A #1 rating, An Article about Lori Matthews, and Another Round of Reviews

We're #1 in Milwaukee Magazine's World Premiere Weekend
  
"Why? Because MCT’s Monty Davis Play Development series has brought some great Wisconsin voices to the stage, nurturing and staging premieres by state playwrights."

 A Flair for the Dramatic
Connect Stoughton's article about the playwright of October, Before I Was Born, Lori Matthews.

Waukesha Freeman
"The set design by Charles J. Trieloff II is detailed and authentic, and the costumes by Andrea Bouck reflect the contrast between Anne and the family she married into."

Tom Strini Writes
"The most important thing happens among and within Martha, April and even hapless Houston. They've all come to know one another and themselves a little better as they passed through the ordeal. They've become a little stronger. They know that whatever the news, they can handle it.
Best of all, Matthews doesn't make them say it. No noble speeches in this play. Anne and Martha simply stand together on the porch and gaze stoically toward the headlights. They will endure."

 Broadway World
"C. Michael Wright's direction mingled with Matthews's script allows the audience no comfort in a tidy conclusion when the palpable uncertainty to these mass human tragedies comes alive on stage. What does one do during these horrific events? Just listen or stare at the pictures on a media screen, especially in the 21st century, where destruction can be endlessly paraded before an audience?"

Wisconsin Gazette
"Much of the play’s success has to do with the emotions Matthews brought to the writing process, which helped her to deal with the deaths of her parents, even though neither of them were harmed in the blast."

Reviews

 Check out what reviewers are saying about OCTOBER, BEFORE I WAS BORN

  
Third Coast Daily- 
"I’ve for years enjoyed McMillion’s commanding stage authority portraying domestic anchors and conveying homespun pragmatism. But here she believably adds a growing sense of hidden tension, self-doubt and even anger at the growing failure of the younger generation to match her stubborn traditional roots."

Milwaukee Magazine-
"There is more than a touch of Tennessee Williams in April Paul’s Anne and Ken T. Williams’ Houston. The “charm of the defeated” for sure, but also the familiar push-pull between yearning and circumstance."

Tap Milwaukee (Journal Sentinel)-
"But the heart of this often very moving play doesn't involve the disaster that sets it in motion, but rather Matthews' quiet and probing exploration of how we respond. Do such disasters bring out the best or the worst in those living through them?"

Shepherd Express- 
"Director C. Michael Wright deftly balances the growing tension of the factory explosion’s outcome with the emotionally charged atmosphere inside the family home."

An Interview with April Paul

April Paul

April Paul returns to MCT for OCTOBER, BEFORE I WAS BORN after appearing in PICNIC, the “Old Time Radio Drama” in partnership with Wisconsin Public Radio, YOU’LL NEVER UNDERSTAND, as part of the Young Playwrights Festival 2010-2011, and the 2011 staged reading of OCTOBER, BEFORE I WAS BORN. Other recent projects include the independent film "Waterwalk," as well as FREAKSHOW and SPIRITS TO ENFORCE with Youngblood Theatre. She has a BA in acting from UW-Milwaukee.

 
Tell us a little about your character, Anne? What are some her key characteristics and motivations?

Anne is a fashion-forward, hard-working, and independent woman, who always likes to look her best, be her best, and do her best. On top of that, she is 7 months pregnant, which slightly heightens and alters some of her emotions and motivations. Given our circumstances, you never know if she is going to handle something with ease, or fly off the deep end. I thoroughly enjoy all her strengths and weaknesses, and as she may seem a bit dramatic, you can’t help but love her.

In 2011 you played Anne in MCT’s staged reading of October, Before I Was Born. Please share insights on what it is like to return to this piece for a fully-staged production.

Raeleen McMillion & April Paul in PICNIC (2009)

This has been an amazing treat! In 2011, something inside me changed. I’m not sure why this experience had the kind of weight that it did, but this story affected me in a way I never thought it would. Even before I knew that we were going to stage this production, I was still telling everyone about this story and the explosion at Tennessee Eastman in 1960. There was something about these relationships; this family, their town, the local chemical company, and the recognizable feeling of having to WAIT… it made an impact on me. Returning to this piece has allowed me to live in this world a little longer, and (unlike a reading, which has little risk) sometimes living in this world gets tough and life becomes real intense, but there is so much hope and love that holds everything together that it’s easy to come out unharmed. Lori Matthews has written a wonderful play that speaks to everyone, and I’m so glad to be a part of all this.

Playwright Lori Matthews attended your first rehearsal and is available as a resource to the artists in MCT’s production. What is it like having access to the playwright?

It’s fantastic. She’s fantastic. Period.

Your character is pregnant. How is your physical approach to this role different from other characters you’ve played in the past?

Well first and foremost, it’s a huge challenge. Often times, when developing a role there is complete artistic freedom in terms of physical choices, and there still is, because every woman carries differently throughout their pregnancies, but it’s been a much more technical approach rather than a spontaneous one. Between live interviews, documentaries, reality television, and internet blogs, I have spent several hours watching and learning about the stages of pregnancy. Even with all that, it was hard to begin my physical process until I actually had the baby bump.

What are some of your favorite moments in theatre that made you who you are today?

Choosing an experience that stands out above the rest would be impossible, because each one has taught me something different about life and about myself. Every moment I spend in the theatre is my favorite moment.