories, which is based in Philadelphia. He has conceived, written, and produced 25 original works with the company since 1996. His work is known for its strong visual sensibility, its intense movement work, and its exploration of the intersections between popular culture and deep philosophical discourse.

Whit's early training was with the great teacher Alvina Krause of Northwestern University in Chicago, who invited him to become a member of the Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble in Northeastern PA. There he became a leading member of the BTE company, and joined the leadership of the group after Krause’s passing. He continued his studies at Virginia Tech University in the mid-1990s, where he met and formed the group of actors that became the core of his New Paradise Laboratories company.

NPL’s shows from 1997 onwards, which were regularly presented at the Philadelphia Fringe Festival, included Gold Russian Finger Love (about James Bond) and The Fab 4 Reach the Pearly Gates (about the Beatles). In September 2001 they presented This Mansion is a Hole: Hugh Hefner Throws a Party at the Center of the Universe. (The story of this production was told in a chapter for our book Adventures in Theater History: Philadelphia.)

Some of Whit’s more recent work with NPL for the Philadelphia stage includes: The Adults (2014), O Monsters (2016), Hello Blackout (2017), and 707 Hazardous Moves (2021). Of particular delight to many generations of Philadelphia children are … Read More

Matt Saunders is a scenic designer, and creator of new performance work based in Philadelphia. Matt is a founding member, and Associate Artistic Director of New Paradise Laboratories. Mr Saunders has been involved in the creation of NPL’s devised work through both scenic design and performance for over 25 years. Outside of NPL, Saunders has designed over 150 works of theater, opera, dance, and live performance. He holds an MFA in Design from the Yale School of Drama and is an Associate Professor of Design in the Department of Theater at Swarthmore College.

His work has been presented in Philadelphia at the Walnut St. Theatre, The Arden Theatre Company, Headlong Dance Theatre, Pig Iron Theatre Company, Philadelphia Theater Company, Theatre Exile, and the Wilma Theater. In NYC, Matt has designed productions for Soho Rep, Signature, The Apollo, Lincoln Center, The New York Philharmonic, Second Stage, MCC, The Foundry and the Public Theater.

He has also worked for Yale Repertory Theatre, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, The Guthrie, Mark Taper Forum, The Goodman, The Alliance, Woolly Mammoth, LA Philharmonic, and the Kennedy Center.

Internationally, Matt’s design work has been seen in London at The Almeida Theatre, The Barbican and Hackney Empire. Additionally, Saunders’ designs for opera and theater have toured to Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Bruges, Bochum, Barcelona, and Malmö. Saunders’ design work has been featured at the Prague Quadrennial, and in numerous design magazines and textbooks.