Quote of the Day: Miriam is making an apple pie.
Several years ago, Miriam’s son, Robert, committed a horrible crime and has been sitting on death row ever since. As is the tradition, in the waning hours before the end comes, Robert is granted a last meal.
This is a play about monsters and the mothers of monsters.
And about how we care for each other.
And about how to make a really good apple pie.

~ From the description of the play Apples in Winter by Jennifer Fawcett. Touring, now, with Theatre Midwest, featuring Nadine Purvis Schmidt as Miriam, Directed by Cory Johnson, Producing Artistic Director Tom Woldt. 

Nadine Purvis Schmidt as Miriam in Apples in Winter by Jennifer Fawcett, touring through Theatre Midwest, ongoing. Photo courtesy of Theatre Midwest

At first glance, this play might look like a cooking show. Miriam (Nadine Purvis Schmidt) comes on stage carrying a box of supplies to make an apple pie. A miniature fridge sits on the counter behind her, along with a toaster oven, and other supplies for baking. She lines up her ingredients on the counter, facing us (the audience), and begins her prep. It’s fascinating to watch someone do their art, be it painting, acting, singing, or baking. She walks us through the steps, kneading the dough, adding the ingredients, smelling the spices, pinching the crust. We slowly realize where she is and why she is there, and the reason that the knife is tethered to the counter. She says, “I miss my good kitchen knife.”

Nadine Purvis Schmidt as Miriam in Apples in Winter by Jennifer Fawcett, touring through Theatre Midwest, ongoing. Photo courtesy of Theatre Midwest

Miriam is a mother. She did her best to raise her one and only son, to give him what he needed, to be there for him. But, somewhere along the way, he got lost. Drugs took over and changed him, and he became what the news would describe as a monster. She wants to tell us more of his story. The courts, the news reporters, the warden, and all the people who heard about the story and passed judgement, didn’t really know him. And, I thought, as I was watching her tell this story about apples and pie, her son and his trials, that she also had doubts about truly knowing her own son, but desperately wanted to. Does she wonder, not just where he went wrong, but where she did? And, if she doesn’t think it, isn’t that what outsiders believe? That the parents, specifically the mother, are somehow to blame?

Nadine Purvis Schmidt as Miriam in Apples in Winter by Jennifer Fawcett, touring through Theatre Midwest, ongoing. Photo courtesy of Theatre Midwest

Everyone who sees this play will take away something different. And, if you see it more than once, you might find that new things surface for you. As an actor, Nadine said that it can feel different every time. Sometimes, she feels more anger. Sometimes, more sadness. One part of the script that stood out to me was when she was remembering that fateful night when her son Robert stopped by and the terrible thing happened. She gives us the bare facts, then more details, then how she wants to remember it, then how it might have truly played out, and finally, where she feels at fault, and how it could have gone differently, and she wouldn’t be standing in a prison kitchen preparing a pie for her son’s last meal.

Apples in Winter is a play that examines the impact of a son’s actions on his mother. She says, “I’m serving that sentence with him.” And, we feel that. Nadine gets to the heart of this character and delivers a full range of emotions. It’s a play and performance that stays with you long after you leave the theater. Theatre Midwest always offers a talk-back after the show. The audience had great questions for the director Cory Johnson, Nadine, and CLC Sociology senior faculty member Scott Foster. He offered some insight into human behavior and the impact on those who are close to someone who committed a terrible crime, or experienced other trauma. 

Nadine Purvis Schmidt has been touring with this show for about two years with Theatre Midwest. They have two other shows that they are touring, The Gull by Zachary Cohn, and The Gun Show by E.M. Lewis. Please visit their website to find performances near you, or to book a performance in your city. The mission of Theatre Midwest is to bring theater to people, making it accessible to more audience members. They provided ASL interpreter (Kyara Topp) for the CLC performance on Nov. 7. They also have a sliding fee from $0 to whatever you’d like to donate. The next stop for Apples in Winter will be January 8 & 9, 2027 in Fargo, ND. Apples in Winter performed to a sold out audience at Central Lakes College in Brainerd, MN this past weekend. Get your tickets early. You will leave with the scent of fresh-baked apple pie, and perhaps, a dollop of insight into the human experience as a result of a terrible event.

Go. Create. Inspire!

Journaling Prompt: Examine an event that had an emotional impact on your life or your community.