Client Testimonials

The incisive structural questioning of text and performance that Peter guides, and the wealth of experience he brings to analysis meant I was confident our work was dramaturgically taut and had great clarity ahead of it premiering. His dispassionate dialogue process leads to the efficient unpacking and detection of dramaturgical structural weaknesses and strengths. This is a critical, much needed and all too rare process that allowed me to be very precise about the choices I made. It is integral to the building of high production values that ultimately inform the quality of a work.
And this was indeed the case for Dinner in a Dry Dam which was acclaimed by audiences and presenters alike...


"Peter, so sorry I didn't get to say goodbye and a proper Thank You last night. It was really invaluable having you in the room. All your insights and the connections you made, and your hand-staying when I wanted to do a bit of slash-and-burning, were key in ensuring we have a much better script than what we had on Tuesday morning."

"Peter is attentive to the writer’s own praxis. He is the only real dramaturg I have worked with, who knows his stuff and works within the writer’s own dreaming and is happy to be a dramaturg and not a director, playwright, actor or producer.
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"Your comments are spot on as usual. Does anyone ever tell you how good you are? Consider yourself told. (yellow thumbs up)"

"As an Indigenous writer one of the greatest concerns that I have is around cultural safety in writing Indigenous stories. Peter’s support and direction in this process was and remains outstanding. His guidance with developing stories and being culturally safe was exceptional and impacted greatly upon my ability to write. Further to this Peter’s depth in being able to listen to stories that are not from his cultural construct and then develop and nurture their essence, has enabled me to develop and grow as a writer…
For me personally, Peter’s keen ear and extraordinary sense of humour was delightful to work with…His ability to push me in to new areas creatively, whilst maintaining cultural safety for me, allowed me to form a true and lasting respect for Peter’s ability as a dramaturg.
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"The reasons I would recommend Peter Matheson… are numerous and substantive. First of all, there is what I consider to be his enormous wealth of knowledge and experience in the Australian theatre scene. Unquestionably, he brought this experience and insight into our working relationship. Secondly, there was the process itself. Peter displayed great patience and respect in our collaboration. No point was ever rushed and every question or query on my part given serious thought. He constantly encouraged me to answer the tough questions about the piece without trying to enforce his own vision on the work… Each session left me confident to explore the material in different ways that I hadn’t previously considered or had managed to avoid. At the same time he was receptive to any challenge or disagreement on my part. At all times, he displayed a comprehensive understanding of the underlying themes of the play…
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"... thanks. I never got a chance to write in your card before it was given to you and I’m not usually one for crowded group sentiments anyway, but learning from you this year has been fantastic. It has been challenging, exciting, and humbling in the best way, and definitely given me skills and understanding that have deepened my understanding of making theatre. So thank you for all the knowledge and honesty you’ve shared - I greatly appreciate it, and would loathe to let it go unrecognised.
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"Peter’s a challenging taskmaster, while still being encouraging of both the work and the writer. He raises the bar, while letting me know it is – actually – within my reach, if I’m prepared to put the work in. Peter has changed the way I write, and the way I think about/ approach the craft. He has offered me a national perspective on my writing journey as well as a longer-term perspective on the development of my craft. He has offered me confidence and a belief in my work [while still challenging me to not settle for ‘satisfying’], and empowered me as a writer.
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"Peter, you’re a bloody legend!!!! Thanks for all your brilliant editing I think you may have saved the day (the show)"

"Playlab's next masterclass is with the inimitable Peter Matheson. If you're a playwright or a director interested in new work you'd be mad to miss it."

...Suddenly Victor was the passive character, and I struggled with this problem for a while, until trumpets blew and in stepped one of the best dramaturgs in the country, Mr Peter Matheson, who took one look at my play and tossed out a blasé comment about Giovanni, the brother in the old brother-sister incest play ‘Tis a Pity She’s a Whore’ (by John Ford): “Giovanni knows he’s right”. Bang! Victor came to life again. Each draft of this play was actually my investigation of what is simpatico, and how do I manipulate the audience’s alliances with each respective character, in each respective beat...


