What a treat it was to watch The Magnetic Theatre perform a virtual reading of the stage adaptation of Court of the Grandchildren on an inspired date: Earth Day April 22nd. Hosted by artistic director Katie Jones and under the stewardship of the play’s director Jason Williams, ten actors all gave wonderful performances.
The Magnetic Theatre is based in Asheville, North Carolina. With a regional population of nearly half a million people, it is nestled in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of Western North Carolina.
Despite its smallish size and apparent remoteness, Asheville has earned a reputation for its vibrant art scene and historic architecture, not to mention the twenty-six craft breweries in town!
For the Magnetic Theatre, original works are the centerpiece of its mission. It is one of the few theaters in the country that are dedicated to world premieres. In their words, “we are a writer’s theatre. Our open script submission policy allows us to identify and cultivate the most exciting talent and bring those visions to life.”
The Magnetic’s bold attitude and risk-taking means it is constantly evolving and innovating. A recent example was their production of Wandering With Magnetic: something i cared about which follows the story of Alyx and Dru, as it unfolds throughout their lives. It was performed along Asheville’s Reed Creek Greenway. Audiences walked the trail and saw scenes of the same couple, played by a different pair of actors in each scene, as their relationship progresses. And in the last scene the audience was given a choice of one of two alternative endings. Read more about it in this review.
The Magnetic’s openness to new works is what made the Zoom reading of Court of the Grandchildren possible. But then it was over to the actors. The two lead actors, Stan Baranowski playing ‘old’ David, and Kirby Gibson playing his great-niece Lily, gave superb, emotion-filled performances. They were ably supported by Sheila Collins playing David’s carer ‘Sarah’, and Scott Fisher as lawyer ‘Matteo’.
“…we are a writer’s theatre. Our open script submission policy allows us to identify and cultivate the most exciting talent and bring those visions to life.”
The Magnetic Theatre
A key to following a reading like this are the stage directions which were expertly narrated by Sonia D’Andrea, who seamlessly performed two cameos on screen as well.
The Zoom performance of Court of the Grandchildren had its technical challenges. Each of the ten actors had to turn their videos on and off and mute/unmute microphones with precision timing through the play’s twenty scenes – and they did it without a glitch! After a few moments to get acclimated to this format of performance, it was easy to settle in and enjoy the show.
The play calls for some characters to wear kumadori (painted faces), which are fashionable in the 2050’s setting of the play. Without central make up, each actor had to design and apply their own. My awards go to Kirby, and to Aaron Ybarra for their creative kumadori designs, and a distinction to Tom Griffin.
From top left, clockwise: Scott Fisher as ‘Matteo’, Kirby Gibson as ‘Lily’, Aaron Ybarra as the ‘Diner’, and Zak Hamrick as the ‘Server’ [and who’s voicing of ‘Attorney 5’ was captivating!]
All in all, it was a wonderful experience and I hope we will be able to see the play on stage in The Magnetic Theatre’s 2022 season when, with some luck, life has returned to a semblance of normality.
MAIN IMAGE Caption: From top left, clockwise: Sheila Collins as ‘Sarah’, Stan Baranowski as ‘David’, Scott Fisher as ‘Matteo’, and Kirby Gibson as ‘Lily’.
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