The Trade - Turning Mavericks Meltdown into Theater Magic | Matt Lyle & Max Hartman
Mike Rhyner pulls up a barstool with Matt Lyle (playwright/agent of chaos) and Max Hartman (actor/true believer) to unpack The Trade—a sharp, satirical stage play where Luka “gets shipped” to the Lakers… strictly in parody land. It’s a Greek tragedy with punchlines, puppets (yes, a giant one), and the kind of Dallas sports heartbreak that only theater can make weirdly healing.
In between a studio lightning strike (because of course), a Rangers victory lap, and Shoopy’s drive-by quips, the gang digs into how you spin sports calamity into catharsis, why comedy is the only way to survive a news cycle like that, and what it’s like rewiring a script on the fly while your opening night anxiety does suicides in the lobby.
Come for the Mavs angst. Stay for the craft: character builds, last-minute rewrites, staging a sports scandal with style—and the reminder that, sometimes, parody tells the truth better than a press conference.
⏱️ Chapters
00:02 — “Thunder, Meet Rangers”
A literal lightning strike says hello as the crew toasts a World Series and checks if the breakers—and Mike—are still alive.
03:13 — “Luka to the… Lakers? Relax, It’s Theater”
Max and Matt introduce The Trade: a satirical fever dream, not Woj-bomb reality. (Everyone breathe.)
05:08 — “Friendship, Grief, and a Giant Puppet”
Building characters from fan trauma, plus the Patrick Dumont mega-puppet cameo you didn’t know you needed.
08:17 — “When Sports News Feels Like a Prank”
Remember that day you refreshed your phone 400 times? They bottle that energy—then set it on stage.
11:32 — “Greek Tragedy in a Jersey”
Matt on using pain and rage for laughs (the good kind), and why parody hits where pressers won’t.
17:20 — “The Trade: A Comedy Built on a Collapse”
How to stage the unstageable: tone, pace, and keeping the crowd howling without twisting the knife.
24:24 — “CBD Time-Out”
A mid-show pit stop at CBD House of Healing. (Because opening nights and sports fandom both need balm.)
26:48 — “Rewrite, Rehearse, Repeat”
The breakneck cycle of writing in April, staging by fall, and changing lines five minutes before curtain.
29:30 — “Parody vs. Press Release”
Sports drama on stage vs. in real life—and why one of them actually gives you closure.
34:44 — “Stage Fright & Film Fights”
Max on opening-night nerves, theater vs. film rhythms, and making the laugh land on two.
40:29 — “Tell a Friend, Bring a Frenemy”
Mike’s parting shot: subscribe, share, and yes—argue with us in the comments. It’s tradition.
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