"Peter is committed to getting inside your play to best help you, in that he does not offer general or formulaic approaches to drafting. Instead he attempts to focus his feedback, in the context of what the writer has written. He is also generous with his ideas, knowledge and experience and attempts to further a language of theatre writing, so that writers and dramaturges are always on the same page...
(He) is extremely generous with his knowledge and time. He goes above and beyond any reasonable expectations of a dramaturge’s role: researching, thinking/brainstorming, discussing/debating and guiding the work into its natural form – and the best version of the work it can be. I worked with Peter on three projects this year and each instance he has developed the work with me to have a production outcome ...
Put simply, Peter listens, is a great collaborator, and he delivers."

"...(brought me in touch with the) inimitable and incorrigible Peter Matheson, Constance’s chief dramaturg. Peter’s uncompromising stewardship forced me to work through the same brick wall I’d previously faced at a key point on every play I’ve written. I understand dramatic form better as a result of my relationship with Peter. I had a conversation with him 12 months earlier at the JUTE Playwrights’ Conference in Cairns and mentioned that I’d not found ‘my’ dramaturg up until that point – someone who understood what it was I was trying to say and how I wanted to say it. I now consider Peter my dramaturg (if he’ll have me)"

"Peter has a particular knack for identifying strengths in a writer’s voice and in a script, and drawing these out in a way that is supportive, encouraging and precise. He is both incredibly generous and sharply insightful in his analysis and feedback. He has the great skill of giving suggestions for improvement and clarification while also making sure the writer actually does some hard work to come up with the goods (and believes all the great ‘new’ ideas they have are their own!).
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"Peter’s keen sense of language and his capacity to fully immerse himself with the Aboriginal vernacular and humour was exceptional. Furthermore, his original-thinking and excellent ability to communicate ideas had only been surpassed by the respect he has shown me in the process… Working with Peter Matheson has been an absolute delight. His dependability and positive attitude throughout the project has ensured that I will always want to work alongside him, on any project, anytime.
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"So I don’t know how it works for most one-man shows, but this one took a pretty big team to put together. I started by shooting the shit about it with my friend Dave Finnigan, who asked me a dozen astute questions about the story world and told me that I’d have to write a lot of stuff before I got this right (Dave, I promise that I kind-of mostly followed that advice). I then took it to professional dramaturg and renowned e-mail poet (that’s an in-joke) Peter Matheson, who as always cared about one thing, who was the character and why should we care. Pete was rightly dubious about me leaping from done-a-bit-of-acting into holding down a whole show by myself, but he gallantly assisted me in beating out the basic structure.
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"In the (ANPC) Residency programme eight writers met regularly with a dramaturg to work on individual scripts. The dramaturg was Peter Mathieson (sic) and he is pretty damn good. Smart, to the point and somehow – since he reads more scripts than anyone should have to – very generous. Five minutes into the first meeting on Draft 1 of my new play he suggested something which will now be the backbone of Draft 2.

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"Peter’s feedback is always incredibly precise, he draws attention to the weak spots in the writing and helps develop the strengths, this is immensely helpful as it helps one understand the craft far more clearly and pushes you into areas that are as yet underdeveloped. Peter is brutally honest and will not accept wishy washy responses/excuses when he is asking difficult questions. He is immensely generous with his knowledge and wonderful in helping problem solve “sticky” areas in the script.
I value Peter’s opinion and also trust him, two very important details for choosing a dramaturg.


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"Thanks for your fantastic work on this book with me. I'm quite sure that your dramaturgy made it a much stronger work.


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"Hadley wasn't happy with the development of 'Scuse Me', until dramaturg Peter Matheson got his hands on it: 'Peter is an absolute pistol, he has an amazing knack for bringing my characters to life as I see them in my head, which is frequently unsettling – but great.


