Meet Tippin! She is one of our incredible actors and directors joining us for our next production of Playing With Our Food!
This production will be a live-streamed performance of a collection of four one-act plays, all dedicated to food, eating, and how weird it all is! All shows will feature Tabitha Judy, Strother Stingley, and Tippin.
Plays include 37 Scenes and a Watermelon by Ian Downes, Cookies for Bethany by Jackie Martin, Last Beans in the Box by Evan Baughfman, and Three Women and an Onion by Ryan Bultrowicz.
We reached out to Tippin about what her experience has been like during this production!
1. How does your play (or a particular play in the case of an actor/director) reflect or not reflect your personal life philosophy?
I play Erica in "Three Women and an Onion" by Ryan Bultrowicz--- similar in that I try to expect the best and give the benefit of the doubt, different in that I don't think my naivete and/or forgiveness extends anywhere near so far as hers. In Jackie Martin's "Cookies for Bethany" I play Myriam, a character very different from myself, thankfully. It's been a challenge characterizing a woman who's made such different life choices and found herself in a very unhappy place. I think the character I relate to most, these days, is the Watermelon in "37 Scenes, and a Watermelon" by Ian Downes. We're both relatively inert, have a tough shell and a squishy center, and cry a lot.
2. What's your favorite line in your show? Why?
"Oh, no. That was inappropriate. I say inappropriate things when I feel uncomfortable. It's embarrassing." (from "Cookies for Bethany)
Yep. I totally do that.
3. What makes this experience special for you? What has been the most enjoyable aspect of this process?
Just being back on stage after over a year makes it super special! Man, has it been a long year! Also, getting to create this whole production with my Quaranteam, Tab & Strother, who've put up with me practically 24/7 for what seems like millennia in lockdown and who still aren't too sick of my BS to want to do a show together! I don't think I can pinpoint one aspect as the *most* enjoyable--- just getting back to doing what I love best, and collaborating with two of my favorite humans!
4. How is working with The Magnetic different from working with other theatres?
I think The Magnetic Theatre brings a sense of adventure that few companies rival. There's a wonderful feeling of community and collaboration, and a willingness to try new things, to step outside of comfort zones, to risk (even to fail) in the interest of continuing to create and communicate even in the face of such bizarrely difficult circumstances as have throttled the theatre world for the past year.
With the company being primarily focused on new works, one would expect a certain openness to experimentation, and this year in lockdown has proven that expectation exceeded as The Magnetic has branched out of the black box onto the internet, to parking lots, riverside bars, and public greenways. And while we all look forward to once again sharing space with our audiences and the intimacy of live theatre, I am so glad The Magnetic has continued to provide opportunities for artists and audiences to connect and create unique experiences in whatever form they may take.
Biography
Since diving into theatre in 2013, Tippin has worked as an actor, stage manager, technical director, assistant director, director director, producer, props master, office manager, collaborative writer, dramaturg, and sound designer for over fifty productions for stage, film, restaurant, greenway, hallway, and oversized camera obscura. With particular interests in socially progressive, original, experimental, fringe, and immersive theatre, and in poetry performance, Tippin finds hope for humanity in the creative sharing of stories.
Playing With Our Food Shows March 18-20 & 25-27, Thursday-Saturday, 7:30 pm. Grab your tickets here 👉 https://app.arts-people.com/index.php?show=122226