Matthew LaBanca’s play COMMUNION has been on my radar for a few years now and I’m thrilled to finally have the opportunity to spotlight this amazing story.

After marrying his husband in 2021, Matthew was fired by the Diocese of Brooklyn from his teaching job.

In this interview, Matthew answered my call to share:

• What he learned about himself from writing COMMUNION
• Why he fought back after being fired and didn’t take a settlement
• What was the hardest part about writing this play
• How he hopes this show will bring about change in the Catholic School system 

Connect with Matthew: Website, Facebook, Instagram

COMMUNION will play at the Nancy Manocherian’s the cell theatre in NYC from November 7, 2024-December 8, 2024. Click here for tickets!

Ripped from the headlines, COMMUNION is a one-man show about a gay Catholic school teacher who is fired when the church discovers that he married a man. His termination causes a crisis of faith, not only for himself but for his entire community. Based on the real-life story of Broadway actor and playwright Matthew LaBanca, COMMUNION spotlights themes of religious hypocrisy, spiritual trauma, faith and hope, reminding those who would use religion to discriminate against LGBTQ people that the most basic tenet of spiritual life is that we are called to love one another.

Matthew LaBanca in COMMUNION 
Photo Credit: Rebecca J Michelson

1. This fall your twice-extended play, COMMUNION, will be making its official Off-Broadway debut. What does this milestone in the show’s progression mean to you? Seeing COMMUNION grow into this full production means so much to me. I feel like a Phoenix rising from the ashes. I'm grateful to my husband, my team, and I'm SO excited that this work will be shared with NYC audiences. This production Off-Broadway is also a launchpad to further outreach - a film, a national tour - and has the power to affect change by exposing the emotional effects of religious discrimination to an even larger audience.

2. COMMUNION is about your journey of being fired from the Catholic school you taught at after you married your husband. Instead of taking a settlement & non-disclosure agreement, you wrote this show. What made you want to fight back and not take their settlement? As an artist who trained for years to express himself, I couldn’t fathom trading 3-4 months worth of salary for a lifetime of silence. I still live in the community where I once worked. I'm connected to so many neighbors and friends here. Seeing them on a daily basis without really being able to explain what happened was unacceptable
and inhumane to me, so I refused to sign.

3. Why do you think the step forward of you getting married pushed the Diocese over the line to fire you? The literal question the Diocese of Brooklyn asked was, "Was this marriage registered in a state?" The pope has called for civil unions to protect couples, but in my home state of CT, where Rowan and I were married, you cannot get a civil union. Our only option was to be married. And we didn't want anything less anyway. I was never closeted at these jobs, but after one individual reported our marriage, the Diocese considered it public knowledge. That was their tipping point.

Matthew LaBanca in COMMUNION 
Photo Credit: Rebecca J Michelson

4. Everyone at the school knew you were gay and you were a longtime, beloved music teacher. What were some of your first thoughts after you got fired? I was numb, sad, and shattered. A lot of high ranking officials within the Diocese were apparently hoping I would remain employed. The committee that deliberated my fate met for almost 6 weeks before a decision was made. After waiting so long, I had reached a point where I thought, "This case might break the mold."

 5. What did you learn about yourself from writing COMMUNION that you didn't know living through it? I'm a good producer, leader, and writer. These skills were unexplored until COMMUNION required me to pursue them. I've also learned that support finds its way to you when you authentically step up to the plate. There have been many angels on my shoulder as I’ve ushered COMMUNION into the world. The process has been miraculous.

6. What was the hardest part of the play for you to write? Why was it so difficult? Transcribing the recording from my firing was the most difficult part of the process. The terminations were still so new. I didn’t have an attorney with me in those meetings, so I clicked 'Record’ on my phone (NY is a one party consent state to make recordings.) When I went back to listen to them, it occurred to me that there was a story here, so I started to transcribe them. The recordings were long, and I could write for only a little while, before needing to put them away. It hurt to listen to them for too long. My endurance has grown
over time, and there's such a bigger purpose now. At this point, I’m ok to relive those moments and take the emotional journey each night on stage.

7. Prior to becoming a music teacher, you were a Broadway performer. What made you decide to switch careers? I teach 3 days a week, so I didn't really switch careers! I’ve been simultaneously acting and teaching for quite a while now. I was teaching when I performed on Broadway in 2019 in Matthew Warchus’ A Christmas Carol, and all through 2022, I worked as a costar for Season 2 of the Apple+ series Severance. I've been blessed to find a balance in these parallel careers, especially now. I'm performing COMMUNION and still teaching music at a NYC public school.

Matthew LaBanca in COMMUNION 
Photo Credit: Rebecca J Michelson

8. What do you get from teaching that you don't get from performing? Teaching provides roots, a steady community, a home base, and a chance to work with young people, which is a passion of mine.

9. How do you hope this show can make a change in the Catholic school system, so other LGBTQIA+ teachers don't have to endure what you went through? The show is funny, poignant, painful, and hopeful. I hope the emotional life in the piece will open hearts and shift minds. Nothing worthwhile is accomplished by pointing fingers and COMMUNION is not so much a condemnation of an institution as it is a presentation of an emotional story. My job as an artist is to illuminate and, ultimately,
help bring hope and empowerment to those who need it. I think COMMUNION does that.

10. What is something we didn't get to talk about in this interview that you'd like my audience to know about you? My husband Rowan is the unsung hero in this project. He's an amazing screenwriter!  Follow @mrowanmeyer and show him some love!

Matthew LaBanca

More on Matthew LaBanca:

Matthew LaBanca performed on Broadway in the original companies of Young Frankenstein, White Christmas, and A Christmas Carol. His solo show Good Enough played Off-Broadway at the United Solo Festival, winning the festival's Best Musical Award in 2014.

Matthew’s controversial termination from the Diocese of Brooklyn in 2021 led to a media firestorm, and is the inspiration for his new solo show, Communion. His story is also portrayed in the documentary May All Be Wed, which makes its debut on the film festival circuit this autumn.

Matthew’s TV credits include Broad City, Live from Lincoln Center, and the upcoming season of Severance on Apple+.

In addition to performing, Matthew is a proud NYC elementary music teacher at PS151 in Woodside, Queens.