Meet Katie Jones! 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 Katie 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?
Catawba Falls
2. Do you relate to your character? How similar/different are you?
Yes, I relate to Dru. I can certainly sympathize with not feeling good enough, and being afraid of love. But, in many ways, I'm more like Alyx, in real life, because I'm goal-focused and certainly seek societal approval.
3. What's your favorite line in this show?
That's always been the thing with us. I just want to be with you, but you have always wanted more. You always wanted me to be more.
4. What is one thing you’d be willing to give up for someone else?
This is super hard for me. I'm not good at giving things up. But if I have to choose, I'd say my career.
5. What are the biggest challenges of this rehearsal process?
Rehearsing over Zoom is challenging in some ways, but it also gives the opportunity to just focus on lines and feeling, which I like.
6. What makes this experience special for you?
I've thought, for years, how cool it would be to do a show on a trail and have the audience walk along. In many ways, because we can't be in a regular theatre space right now, we've been challenged to be creative, in order to keep theatre alive in our community during this time. It's really exciting, and I think that, even when we are able to produce shows inside, we'll still do things like this from time to time.
7. How did you get into theatre?
My elementary school did a production of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. I played Gladys Herdman. It was the best experience, and I've been hooked ever since.
8. How is working with The Magnetic different from working with other theatres?
Magnetic's focus on new work always feels rewarding to me. I love being part of the development process and showing people something they've never seen before.
9. Do you have any upcoming projects that we should check out?
I'll be directing Magnetic's next production, In The Middle Of Nowhere by Bret Murphy, which will be live-streamed from the theatre in April.
Biography
Katie Jones (Dru in The Beginning/End) - Katie is a director, performer, and educator. She has worked with regional theatres in Sarasota, Chicago and Denver, where she directed community-focused programming. Katie specializes in new play development and is an alumnus of Directors Lab New York and Chicago. She founded Wishbone Theatre Collective in 2009 and continues to perform with them, throughout the country. Katie has a BA from Clemson University and an MFA in from Naropa University. In addition to serving as Magnetic's Artistic Director, Katie has worked locally with Asheville Creative Arts and the Asheville Fringe Arts Festival.
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