Meet Matt Martino
Master of Immersive Entertainment!
Matt Martino has spent more than two decades pushing the boundaries of immersive and interactive entertainment, working as a performer, producer, designer, writer, filmmaker and educator. His career began shortly after graduating from Fairfield University, when he performed as Will Scarlett at Hammond Castle's Robin Hood Faire in the summer of 2000. That same year, he entered the world of haunted attractions as a designer and builder for Castle of the Damned. He also took home the Best New Character award at King Richard's Faire for his portrayal of Thomas the Mourner.
From there, Matt developed a career performing interactive characters and shows at Renaissance festivals throughout the country, including the Arizona, Colorado, Carolina and The Sterling Renaissance Faires. His approach has always been distinctly interactive rather than simply performing for an audience.
In 2002, Matt founded Savage Grace Entertainment, producing his flagship sword fighting show, The Dogs of War, which toured for nearly a decade. Savage Grace also produced a variety of Renaissance-style interactive games and attractions, including darts, axe throwing and children's games.
Matt is a lifelong martial artist who earned his black belt in Taekwondo at the age of 13. He later expanded his training into the specialized discipline of stage combat, earning the rank of Actor Combatant with the Society of American Fight Directors (SAFD). His experience in martial arts and stage combat has become a major part of his work in immersive entertainment. Matt created and performed in his own sword fighting show has choreographed numerous fight sequences for immersive events, theatrical productions and live performances.
He has also worked as a freelance fight director and stunt coordinator for productions and independent films throughout New England. His approach combines authentic technique with the theatrical demands of live performance, creating fights that are not only convincing, but safe, dramatic and entertaining. His background as a martial arts instructor allowed him to design a stage combat teaching style that allows students to train safely and effectively at any skill level.
Matt's work soon expanded beyond Renaissance festivals into large-scale immersive Halloween entertainment. He has created and produced attractions including The Ballroom of Horror, The Armory of Horror, Cthulhu Calling and Clownfest, combining live performance, visual art, music, theatrical design and horror. His goal was never simply to scare people. He wanted to create worlds that were fun, surprising, theatrical and deeply interactive, attracting audiences ranging from hardcore horror fans to families and people who might never normally attend a traditional theatrical production.
His creative work has also extended into film. Matt has produced and written horror projects including The Drachen Recruitment Experiment, Misty Belles and Chainsaw Maidens from Hell, featuring horror icon Kane Hodder. He also wrote the graphic novel The Legend of the Dark Clown, the story of a simple birthday clown who had to resort to life of crime when he could no longer afford to pay back his student loans from clown college.
Matt has spent much of his career not only practicing immersive entertainment but studying and teaching it. In 2006, he published The Halfwits Almanac, an e-book offering practical advice on performing at Renaissance festivals. Beginning in 2007, he began teaching seminars on interactive theatre and audience engagement. He currently teaches workshops and seminars on the art of interactive theatre.
Today, Matt continues to perform his distinctive brand of interactive theatre, most notably as Captain Dante, his larger-than-life pirate character. The character's name has an unusual history. Matt was nicknamed Dante because of his resemblance to Dante Hicks from the movie Clerks. The name also seemed particularly appropriate for an Italian performer, evoking the mischievous spirit of Dante Alighieri and his Divine Comedy, a journey through the underworld.
Given his Italian heritage, it’s no surprise he supports the Italian arts. Matt is also a member of Pazzi Lazzi, a Boston-based Italian Commedia dell'Arte troupe, continuing his exploration of physical comedy, improvisation and direct audience interaction. Pazzi Lazzi literally means crazy acting routines, which is something Matt does in nearly all performances.
Most recently, Matt expanded his repertoire into Norse mythology with the debut of Ulfhund the Reckless in How to Get to Valhalla in 3 Easy Steps, a Viking-themed interactive comedy show created for the Wyrdlands Caravan Althing. The show combines comedy, games, audience participation, cheers and live theatrical chaos bringing together many of the techniques Matt has developed throughout his career.
