In Performance: An Evening of Scenes by Donna deMatteo and her Long-Time Students

Donna deMatteo (d. 2024) was a beloved member of the HB community who served for many years as the Executive Director of the HB Playwrights Foundation, where she taught her craft every Tuesday night. Many of deMatteo's productions were directed by Herbert Berghoff and starred Uta Hagen. Her plays engaged with issues ranging from her own childhood trauma to the emotional dynamic between husband/wife and parent/child. As an Italian American who grew up in Harlem, Donna also explored themes associated with the culture of New York's Italian American community, addressing homophobia, drug abuse and organized crime. In 2026, deMatteo's playwriting class is still going strong. At this memorial event, teaching artist and deMatteo mentee Bill Quigley will lead his students through staged readings of scenes from Donna's plays and their own.