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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