Apples in Winter presented by Uprising Theatre Company

22 years ago, Miriam's son Robert committed a horrible crime. Convicted of first-degree murder he has been sitting on death row since. In seven hours he will be executed. He is granted a last meal and he wants a slice of his mom's apple pie. That is the premise of Jennifer Fawcett's "Apples in Winter" being produced by Uprising Theatre Company. Currently it is playing one last weekend at St. Peder's Lutheran Church in Minneapolis. How this premise plays out in a 75 minute performance is worth experiencing.

The play is written as a site-specific play. A limited-size audience sits in an industrial kitchen (the church kitchen in this production) and watches while Miriam makes the apple pie. You see her making the dough, rolling it out, cutting the apples, you smell the spices, you feel the heat from the oven - all a wonderful experience. Miriam is played by Gina Sauer, and she gives a fantastic performance under the direction of Shalee Mae Coleman. The story Miriam tells is fascinating as you hear about her struggles as a parent, her struggles as a member of the community, as well as a wife. You hear about the crime, how Robert was raised, and you feel the pain that she is going through. Miriam is the only person on "stage" and while she is telling this story, emoting, getting you the audience involved - she is also making a pie!! The timing, the skill to remember lines, actions, emotions, as well as recipe and the actual process of putting the pie together - it is an amazing performance. Especially since you are in an intimate space and it is clear that there are no cheats happening. No apples have been pre-cut, no dough pre-chilled... it is all there in real time. That takes skill as a performer, and skill as a director to get this all down to the production that it is. To some extent that in and of itself might be reason to see the show.

However, the story is important, and Uprising Theatre Company does important work as well. The story brings up some great points about parenting, the death penalty, how society deals with criminals and the families of criminals. To help the audience connect dots, Uprising pairs great theatre with community programs to channel the empathy and energy created by the performance into concrete change. Uprising wants the audience to leave the theatre and participate in making change in the community. For this performance they have paired with the Twin Cities Men's Center, Cornerstone, and Friends for a Non-Violent World. Along with the partnerships, there is usually a talk-back that allows the audience to process and focus. While aspect of the play were a bit difficult, it was a great experience and I look forward to seeing more shows by Uprising Theatre Company.