Meet Hanni Muerdter! She 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 Hanni to tell us a bit about herself and about what her experience has been like during this production.
1. What is your favorite Asheville area walking trail/ greenway?
Greenways are great, and I appreciate Asheville's newer greenways along the French Broad - keep it up! I also enjoy exploring neighborhoods during my walks with a good podcast.
2. Do you relate to your character? How similar/different are you?
I play Alyx and can relate to their desire to communicate and for order. They are grounded, a planner and simultaneously attracted to and challenged by Dru's wandering, searching personality. I find myself in both characters. The audience may relate to that dynamic in relationships - we might be the "more emotional one" in one relationship but the "guarded" in another, or find ourselves intensifying one part of our personality because of the relationship. It is fun we can be lots of different things, and to wonder if the assumptions about ourselves are based on comparing ourselves to another person.
3. What's your favorite line in this show? Why?
While I don't have a favorite line per say, I enjoy that each scene is written by one of the three writers. The play reads cohesively, and it is also fun to try to pick out slightly different styles between the scenes and how they all tie together.
4. What is one thing you’d be willing to give up for someone else?
Finishing the potato chips myself, every time.
5. What are the biggest challenges of this rehearsal process?
We've been safely rehearsing each scene independently outdoors and I'm very thankful for all of the COVID-19 precautions. I miss the camaraderie of cast bonding and community that often happens during the rehearsal process, as well as watching other scenes develop over time. It is strange going into tech week without previously seeing other actors in person, but that makes the reveal kind of exciting.
6. What makes this experience special for you?
I've never done a show outdoors where you as an actor are anchored in place and the audience is the moving piece. How fun and creative during the pandemic!
7. How did you get into theatre?
As many people growing up in Haywood County, it was Bebe Abel and her Spotlights Youth Theatre. Bebe had a basement with racks of costumes and a house regularly taken over by teens and preteens. She worked with casts of children for multiple shows every year. Bebe cultivated so many creative lives and friendships for young people in Haywood. I've found theatre is a lifelong place to connect and create with people, a way to find deeper parts of myself, and a place to play. I'm glad I found that at an early age - it is such an important part of my life.
8. How is working with The Magnetic different from working with other theatres?
This is my first time working on an original production - it feels very community-supportive and homegrown in the best meaning of those words.
9. Do you have any upcoming projects that we should check out?
Parkway Playhouse's (Burnsville) original 2020 season has been moved to 2022 if all the show rights can be secured again - I hopefully look forward to playing the understated-but-ever-important role of Milky White the cow in Into the Woods and creating with some wonderful people - should be a great show. Come see it!
Biography
Hanni Muerdter has performed in Western North Carolina with Mountain Art Theatre, Haywood Arts Regional Theatre, Parkway Playhouse, and Asheville Community Theatre. She was last Elizabeth Proctor in HART and Mountain Art Theatre's co-production of The Crucible, Elinor in Sense and Sensibility, and Laura in The Glass Menagerie. This is her first performance with The Magnetic Theatre. Hanni is originally from Haywood County and currently lives in Asheville.
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