Review Fix Exclusive Midtown International Theatre Festival Coverage: Milo Van Houten Talks ‘Matt & Maddie’

July 29, 2016 Patrick Hickey Jr. Theatre 0

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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About Patrick Hickey Jr. 13856 Articles
Patrick Hickey Jr. is a full-time Assistant Professor of Communication & Performing Arts and Director of the Journalism program at Kingsborough Community College and is the chairman of the City University of New York Journalism Council. He is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of ReviewFix.com. He's also a former News Editor at NBC Local Integrated Media and National Video Games Writer at Examiner.com where his work was mentioned in National Ad campaigns by Disney, Nintendo and EA Sports. Hickey was also the Editor-In-Chief of two College Newspapers before he received his BA in Journalism from Brooklyn College. Hickey's work has been published in The New York Daily News, The New York Times, Complex, The Hockey Writers, Yahoo!, Broadway World, Examiner, NYSportScene Magazine, ProHockeyNews.com, GothamBaseball.com, The Syracuse Post-Standard, Scout.com and the official sites of the Brooklyn Aces and New York Islanders. His first book, The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews With Cult And Classic Video Game Developers was released in April 2018 and is chock full of interviews with legendary developers. His second book in the series, The Minds Behind Adventures Games, was released in December 2019. His third book, The Minds Behind Sports Games, was released in September 2020. His fourth book, The Minds Behind Shooter Games, was released in March 2021. The Minds Behind Sega Genesis Games and The Minds Behind PlayStation Games were released in 2022 and The Minds Behind PlayStation 2 was published in January 2023. Hickey is also a contracted comic book writer, currently penning his original series, "Condrey," as well as "The Job," "Brooklyn Bleeds" "Dem Gulls" and "KROOM" for Legacy Comix, where he serves as founder, owner and Editor-in-Chief. Hickey Jr. is also a voice actor, having starred in the 2018 indie hit and 2019 Switch, PS4 and Xbox One release, The Padre (also serving as English language Story Editor), from Shotgun With Glitters. The sequel, The Padre: One Shell Straight to Hell was released in February 2021- Hickey also served as a Story Editor and Lead Voiceover performer. He has also done narration and trailers for several other titles including The Kaiju Offensive, Relentless Rex and Roniu’s Tale. Hickey is also the lead voiceover performer on Mega Cat Studios’ upcoming title WrestleQuest, responsible for nearly 90 characters in the game, as well as Skybound's Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood, where he voices both Dracula and Renfield, as well as several other characters. He also stars in Ziggurat Interactive’s World Championship Boxing Manager 2, where he performs the VO of nearly every male character in the game. He also worked on the Atari VCS’s BPM Boy.

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