Review Fix chats with Playwright Milo Van Houten, who discusses his new production “Matt & Maddie,†which is set for a run at this year’s Midtown International Theatre Festival.
MATT & MADDIE by Milo Van Houten, directed by Thomas Jacobsen. A change in Matt & Maddie’s behavior uncovers a secret that could tear apart an entire family. Tues 8/02@ 6:00pm; Sat 8/06 @ 8:30pm; Sun 8/07 @ 4:45pm.
For more on this production, click here.

Review Fix: What was the inspiration for this project?
Milo Van Houten: The inspiration for me to write Matt & Maddie was studying Sam Shepard at Tisch (NYU) and being assigned to write an American realism play(a play taking place mainly in a household, with a secret).
Review Fix: What’s your creative process like?
Van Houten: My creative process is usually sparked on the Subway, I’ll be thinking about the story I’m working on, instantly get a scene going in my head and whip out my iPhone to jot down the idea, then later that night will stay up sometimes till dawn writing it down how I imagine.
Review Fix: What makes this different or special?
Van Houten: Matt & Maddie is different because it deals with very serious, dark ideas in a very light, relatable, playful and enjoyable way. This play is special because in one hour it conveys a very strong message of acceptance and tolerance without being preachy in a world with too much of the later and too little of the former.
Review Fix: What did you learn about yourself through this process?
Van Houten: Through this process I learned that some of the issues confronted by my piece I had to confront in creating it and realizing that I too have the social biases instilled in me that reinforce the intolerance this piece combats.
Review Fix: How does it feel to be a part of something like this?
Van Houten: Being part of this production, of this festival, made me see just how willing New York audiences are to have their views and beliefs challenged in a very thoughtful, respectful way.
Review Fix: What are your ultimate goals for this production and for the future?
Van Houten: Ultimately I would love as many people as possible to come and see this wonderfully cute show with a universal message; and for it to spread to other theaters and wider audiences to be a voice for change in a world too stuck on labeling things right or wrong without questioning why.
Review Fix: What do you think your audiences will enjoy the most?
Van Houten: I think the audiences of Matt & Maddie will most enjoy seeing the loving bond a brother and sister can have and wondering what the family secret is that causes the parents marriage to start to fall apart.
Review Fix: What’s next?
Van Houten: Next I’m working on a play about a young man who falls in love with a girl but is really developing symptoms of schizophrenia instead. As people in his life question what to do ethics of modern psychiatry and intervention become central focuses.
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