Valley native returns to stage original play

By Guy D’Astolfo

‘Misplaced Son’ is a comedy of errors.

Matt Rieger has been involved in Chicago’s fringe theater scene for a few years, but he’s not well-known in his native Mahoning Valley.

That might soon change.

Rieger, who hails from Vienna, will make his local debut when he stages “Misplaced Son” at the Oakland Center for the Arts this weekend.

Rieger wrote the play, which will be directed by Adam Rosenberg of Chicago. Rieger and Rosenberg formed Illegal Drama theater company in 2007 with a mission of producing new work that focuses on criminal behavior, whether literal or figurative.

“Adam and I always felt the kind of plays we produce bridge the gap between pop-culture pulp and high art,” he said.

“Misplaced Son” is a peculiar comedy of errors. It centers around Sarge, a laconic killer-for-hire, and Jasmine, his helper, who execute a man in his house while searching for something. The play becomes a dark farce when an unexpected visitor arrives before the killers complete their task, creating an ethical quandary for Sarge.

Rieger wanted to stage the play in Youngstown for a number of reasons.

“I am from here, and the people I have always felt closest to are here,” he said. “And I think it is a wonderful opportunity to come back and show all of them what I have been doing with my life.”

He also believes Youngstown will be a receptive audience.

“My sense is that Youngstown does not get a lot of original theater,” Rieger said. “I know that some does exist, but it is certainly not as rampant as in Chicago. I think ‘Misplaced Son’ will be something different for the people of the Mahoning Valley.”

The Mathews High School graduate has a law degree from Marshall College of Law in Cleveland, and is pursuing a master’s degree in writing from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He has worked several years as a teacher, and before that, for several legal organizations in Ohio, including Housing Advocates and the Legal Aid Society.

He got active in theater about three years ago.

Rieger has also written an unpublished novel, which is set in Youngstown, and is also working on his first film, which will be shot this summer.

He has written and produced five plays in Chicago with Illegal Drama, including “Misplaced Son.” Before he left the Mahoning Valley, Rieger was in school plays at Mathews High, and once served as an assistant stage manager for a production at Trumbull New Theatre in Niles.