There is a sports tragedy worth laughing about in Dallas. No, it isn’t the Cowboys finishing a game in a 40-40 tie. It is “The Trade: a Tragedy in Four Quarters”, a new play written by two local playwrights
and Mavericks fans, Matt Lyle and Matt Coleman, playing at Theatre Three in Dallas from October 9 – November 2 . While the wounds of the Luka Doncic trade may still feel fresh for MFFLs everywhere, the writers hope it can prove comedically cathartic.
The log line reads as follows:
In this fast-paced, highly unauthorized, foam middle-fingered satire, the Dallas Mavericks are on the brink of greatness—so naturally, Nico slams the self-destruct button. With a Greek chorus narrating the tragic downfall, a Kiss Cam, “Luka Doncic,” “Mark Cuban,” and a cameo from “Anthony Davis’s Hernia,” THE TRADE skewers the madness behind the moves, the myth that millionaires and billionaires must know what they’re doing, and the heartbreak of loving something that doesn’t love you back.
In Dallas, tragedy wears Nikes.
I recently sat down with the writing duo to learn more about their process, the play, and their fandom for a team that’s hurt so many, including themselves. It wasn’t long after Harrison blew up the hearts of Mavericks fans everywhere that Lyle (who briefly wrote for Mavs Moneyball) and Coleman put that emotion into this new work.
“Matt (Lyle) started reading Aeschylus and I read Tim MacMahon’s book [The Wonder Boy: Luka Dončić and the Curse of Greatness]”, Coleman quipped. For many it was, and still is, easy to feel the powerlessness of fandom, succumbing to the whims of the Mavericks gods. But channeling that disillusionment and turning it into humor, even being willing to laugh at ourselves as fans, is how Lyle and Coleman can take that power back.
“This is a fun, silly play. But with what happened it did make you step back and think about how much of your emotions and feelings you put into something like fandom, and how easily swayed and twisted you are. The week of [the trade] my wife was like, ‘do you need to see somebody’,” Coleman jokingly relayed that he mopingly replied, “No, me and Matt are going to write a play about it.”
The play is a whacky and wild journey from early 2025 to today, packed full of surprises with all the power players involved in the story. It’s structured as a Greek tragedy but has the feeling of a sketch comedy show. Expect things like audience interaction, unpredictable moments – like a musical number in the infamous Ascension Coffee – a intermission with a shooting contest, and more. All in a crisp 90 minutes with premier local talents.
“You’re in for a good time right from the start,” Lyle celebrated. “I’ve been doing this for a long time, and we’ve got the funniest people I know,” with Broadway-level local talent involved.
It is not uncommon for shows to develop over years, but for this duo the process happened rapidly. Any why is that?
“Well, things just keep happening,” Lyle laughed, lamenting how the organization continues to trip over itself since February. Their writing process happened so rapidly that they had to reshape the ending of the show after the Mavericks leapt to the front of the line in the NBA Draft Lottery and had the chance to draft Cooper Flagg. It’s nearly a turn that couldn’t be believable when written. But that has been the experience for Mavericks fans everywhere.
“I think the experience of seeing this, there is some catharsis,” Coleman reflected. “To gather with a large crowd of people and, well, all laugh at Nico Harrison. But also realize, we’re kind of laughing at ourselves too.”
When asked about their fandom now, and how this show may have changed their feelings toward the team, both Coleman and Lyle felt unsure. But as the team enters a possible new era with Cooper Flagg at the forefront, do they have any advice for the budding new star?
“Don’t let them take your beer,” Coleman laughed.
The Trade shows at Theatre Three through November 2. Tickets can be purchased through www.theatre3dallas.com.
