Meet Dakota Mann! He will be joining us for our next production, Wandering With Magnetic: something i cared about which follows the story of Alyx and Dru, as it unfolds throughout their lives, performed along the Reed Creek Greenway.
Audiences will walk the trail and see scenes of the same couple, played by a different pair of actors in each scene. We reached out to Dakota to tell us a bit about himself and about what his experience has been like during this production.
1. What is your favorite Asheville area walking trail/ greenway?
The Reed Creek Greenway for sure! I used to just walk that greenway from the UNCA campus to downtown for weekly exercise, or head to the Hazel Robinson Amphitheatre in Montford for either a show or just to relax with a book in my hammock.
2. Do you relate to your character? How similar/different are you?
I am my character, and my character is me. In pro wrestling terms, I'm blending "kayfabe" with reality to create my most authentic character I've ever performed: a know-it-all who shares random tidbits and facts.
3. What's your favorite line in this show? Why?
You sound like you're there already. Like you're fucking 25 and shit."
As someone who recently turned 25, I feel like I'm being called out...
4. What are the biggest challenges of this rehearsal process?
The integral function of my role as a trail guide depends on how well I can interact with my audience, and with our rehearsals broken up into smaller groups on zoom, it is difficult to test out the material and see how others respond to it.
5. What makes this experience special for you?
Just being able to perform live in front of people in a show where so many of my favorite people are also getting to do what they love makes this show amazing for me.
6. How did you get into theatre?
I was in eleventh grade and I had a crush on a girl in my history class. She was auditioning for the spring musical (which was Grease), and I thought I would audition too and perhaps impress her. While that didn't happen, I did fall in love with theatre and decided to keep with it.
Biography
Dakota Mann (Trail Guide) has worked both on and off stage throughout WNC region, working with theatres such as Haywood Regional Arts Theatre, Parkway Playhouse, Anam Cara, the Magnetic Theatre, and the Sublime Theater and Press, as well as performing overseas in Scotland in a devised piece based around John Cage and the students of Black Mountain College in the Edinburgh Festival Fringe last summer. He recently attained a B.A. in Drama from the University of North Carolina – Asheville. Favorite past roles include: Ken in Red (HART), Mr. Martin in The Bald Soprano (HART), Chuck in She Kills Monsters (UNCA), the Douglas in Henry IV, part 1 (MPP) Christopher Wren in The Mousetrap (Parkway), and Dobchinsky in The Government Inspector (Anam Cara). Previous shows at Magnetic: Brief Encounters (2016) and American Arcade, or How to Shoot Yourself in the Face.
Wandering With Magnetic: something i cared about shows February 27th-March 14th with staggered showings on Saturdays and Sundays. Grab your tickets here: https://app.arts-people.com/index.php?show=121100