After she was told by someone in the business that she could either have a career or a family, award winning actor April Matthis made it her mission to show the world that it was possible to do both. With intense dedication to her vocation (she went to an audition 2 days after giving birth) and to her child (she nursed him for 22 months), April has created her beautiful career and family with unwavering integrity.

April shares the frustrations of fighting for fair wages and the pleasures of being a longtime company member of the groundbreaking experimental theatre collective Elevator Repair Service, where she learned how esteemable it is to ask for what you need and be valued for who you are.

Passionately in love with New York, this Texarkana girl has no interest in suburbs or minivans, and she walks Melanie and Katie through what it’s been like raising her son in the city as her career grew from tiny downtown theatres to Broadway and from short films to her recent riveting guest spot on Netflix’s number one show and why these days, she tries to choose roles that allow her to hug her teenage son goodnight instead of checking in on FaceTime from afar.

April talks about her latest project, the world premiere of The Dinosaurs at Playwrights Horizons , the mystery and excitement of working on a new character with an incredible cast, and how sometimes holding something back as a performer makes the audience lean in all the more.

More on April:

@aprilmatthis

Elevator Repair Service

https://www.elevator.org/

Amadi Comes Home (short film)

https://filmshortage.com/dailyshortpicks/amadi-comes-home/

The Dinosaurs - Playwrights Horizons

https://www.playwrightshorizons.org/shows/production-history/2020s/2526/dinosaurs?gclsrc=aw.ds&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=23350765141&gbraid=0AAAAAoXIt7pV9ei1T82c8LXGDHxuVsyZA

Take Me Home - Sundance Film Festival 2026

https://festival.sundance.org/program/film/6932fa301a55353c2091ae2b