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"...However the most challenging, especially at the eleventh hour with the play only weeks out from rehearsal, was none other than the illustrious Peter Matheson, who asked all those important questions, gave it dramatic tension and, dare I say, ‘plot and cohesion’... for whom I am eternally grateful.



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"I’ve found the process of ‘checking in’ with Peter very valuable. Sometimes seemingly simple notes or observations taken from our conversations will lead me to think in new or different ways about what I’m writing.
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"I should write to the oz co and tell them to extend your fellowship. I wouldn’t have achieved half of what I’ve managed to in the last 18 months without your support. Your fellowship should never run out.
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"Hi Peter and Annette (Downs, producer), Just read that The Season won several big Green Room awards, including Best New Writing, Best Production and Best Direction. Having watched from the outside the birth and long progress of The Season, I just want to congratulate you two for, well, EVERYTHING you gave to this work. Not just time and energy and expertise … much much more than that. The names on the awards may not be yours, but I hope you take a great deal of justified pride in this achievement.
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"Hi Peter and Annette (Downs, producer), Just read that The Season won several big Green Room awards, including Best New Writing, Best Production and Best Direction. Having watched from the outside the birth and long progress of The Season, I just want to congratulate you two for, well, EVERYTHING you gave to this work. Not just time and energy and expertise … much much more than that. The names on the awards may not be yours, but I hope you take a great deal of justified pride in this achievement.
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"I need a bit more of your dreadful dramaturgy..."

"Peter has the knowledge of someone who has seen much and read many plays. He understands the vital need for structure in developing a dramatic story for the stage. Most importantly he looks at the work from what the writer wishes to achieve rather than imposing his own taste into the work.
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"Fabulous! All makes absolute sense, and raises troubled thoughts that were lurking in my own unconscious but that needed your clarity of mind to pinpoint. You have given me lots to think about but a very clear goal. And - I always think this is the gift of a great dramaturg - you have made me eager to tackle it.
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"…I have found a sounding board and provocateur. Peter marries an adept knowledge of the attitudes held by a director, a producer and most importantly an audience member, reminding me what any of these people would seek to know, or struggle to follow… He is an avid structuralist and understands a play’s shape. He can help me realize when dialogue is true or contrived. And most importantly, he possesses the tact and humour and power of suggestion to convey all this – to articulate concerns or voice queries so that I understand his intentions and can affect those ones I choose, not personally, but on behalf of the work. He cares about the work."

"As always, Peter has been fantastic. He’s a great critical reader and an excellent sounding board. And he gives me new ideas that I get to take credit for – always a bonus. More than anything, Peter is a great motivator: he’s interested in and supportive of what I’m trying to write, and talking to him makes me feel that it’s worth keeping on with it. I’m pretty sure I would have thrown in the towel a long time ago without him.
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"So, at this point in the journey, I just wanted to let you know, how grateful I am for the work we did on the script, how much I got out of it... Apart from actual specific suggestions we worked with, I think the most valuable thing I got was an idea of the process and strategies I could take to attempt to improve and resolve a script - rather than the “Where the hell do I start? However do I do this?” type attitude I had before.
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"As a producer of new text-based work, Peter’s incisive mind and unparalleled experience has brought so much to Mudlark and the wider theatre community. With deft questioning and practical provocations, Peter has developed the technique and bravery of our regional playwrights and inspired them to keep creating. His passionate, logical and caring approach helps writers write the play they have in their head and, listening to him working with writers, it makes me wish I was one.
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"Peter Matheson has been an important cornerstone of the development of new work by regional playwrights. Peter plays an important role in not only developing scripts but also developing the craft and industry knowledge of young, emerging, new and mid career writers in the regions. Peter also plays an advocacy role for writers, and has kept JUTE informed about developing voices in other centres that might be of interest to JUTE in the future.
Peter has gained the trust and respect of the key decision makers and playwrights in regional centres, particularly in Queensland, Northern Territory and Tasmania. There is now an expectation from regional centres that they can have access to dramaturgical support from a highly regarded dramaturg."

