We were lucky to catch up with April Grace Lowe & Craig Jessen recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi April & Craig, thanks for joining us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

Craig and I have been making art together for 20 years, so there’s been a lot of meaningful work… but with our latest project, “Jaw Recorder,” we swapped our usual roles with me [April] stepping up as writer and director. This shook things up in the best possible way, because it’s so easy to take your partner’s skills for granted (and your own skills for granted) and so this was a lovely reminder of the many gifts we each each bring to the table, and helped us utilize those skills with fresh eyes. I found directing incredibly empowering, particularly in crafting the overall tone and feel, and that’s actually resonant with themes of the show itself, which is about a woman finding her voice and learning to love herself and appreciate her talent. The process of making “Jaw Recorder” did that for me in real life in so many ways.

[Craig] It was a delight getting to act on camera, which I haven’t done in twenty years! I’m also super proud of the editing in “Jaw Recorder.” Comedy pushes you to tighten every moment and utilize visual story telling as much as possible.

[April] He also did all the off screen character voices, Which really showcased his narration skills. Craig has narrated over a hundred audiobooks and you can hear his range in the series. He does the Law & Order voice, the Love Island Voice, the building super, and the voice-over for the horses in episode nine. He is an amazing performer and I was glad we could swap roles so that he could be showcased.

April & Craig, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Craig and I have been creative collaborators since 2002. We created the production company Doubtless Dreamers in 2006 in New York and brought it to Los Angeles in 2010. Ultimately the message of all of our work is how some relationships foster love, and others harm one’s ability to love. I recently heard from one of my mentors that love is “the pause”… it’s that moment of being willing to hold space for someone else (or for yourself) and to allow the next step to be intentional. We all need examples of what that looks like and what happens when it is not done, when consideration and patience is lost.

[Craig] You can see that dynamic in “Jaw Recorder” in the relationship between Jasalyn and Larry as neighbors, in Jasalyn’s relationship with her work and ultimately with herself. You can see it in our first feature film “A Promise of Time Travel” (which is on Amazon) about two estranged friends yearning to reconnect, and our second feature film “Beyond Methuselah,” in which a family’s loving foundation is compromised when winning arguments becomes more important than sustaining relationships.

[April] Relating to one another in a loving kind way is at the heart of everything I believe in and is a driving force in my work. When I am not narrating books or making independent films, I am teaching yoga and storytelling to high school students. I work in the way of council which involves sitting in a circle listening to one another in a heartfelt way. It is social emotional learning done through story. I am teaching students to take that pause in the way they listen to one another and to hold space for themselves and their fellow humans. After the pandemic, teens really need those skills. Working with kids inspires me on so many levels and it feels wonderful to connect and really relate to one another, it is what we are all hungry for and deeply need. I am constantly seeing stories spark empathy, joy, and laughter.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

[April] Last year I was diagnosed with a painful nerve disorder, known as Trigeminal Neuralgia (TN) and it’s nicknamed the suicide disease because the pain is so intense. It sent me into a deep spiral as I began to lose my ability to speak and eat due to the pain. I spent a month on my back being cared for by Craig. I was so fortunate to have him . . .talk about love being the pause. I needed him and he showed up for me- he was my voice when I couldn’t speak, he blended up food for me when I couldn’t eat, and drove me to all my doctor’s appointments. He’s my hero.

[Craig] It was hard seeing such an expressive person whom I love so frozen. I was ready to do anything to get her better. It really strengthened our relationship and brought way more intimacy which after 17 years of marriage I didn’t know that was possible.

[April] During that time, I did a lot of soul searching. What I found was that being creative when many of the other pleasures of life (like eating and speaking are taken away) was an immense balm to my soul. I started rewrites on “Jaw Recorder” and I began planning, and envisioning what the whole series would look like. I went from feeling hopeless to feeling really motivated. I knew that if and when I was able to return to work, I wasn’t going to hold back on creative expression. My voice was something that I would never take for granted again. I have many family members and friends who rallied to help me produce this web series once I was ready. Craig acted, produced, edited, and filmed the series. My cousin, Chris Sutherland and his wife, an incredible actress, Cara Mitsuko (from Man in the High Castle) both worked on several of the episodes. Many of my friends, who are great narrators, delivered amazing performances. You can see Audie award nominee Cody Roberts play Richard in the series. Angela Rysk who plays the author is both an award winning actress and an incredible narrator in her own right. Jessica Geffen, a ferociously talented actor and narrator, plays my vocal coach and she has done a lot of work on marketing the series. It has been a rollercoaster of a journey this past year. When I read that many people commit suicide because of TN I had to remember what I was here for, who loved me, and what makes me joyful. I am so glad that I got to make something so fun and comedic that showcases many of my talented narrator friends. This project was healing for me. Laughter became my medicine.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

[April] After losing the ability to speak due to real serious physical pain, I began to have a different relationship with that knot in my throat that forms when self doubt creeps in. There were so many times I would let that knot hold me back with the fear of another’s disapproval gripping my vocal cords. I use to swallow my voice, convince myself it wasn’t a good idea, not worth the work. However after experiencing the crippling pain of TN that knot has got nothing on me! Oh I still feel the doubt and worry but I am no longer stopped by it. I learned the real panic of not even having the choice to speak. It was so painful not speaking, it became emboldening once I could. It’s ironic that our production company is called Doubtless Dreamers. I think I always wanted to feel what it would be like to not have any self doubt as a creator. However what I know now is that sometimes doubt is the pause you need right before your intentional next step. You have to be bold enough to take that step. I know the love of being a creator pushed me past crazy amounts of pain to express as an artist, as a storyteller, as an actor. It made me discover more joy than I ever could imagine! Pain is an amazing teacher and pushing through it is a lesson I will never forget.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.jawrecorder.com
• Instagram: @doubtlessdreamers
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/april-grace-lowe-623314230/
• Other: www.doubtlessdreamers.com