MATTHEW BARBER was born in Los Angeles, California, and studied film, theater, and literature at UCLA. Moving to San Francisco after graduating, he enjoyed early careers as an arts journalist and publicist, while continuing to work in a creative capacity with a variety of small theater companies and arts organizations. This led to a commission to adapt for the stage the 1922 Elizabeth von Arnim novel The Enchanted April. The resulting stage play premiered at Connecticut’s Hartford Stage in 2000, followed by a Broadway production in 2003, earning the John Gassner Award for Outstanding New American Play and Drama League and Tony Award nominations for Best Play. Matthew Barber currently lives in New York City. His original screenplay Independence is in development, and a new stage play, Eleanor & Abel, will premiere in 2014.