"Some of the best and intensive processes of learning I encountered, however, were working closely with more experienced dramaturgs and this programme you have assembled will certainly expose you to the demands of many levels of new writing and the differing requirements of writers and producers all under the watchful eye of a senior practitioner. Peter is a thoughtful dramaturg, a good task-master and a reliable guide.
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"Nowadays, when people ask me what I want to be when I grow up, I say, “I want to be a Peter Matheson."
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"JUTE’s ‘Enter Stage Write’ Program has provided me with the rare opportunity to develop the craft of writing for the stage in a supportive, challenging and structured learning environment, headed up by resident dramaturg, Peter Matheson, who brings to the process his many years of experience, a dry wit, and an uncanny insight into the workings of the writer’s mind.
Not only has my work developed, throughout the program, from an initial spark of inspiration (a single image) into a three act play, but my awareness of my personal writerly process has deepened considerably.
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"In regards to working as Peter Matheson’s assistant; I found it very beneficial and encouraging. His process is succinct and yet elusive as, I now know, it should be. Amongst the many, many things I learnt from him the most prominent is to never stop learning from those around me, trust my intuition and don’t be afraid to be wrong. I will be walking away from this experience with a renewed sense of what it takes to be a dramaturg and a broader idea of how I can continue to build my skills and influence the future of Indigenous Theatre. Peter Matheson is a wonderful wealth of knowledge (I’m trying not to call him a genius even though he is!) that I would like to learn from again in the future and I will continue to seek his advice for as long as he will allow me. "

"Having access to Peter Matheson both in person and by phone and email has been of huge benefit to the Tasmanian Theatre Company's commissions and development program. Without access to a pool of dramaturges in Tasmania, Peter’s availability has been invaluable.  Without exception all the writers I have asked Peter to work with have been fulsome in their praise of Peter's skills and have said that he has helped them to create better work."

"He's a sharp and fearless, always fair, not always comforting but ultimately constructive critic stroke script doctor. Positive and negative feedback is dispensed as warranted. Smart writers use dramaturgs as an early warning system. They rehearse (as it were) their work's fate by making someone like Peter or myself privy to it - or they can wait to be dealt with, often quite summarily, by the general public or a theatre management. The choice is theirs."

"...you have been a true and noble guide through a sea of confusion - thank you and I look forward to sailing with you again. "

"Quality new dramaturgs are increasing in number thanks to the generosity of a small number of master practitioners willing to share their craft as well: Chris Mead, Francesca Smith, Tim Roseman, Louise Gough, Raimondo Cortese, Tom Healey, Julian Meyrick, Peter Matheson and (even though he doesn’t use one himself) John Romeril and already major companies are using top notch new dramaturgs such as Jenni Medway, Anthea Williams and Mark Pritchard. "

"When it comes to manuscript assessments, Peter Matheson is just plain brilliant. I’ve worked with him several times – most recently on Museum of Thieves, a children’s fantasy novel – and each time the work has leaped to a whole new level as a result of his comments. He has a terrific sense of structure and how to shape a story. He asks the hard questions, makes you dig deeper into the characters and work out what they need for their journey. He skewers the weaknesses in your work, pinpoints what isn’t clear, what you haven’t yet come to terms with.   It’s not a comfortable process. If you’re looking for a nice kind assessor who’ll pat you on the head and tell you reassuring lies, you’d better give Peter a miss. But if you want to learn, if you want to make your work as good as it can be, if you’re willing to listen to constructive criticism and act on it, then I can’t recommend him highly enough. "

