“Good Will Hunting” in 1997 made Ben Affleck and Matt Damon household names in the acting sphere. The Boston-based duo wrote and directed the film, and the script was compelling enough to interest actors like Robin Williams, Minnie Driver, Cole Hauser and Stellan Skarsgård to sign on to the project.
Since its release, both Affleck and Damon have gone on to act in, produce and write multiple other films, but the magic that came from the birth of “Good Will Hunting” has yet to be duplicated by the duo.
Actors Mindy Kaling and Brenda Withers thought there should be more to the story, and along came “Matt & Ben,” a full-length play with two female leads that tells the completely untrue story of how “Good Will Hunting” was born into existence. The play was first presented off-Broadway at P.S. 122 in New York City in July 2003, where it ran until May 2004. It has since been performed at a number of theaters across the country, and now Santa Cruz has a chance to see the local iteration of this hilarious story at Santa Cruz Actors’ Theatre from March 13-22.
“I saw this in New York City when I was a teenager long before Mindy Kaling landed on ‘The Office’ or starred in ‘The Mindy Project.’ Her counterpart in the play was Brenda Withers, who has gone on to have her own successful career—not to the level of Kaling, but she founded a theater on the East Coast and has written a number of plays,” said director Ian Dyer, who is overseeing the local production of “Matt & Ben.”
Originally from Boston, Dyer moved to New York in his mid-20s to pursue a career in acting, improv and stand-up. He said Kaling and Withers were in the cast he saw perform.
“I loved the play and thought it was hilarious, and it spoke to me, even back then,” Dyer said. “I really understood the life of trying to make it in New York, and it felt very personal to me.”
Following the 2024 production of “Evil Dead: The Musical” at Mountain Community Theater in Ben Lomond, Dyer was speaking with fellow actors Sarah Mitchler and Sarah K. Michael about their next project when he brought up “Matt & Ben.” Michael was enthusiastic about the possibility, Mitchler signed on, and suddenly the cast of the fringy production had been set.
Not only did the trio determine their first project together, but they also created their own theater company, Good Egg Productions, further cementing the idea that good things come in threes.
Although the story is clearly male-centric, playwrights Kaling and Withers determined that the play is meant to have female leads; in fact, one must get a special dispensation to allow for the production to feature two men. No such dispensation is necessary in Dyer’s presentation of the play.
“Mindy Kaling and Brenda Withers wrote an exceptionally funny script that connects us with, humanizes and lampoons these two figures of contemporary culture,” Dyer said. “We are incredibly excited for audiences in Santa Cruz to laugh at ‘Matt & Ben.’ There is no show without actors, and I’m truly fortunate that Michael and Mitchler chose to be part of this one.”
Both of the Sarahs have a longstanding history in the Santa Cruz acting scene. Michael (playing Ben) has acted with a number of local companies including Renegade Theater, Cabrillo Stage, Santa Cruz Shakespeare, Santa Cruz Opera Project, Mountain Community Theater and Santa Cruz Actors’ Theatre. Mitchler (playing Matt) has performed with Mountain Community Theater in a number of productions. She has dual degrees in acting and vocal performance and trained at the Academia dell’Arte in Italy. Each of them are thrilled to be part of this play.
“I’m so excited for audiences to join us for the play. Not only is it incredibly laugh-out-loud funny (and I’m looking forward to the catharsis of being in a room full of laughing people), but it’s also touching,” Michael said. “It’s an honest and heartfelt portrayal of the nature of best-friendship, and I think the play hits on something very real about human connection.”
Mitchler added, “I cannot think of a better team to put this show together. It seems like everyone has risen to the occasion and we are amplifying each other’s strengths. It feels good to put trust in peers to show up with the commitment and professionalism required to put together a production company (Good Egg), expand that trust to an amazing crew of production staff, and find the silliness, joy and love in a little-known gold nugget of a play.”
Audiences can go to mattandbensc.com or follow on Instagram @mattandbensc for production updates, announcements and ticket information.
