Third Annual One Act Play Festival: Just Desserts

Just Desserts is one of our one act plays being produced in our upcoming One Act Play Festival! We reached out to some of the people who made this production possible to find out more about them and this exciting festival!

What about the One Act Festival are you the most excited about?

Stan Baranowski (Director): Directing at The Magnetic for the first time!

Julianne Arnall (Actor): Playing to sold out houses that will allow this gem of a theater to keep its doors open in this crazy economy. You can make my dream come true. Get your friends together and buy a block of tickets for a fun night out.

Jessica Gift (Actor): I'm looking forward to seeing what characters the other performers have been able to craft in such a short rehearsal window. 

Why is being a part of this project important to you?

Stan Baranowski (Director): I've been an actor for many years but at this point in my life I am interested in doing more directing, so I'm grateful for this opportunity to show what I can do as a director.

Jessica Gift (Actor): I love to work under pressure. There's something revitalizing about collaborating with few tools and a limited time frame. I have a soft spot for both sketch comedy and poetry, and the one act festival reminds me a bit of both. It asks: how can we present our points wholly and with great specification in as few words as possible? How do we make the framework we've been given into fully formed, dynamic performances with such little context and preparation?  How do we show a viewer the whole picture in just a single slice?

Julianne Arnall (Actor): It’s life giving to take a break from dishes, laundry, work, and adulting in general to go play in an imaginary world with other like minded folks and make something together.

Do you feel that producing new work is important? Why?

Stan Baranowski (Director): Yes, it's very important to produce new work so that deserving playwrights who are not yet established have a venue where their work can be seen and appreciated.

Julianne Arnall (Actor): To make room for new voices. To keep theater fresh, exciting, and relevant. To foster civic dialogue about our culture, ideas, and values. To encourage risk taking for theater makers and audiences alike. To explore who we are now and imagine what we might like to become moving forward.

Jessica Gift (Actor): How are we to hear new points of view if we accept those we have as having said all there is to say?

Tell us about the piece(s) you’re working on rehearsing for the One Act Play Festival!

Stan Baranowski (Director): I chose these three plays to direct: Surprise, a very funny play about a man whose limited psychic ability creates havoc with his relationships; Just Desserts, a darkly funny play about how to deal with coworkers who steal your food from the office break room; and The Audition, about an actor with a very specific, and unusual, set of skills.

Julianne Arnall (Actor): Just Desserts gives us a peek into a lunch room where workers can’t trust that the food they put in the fridge when they arrive at work in the morning will still be there for them when they get hungry in the afternoon. It’s a funny piece that doesn’t take itself too seriously, but it does highlight the difference between an atmosphere of distrust and uncertainty verses a safe environment where people feel like their fellow humans are decent, honorable folks.

What's your favorite thing about the piece(s) you're working on?

Julianne Arnall (Actor): It’s over-the-top silliness.

Stan Baranowski (Director): Each of them is well-written and based on a clever idea for a play.

What have you loved so far about working with The Magnetic Theatre?

Julianne Arnall (Actor): The people. It always comes down to the people. What’s not to love about a group of hard working, talented folks who want to give the gift of theater to the community?

How did you get into theatre?

Julianne Arnall (Actor): As a kid I was my Dad’s theater going buddy. In 1985 he took me to see West Side Story in a tiny little theater-in-the-round in National City, CA.  They had a sign up sheet for their mailing list with a little check box for those who were interested in receiving news about auditions. He signed our family up for the general newsletter and I went back at intermission while he was buying cookies to check the box. A mailing arrived at the house a few months later announcing auditions for The Potting Shed by Graham Green. They weren’t accustomed to auditioning kids. I think they were hoping to cast it with an adult who looked young. I was the only kid who showed up. After assurances from Dad that he was willing to drive me to and from rehearsals they took a risk and cast me. Shout out to all parents pulling heavy carpool duty to give their kids interesting experiences.

Jessica Gift (Actor): My very first role was as Chicken Little when I was 5. I've been subjecting my friends and family to various shows and performances ever since.

What are your top 5 favorite things to do in Asheville?

Julianne Arnall (Actor): Hiking with my dog, Eating at Hole (best donut shop ever), Walking the gardens and grounds at Biltmore, Wandering through art galleries, Catching a show at one of the many live theaters in town.

Do you have any upcoming projects we should check out?

Julianne Arnall (Actor): Yes, I will be cleaning out my basement and you are all invited to come help.

Jessica Gift (Actor): I would love if folks could take the time to look into Bright Star Touring Theatre. We are a touring theatre that travels primarily to schools and libraries to perform educational theatre for young audiences. Our mission is to make arts experiences accessible for venues of all financial demographics and present young people with the opportunity to engage with live performance that complements what they're already learning in school. We travel all over the country performing original scripts focused on curriculum-based subjects like Literature, STEM, Bully Prevention, History, and more, with the goal of including information that may not have made it into Stan Baranowskidardized lesson plans.

The Magnetic Theatre’s Third Annual One Act Play Festival will be showing November 4-13, 2022! Find out more and grab your tickets here: https://app.arts-people.com/index.php?ticketing=magn