Name: Matthew Tibbetts
Hometown: Dublin, NH
Major: Astrophysics
Class Year: 2016
Campus Activities: Theater
Describe Yourself in 3 Words: Enthusiastic, Positive, Passionate
Relationship Status: Three years into a committed, long-distance relationship.
Dream Job: Rocket Engineer
Guilty Pleasure: I like to fill a drawer of my desk with candy every month or so and binge Netflix.
Hidden Talent: Pitch-perfect whistling
Why did you choose F&M?
I walked on the campus and felt welcomed. After I filled out a small info form, every person I talked to called me by name and asked about my interests. Add to that the beautiful campus and good compromise between a city school and an isolated campus (city of 50,000), and I was sold.
What has been your favorite class and why?
My freshman year I took Intro Astrophysics. Before then I was thinking about majoring in Philosophy or English, but that class turned me around. The professor was passionate, the material was mind-blowing, and I found myself eager to do homework for the first time in my life.
What did you enjoy most about Midsummer Night’s Dream?
Bottom has been a dream role of mine for some time, but once I was actually in the play the other actors won my heart. The community is and has always been my favorite part of theater. The inside jokes, the emotional support, even the long hours of Tech Week where we get so fed up with each other. I love it all. My fellow actors, my friends, they are what keep me coming back to theater.
Tell us a silly moment backstage.
When the actor who plays Flute got his ‘mantle’, basically a silky pink cloak, he spent so long playing with it and making ‘swooosh’ noises that he missed his cue and derailed the whole scene. We were all on stage waiting and could hear him backstage. He was so embarrassed. Some background: Flute plays a woman in the play-within-a-play at the end.
What superpower would you have?
I think I’d go with teleportation. “Jumper” style. There are so many places in the world that I want to visit, and so many things I want to do with my life that I know there won’t be time to do.
Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
I want to have a job that lets me live where I want to, namely New England or Scotland. I also want to have a house that I can call mine and not be fooling myself. Finally, I want to have started a family, and be a father. I’m already great at Dad jokes and it’s the thing I want most in the world. I think I’ll be good at it.
Do you have a motivational quote that keeps you going?
“Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer.” -Samwise Gamgee
Why Matthew is our Campus Cutie.
He recently played the part of Bottom in this fall’s production of Midsummer Night’s Dream. He shined on stage with his extreme talent and entertaining humor.