Staged Reading of Whisper at the Top of Your Lungs

Monstrous Little Theatre Company presents a staged reading of Whisper at the Top of Your Lungs by Matthew Stoffel

Who do you turn to when your back is against the wall?

Growing up, I was never very good at asking for help. I was stubborn, I wanted to do it by myself, and I was entirely flustered when someone suggested I wasn’t capable of something.

It’s incredibly fortunate that being willing to ask for help is a skill you can learn over time, because I can’t imagine how I’d have handled the last couple years and these past few months without a squadron of great people to support me. I’m grateful to all of them, and I can’t fathom where I’d be without the help of others.

It’s that heavy fear of being alone that drove me to write what was once called Catalyst, and is now titled Whisper at the Top of Your Lungs. What does someone do when nobody can help them? Continue reading

USF memory play explores holocaust with young actors – review

Play review by matthew stoffel of the university of sioux falls' I Never Saw Another Butterfly
Promotional image, taken from USF Theatre’s Facebook event

Playgoers at USF theatre’s latest show found themselves walking through an arch and onto a painted set of railroad tracks, the other end of which disappeared into black curtains.

While we stepped off the path before that unknown darkness to find seats, the effect set a tone for director Joseph Obermueller’s attempt to put us in the place of holocaust prisoners.

The University of Sioux Falls’ I Never Saw Another Butterfly by Celeste Raspanti ran from November 11-15. Continue reading

Remembering Brian Friel and Reviewing UNL’s Dancing at Lughnasa

On October 2nd, we lost one of the most iconic Irish playwrights. Brian Friel died at age 86, as reported here by The Irish Times.

UNL's Dancing at Lughnasa runs Oct. 8-9 & 13-17 at 7:30 p.m., and Oct. 11 and 18 at 2:00 p.m. in the Temple Building's Studio Theatre.
UNL’s Dancing at Lughnasa runs Oct. 8-9 & 13-17 at 7:30 p.m., and Oct. 11 and 18 at 2:00 p.m. in the Temple Building’s Studio Theatre (2015).

Three days beforehand, I was granted permission to attend the final dress rehearsal of one of his best-loved plays at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. I’m grateful to the Johnny Carson School of Theatre & Film, general manager Julie Hagemeier and the lovely house manager, Emma Gruhl, for arranging a seat that not only let me see the show, but pay tribute to an important theatrical voice. Continue reading