During our first annual One Act Festival on June 19th, we’ll be hosting a live viewing party where you'll see a variety of new one act plays performed live, video recorded, or audio recorded.
We reached out to one-act director Jessica Johnson about how her one-act is coming along and what the unique experience of directing The Opposite of Entropy written by Terran Wanderer, has been like.
1. What do you think audiences will be left thinking about after experiencing the one-act you’re directing?
Audiences will be left thinking about time and how it progresses. I also hope audiences are left thinking about some of the underlying messaging of this backwards time universe.
2. What does it mean to you to be a part of Magnetic’s first ever One Act Play Festival?
It's a fascinating experience to be bringing so many people together to create these unique pieces, and to do so in a virtual platform has been interesting. You don't always have the chance to collaborate and work directly with the playwright like we're able to do for The Magnetic's One Act Festival, and it's one of the things I love most about working at The Magnetic. I hope this festival becomes an annual event that can grow a little each year.
3. What challenges are you facing bringing the piece you’re directing to life?
This piece was originally written for the stage, and I felt that we couldn't do it justice as it was written if we couldn't be in person. The playwright did some re-writing and was able to adapt the script quite well to being an audio piece, so we've been lucky that this piece can really stand on its own as a one act audio play. That said, I think the challenges we face are that this play is written in a backwards time universe, so we do spend quite a bit of time just discussing how that works, and making sure that some things that actors are trained to do are undone, i.e. in this backwards time universe, you're speaking and reacting before something is said or done, not reacting to the moment it happens.
4. Are there any unique elements you’re now able to bring to your piece that you wouldn’t have been able to under usual circumstances?
This piece definitely stands alone quite well as an audio piece. We're lucky to be working with an incredible sound designer, and she's able to do some interesting things with the cast's voices and the noises we'll hear, that you wouldn't hear if this was a live performance. I'm also excited to give people the chance to sit and listen and not have to keep their eyes focused on a screen.
5. What’s your favorite line from the one act you’re directing and why?
"It is important to remember that our ways of perception are not inherently better just because they are familiar." - Narrator. This line is my favorite because it's a line that reminds us to challenge ourselves to not settle just because we are comfortable with the familiar.
Biography
Jessica Johnson has worked in theatre for over 15 years, primarily as a stage manager, but also as a director, props and set designer, and dramaturg. She has worked locally with the Different Strokes Performing Arts Collective, Montford Park Players, Parkway Playhouse, and The Magnetic Theatre. In addition to her theatre work, she has a background in nonprofit development, and serves on the boards of Montford Park Players and the Asheville Fringe Society.
Tickets are now on sale for our upcoming One Act Play Festival on June 19th! Grab yours here: https://app.arts-people.com/index.php?show=114699