For the past two seasons, I've made a now-annual tradition of ducking out of a Broadway show, slipping into the New York City night, and walking a few blocks to meet up with some of the cast members of Wicked—the hit musical that tells the untold story of the witches of Oz, exploring the unlikely friendship between Elphaba and Glinda long before Dorothy drops in. We don't meet to talk theater, though—we talk fantasy football. Well… I always manage to sneak in a few theater questions as well.

The pub we meet at is just off 45th Street, about a five-minute walk from most of the theaters lining New York's famously bright 7th Avenue. The first year, it was just me and Travis Taber—a fellow "an on the side" I'd met in the fall of 2020 when our wives were bridesmaids in a wedding. Neither of us knew anyone, and we bonded over our fantasy lineups. At the time, I wasn't working in the fantasy football industry yet, but I had just gotten my first offer to write for a website. Three years later, it felt like a bit of a celebration—I was in town for my first big industry draft weekend hosted by The Athletic, and he was celebrating another successful year on Broadway in Wicked.

The following year, Travis brought along Matthew Farcher, another Wicked castmate and fellow manager in the start-up dynasty league we'd just formed. Dan Gleason, also in the cast and another league member, couldn't make it that time—but he promises he'll be there this year. Between stories of backstage fantasy leagues, the similarities between the performing arts and the NFL, and the New York Jets offensive line sitting in the front row at a show earlier in the offseason, I knew we had to round up the guys for an official interview before the 2025 season kicked off.

Also worth noting—Dan sent me three trade offers just while I was writing this intro.

First, thank you for sitting down with me today. Could you please introduce yourselves and give us a quick little background on your theater experience?

Dan Gleason (DG): Hi, I am Dan Gleason. I am in the ensemble of Wicked on Broadway as well as the understudy of Fiyero. I have also been in productions of American Idiot and Miss Saigon.

Travis Taber (TT): I am Travis Taber. I am also in the ensemble of Wicked on Broadway and understudy the role of Fiyero. I have also been in Mamma Mia and Priscilla Queen of the Desert. 

Matthew Farcher (MF): I am Matthew Farcher. I currently cover eight ensemble members and two principals in Wicked on Broadway. Pretty Woman is the only other Broadway cast I've been a part of, but I've been fortunate enough to be a part of many tours and regional productions, including Newsies, Kinky Boots, and Beauty and the Beast.

How did you first get into fantasy football?

Dan Gleason (DG): Yahoo public leagues in middle school. None of my friends were into it, but I really wanted to play. 

Travis Taber (TT): 2004 with my buddies I grew up with—and that league still exists today!

Matthew Farcher (MF): I got into it in college. A few buddies and I always watched Sunday football together—especially being the theater guys needing a sports outlet. A few of them would always be looking at their fantasy lineups and talking shop, and they slowly taught me. We eventually started a 10-team league. Hooked ever since!

What's your favorite format to play in?

DG: After my first season of playing dynasty, I will emphatically say that oy is my favorite format.

TT: Dynasty is new to me, but I'm liking that right now the best.

MF: Ultimately, I like redraft more. Although, I played in my first dynasty league in 2024. We had so much fun, we are going to start another for 2025. I guess I have a problem???

Tell us about the leagues you're in.

DG: We all play in a league at Wicked called The Backstage League, competing for the highly coveted Nessa Rose Memorial Trophy. It currently resides at the desk of our champion, Michael Thatcher, who plays the Father and understudies the Wizard and Dr. Dillamond in Wicked. It has been going longer than I've been a member—I joined in 2014. It's run by our head of automation, Josh Kinsella, and includes people across all departments—on tour, Broadway, and some former company members. It currently has 12 teams but has had as many as 16, which was really tough—the waiver wire was a barren wasteland. Everyone takes it pretty seriously. It's consistently the most competitive league I play in.

TT: My longest-standing league from 2004 is probably my favorite. My team name is The Mighty Acorns. I remember googling some random high school football programs back in '04 and liked that one. It has been my team name the whole time. That league has one of my favorite rules: the last-place team has to pay the entrance dues twice! I've never lost that league—although I was close last year—and I've won it four times. 

I am also in The Backstage League at Wicked, which is comprised of crew and cast from the tour and Broadway companies. There was also a one-year league that covered all of Broadway. Any show that wanted to participate had a team. Dan and I, as well as our automation guy, ran it. The draft was live in a bar, and it was fantastic.

