Here’s a description of Brief Encounters, which runs through May 16:
6 short plays, chosen from over 300 submissions nationwise, will be presented at the soft opening of the Magnetic Theatre’s new home, Magnetic 375, at 375 Depot St. Six directors worked with nine actors in 21 total roles, making for a night of theatre which promises to be quirky, hilarious, and just a little edgy. This production marks the return of the Magnetic’s Brief Encounters series, a semi-annual program of short work which honors the Magnetic’s tradition of producing original plays. The show is co-produced by Katie Anne Towner, an Associate Artistic Director of the Magnetic Theatre, and Lucia Gray, Managing Director and also Associate Artistic Director. “Brief Encounters is theatre for those with short attention spans,” says Towner, “Each play is totally different, and just long enough to tell a quick story, make you laugh, or pack an emotional punch before it’s over.” Nine performances only!
More from The Magnetic Theatre website:
The Magnetic Theatre will be opening a program of 6 short plays May 2nd at their new theatre, Magnetic 375, in the River Arts District. These 6 scripts were chosen from over 300 submissions from across the country and right here in Asheville.
This production marks the return of the Magnetic’s Brief Encounters series, a semi-annual program of short work which honors the Magnetic’s tradition of producing original plays. The show is co-produced by Katie Anne Towner, an Associate Artistic Director of the Magnetic Theatre, and Lucia Gray, Managing Director and also Associate Artistic Director. “Brief Encounters is theatre for those with short attention spans,” says Towner, “Each play is totally different, and just long enough to tell a quick story, make you laugh, or pack an emotional punch before it’s over.”
Brief Encounters 2015 also serves as the soft opening for Magnetic 375, the Magnetic Theatre’s new venue at 375 Depot Street. This is the first time the Magnetic Theatre has had their own performance space since the Magnetic Field closed in 2013.
The plays are primarily comedic, poking fun at driving school, office culture, family life, hipster talk, and more. The exception is The Tug of Love, a haunting study of love gone tragically wrong. Gray describes the plays that were selected this year as “quirky, hilarious, and a little edgy. This year was different from years prior because of the sheer amount of submissions, which was totally unexpected, but our community banded together and we worked through it to create a full evening of exciting new work for the stage.”