"I value Peter’s judgement as a dramaturg and the way he has challenged me as a writer to develop my own style without forcing me into a certain way of writing. That has been invaluable to me as an emerging writer who needs a lot of room for experimentation.
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"Anyone wrestling with the writing of a play can easily fail to see the wood for the trees and the opportunity of having someone, with sympathetic insight, fly over the jungle in the dramaturgic helicopter and give hint to the overall terrain is most welcome. I do have the strength to press on to another draft. And the will! And, hopefully, the wit!
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"On the job, Peter is clear-eyed, dry-witted and practical; there is no handholding or talk about the Muse. But underneath this he is passionate about the uniqueness of theatre and this enthusiasm is infectious…
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"On working with a Dramaturg: Its becoming clear that Peter Matheson and I are developing a short hand. We're both unafraid of stating an opinion, nor listening to a clear argument against said opinion. We don’t pull our punches, which hastens our discussions, but may also sound to an outside ear like we’re not actually listening to each other. Coming back into this world of writing for the theatre, in a way and manner which interests me, has been made navigable by Peter’s sure compass - and that is sure to make his skin crawl which is more to the purpose.
Having the first day in the theatre set aside for Peter and I to work through the script and find sections to flag, really streamlined the intention for the following days...
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“For the past four years Peter has helped me shape my thoughts into scripts. During the process he can pose tough questions and will offer advice but he is never prescriptive. His openness to new ideas and approaches to iron out the kinks in a script facilitates the writer to solve their own problems. His invaluable assistance in developing a solo piece from of a page of my adolescent memories allowed for a solid early showing of the work which eventually led to an Australia Council grant for its production.”

“...As someone exploring new writing territories, having the guidance of a dramaturg has been invaluable. Peter was able to gently steer me towards the unfamiliar and uncomfortable terrain I subconsciously veered away from, allowing me to uncover writing which was raw, surprising and alive. He was able to balance encouragement of my personal artistic expression alongside an objective advocacy for the entity of the play. I could trust him to pick up on the things I had forgotten, or tried to hide, or hadn't thought through. I could rely on there being a voice of reason (or mad reckless encouragement) to temper the tunnel-vision and feedback loops of isolated practice. “In working with my writing on autobiographical themes, Peter always observed the art, and never cast judgement on the personal information disclosed within. Additionally, as a disabled artist, I felt supported in that Peter was always able to work with the parameters of my disability, and never demanded things beyond my ability. The deadlines of dramaturgy sessions provided a precious spur to my creativity amidst the time-energy drain of illness; being accountable to an outside reader pushes you to continue creating, even when it feels as if you have little to give - as I discovered in my work with Peter, you just might surprise yourself. “Working with Peter these two years has encouraged me to discover a new artistic voice within myself, and reignited my ability and desire to create...”

“Working WITH Peter Matheson has given me great insight into what is required to make a play a 'play', and what is possible to make that 'play' develop in directions both unexpected and inevitable. “Peter's insistence on 'showing' what's happening - not just 'telling’ - imposes strict discipline on a student of play writing like myself, and goes hand-in-hand with a wild imagination and expert ability to demonstrate abundantly HOW this 'showing' not 'telling' can be achieved. “Peter is at once the harshest critic and the most patient guide, with an undying faith - it seems to me - in the potential for ANY scenario to be a springboard for good story-telling. “This makes working with Peter a very positive experience and has taught me as much about how to appraise other people's ideas, as it has, how to develop my own.”

“As a playwright in the middle of a project, it is easy to get lost in the visions in my head and my words on the page. Over eight years, Peter Matheson has been a dependable and invaluable source of frank and fearless advice to bring my wayward musings back on track. His perspective, wit and experience have been a beacon guiding my work from conception through development to staging. Always accessible, always insightful, always supportive. Peter has been an essential part of the teams behind my two major shows...and I look forward to another eight years and more of creative comments, criticisms and camaraderie.”

“Hey mate,  So I won the Errol award for best writing.  I thanked you in my speech but you wasn't there to hear it, you rude bastard!  So I thought I'd better thank you on here.  Thanks heaps man, for not only all the guidance whilst writing The Season but thanks for all the writing knowledge you have so kindly imparted.  You know your shit and you are extremely gracious in your sharing of it and I'm forever grateful that I'm a student of the Matho.”