MF: I'm in four leagues at the moment. My redraft league is probably my #1 priority. It's called The Low Key League, and my team name is usually FARCH-MADNESS. It's been going on for about five years now.  I throw a bomb draft party—complete with themes, trophies, awards, decorations, and food galore. We do a lottery for the draft order. I also do a weekly roundup podcast just for our league and basically roast everyone's start/sit choices for the week. We got a league decanter trophy four years ago to document our League Hall of Fame. Our league winner gets a plaque added to the trophy, and we fill the decanter with a booze of the winner's choice. The idea is, if you win, you taste that sweet victory for the whole next season."

I also play with a bunch of different guys—some from Wicked, some from Pretty Woman, some from Kinky Boots, and a few others just from life. Our theme last season was Harry Potter, so I turned my whole apartment into a castle—fake stone walls, Hogwarts banners, the whole shebang!

Has fantasy football helped you bond with people in the Broadway or theater community?

DG: Absolutely. I've grown close with people from different departments in the theater that I probably wouldn't have beyond the occasional "Hi" in the hallway. Before the pandemic, there was a Broadway fantasy league where 12 shows each had one team. Anyone in the building could participate. We had about five people invested in our Wicked team. It was really fun—we did a live draft with an actual draft board at a bar in Midtown, bringing people from multiple shows together in the name of football. I think the league dissolved, but I'd love to see it start back up again.

TT: A little bit, sure! The Wicked league makes for great banter and fun trash talk.

MF: YES!!!! We all know the only thing that matters from September to February is the World Series and the entire fantasy football season. It gives everyone, especially backstage at Wicked, a base conversation topic that we all relate to. But more importantly, life just makes it tough to hang with your friends regularly. So having a league chat, or maybe making plans to watch Monday Night Football against your weekly opponent, just adds more reasons and excuses to connect with your friends. And let's be honest—we could all use more of that!

Gleason, Farcher, and Taber backstage before a show

Is there a common thread between performing arts and fantasy football (or the NFL in general)?

DG: Definitely the emphasis on self-care. What we do requires a high level of mental focus and varying levels of physicality. Keeping your mind and body right translates to your work on the stage, similar to how athletes must work on themselves off the field to perform consistently. The mental health aspect is especially important.

TT: Competition at a high level.

MF: Well, at a base level, it's all entertainment. The NFL is modern-day gladiators, and Broadway is just a modernized tradition of storytelling. People work hard all day/week just to either watch the game or watch a show to take their minds off of everyday pressures and stresses. Also, there's the fact that each time we see it, it's different. Like, we know Saquon Barkley is gonna go nuclear every week, but the how, when, and for how much varies every game. Just like in a show—each one is live, with no edits, so the performance you see is unique to that night."

Did you play football growing up?

DG: Yes. I played one season and moved around between WR, TE, and CB. I was passionate but not very good. Something about tracking the ball with a helmet on never clicked for me, and I would shy away from collisions at the last second. I just wasn't wired for it. I played at one of the best D1 high schools in Massachusetts, so the competition—even on the freshman team—was really tough. I was more of a lacrosse player.

TT: Not at all—hahaha—just for fun. I was a soccer player since I was three and played into college.

MF: Not really. Playground pickup at best. But I was a baseball guy growing up.

Have any NFL players come to see Wicked?

DG: Yes! Travis Kelce saw the show when I went on for Fiyero a few years ago. I'm sure others have as well, but he's the one who stands out.

TT: Aaron Rodgers and the whole Jets quarterback room sat front row two years ago. I met former Jets quarterback Mark Sánchez when the touring company of Wicked was in Costa Mesa.

MF: I'm pretty sure most of the Jets offensive line came to Wicked about a year and a half ago—which, as you can imagine, probably looked hilarious. Like eight 6-5, 300 lb. guys listening to Popular. We get other cool celebrities—many TV/film people. We even had Joe Torre come backstage, letting us try on his World Series ring and talking ball. It was awesome!

Last question: what player are you most excited to draft or roster for 2025?

DG: I am thrilled to have the opportunity to draft Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty 1.01 in the rookie draft of the dynasty league I play in with Travis and Dan.

TT: Penn State tight end Tyler Warren!!!

MF: Brian Thomas Jr.! I have him in dynasty and as a keeper in my redraft league, so I think he is about to explode and vault himself up toward the Chase/Jefferson range.

Again, thank you so much for sitting down and answering these questions with me today.

If you are in New York City this year, you can catch Dan Gleason, Travis Taber, and Matthew Farcher in Wicked at the Gershwin Theater for eight performances a week. Wicked is truly a fantastic show for all ages that will absolutely change your life... for good. 

If you have any unique league stories you'd like to share with Footballguys, please feel free to email Joey at wright@footballguys.com.