THE SPLATTER PLAY
By Abby Auman
Directed by Jessica Johnson
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ABOUT THE CAST
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Playwright & Sound & Lighting Designer | Abby Auman | |
Director | Jessica Johnson | |
Stage Manager | Evan Eckstrom | |
Assistant Stage Manager & Dramaturgy | Sarah Hajkowski | |
Set Designer | Tyler Johnson | |
Scenic Dressing | Amanda Brown | |
Composer | Zach Knox | |
Costume Designers | Ashleigh Goff, Christine Caldemeyer | |
Fight Choreographer | Jered Shults | |
Props Designer & Puppetry | Skyler Goff | |
Puppetry | Katie Jones | |
Board Operator | Maddie Anderson | |
Projections & Media | Jennifer Bennett | |
Special Effects | Brandon McIver, Tyler Johnson, Abby Auman | |
Production Assistant | Quinn Terry |
ABOUT THE PRODUCTION TEAM
MADDIE ANDERSON (Board Operator) - Maddie received her technical theatre degree from Florida Gulf Coast University in 2021. She has been working as a freelance lighting designer and technician for live theatre, music, and dance in the WNC area since then, and recently moved to Asheville to be closer to the art scene. She is looking forward to being a part of this wild, immersive, and intensely interesting piece.
ABBY AUMAN (Playwright, Sound & Lighting Designer, Special Effects) - Abby is the Technical Director of The Magnetic Theatre. She also works as a lighting designer in theaters all over WNC.
JENNIFER BENNETT (Projections & Media) - Jennifer Bennett, aka JenBen, is a designer and photographer living outside of Asheville, North Carolina. She's spent decades designing maps, buildings, games, festivals, merch, and just about any other type of thing you can imagine. Her focus these days is on the performing arts by helping artists and arts organizations meet their potential through creative and practical support.
AMANDA BROWN (Scenic Dressing) - Amanda likes to get involved in all sorts of creative projects, especially with her friends.
CHRISTINE CALDEMEYER (Costume Designer) - Is beyond delighted to crawl out of artistic hibernation to help work on this show! Watching this play grow from a hilarious idea into fully animated madness has been a wonderful experience. It’s singularly the zaniest show I have ever had the pleasure of working on, and I am beyond proud of my wife for sharing it with the world. The Magnetic holds a special place in my heart, and I’m so happy to do the mad dash again with the brilliant creatives who work here.
EVAN ECKSTROM (Stage Manager) - Evan is thrilled to be working behind the scenes on such a production-heavy show. The last time he acted as stage manager was for his own small company, Strange News Theatre, in Boston, MA. Since then he's gotten to work on lots of props and set construction. Thanks always to Emily for supporting me in my passion!
ASHLEIGH GOFF (Costume Designer) - Ashleigh Goff has been doing theatre in one way, shape, or form since she was still single digits. Ash has been onstage, off stage, backstage — you name it, she's done it. Some of her favorite recent off stage mentions include directing Starbright & Fish at the Magnetic and costuming for Caroling by Gaslight at The Magnetic and Wendy & Peter at Montford Park Players. Ashleigh is the founding Artistic Director of the Montford Moppets Youth Shakespeare Company, a youth focused classical theatre company here in Asheville, and wishes them a FANTASITC success on the opening of Romeo and Juliet in Memoriam (running the same time frame as The Splatter Play)! Ashleigh is immensely proud of the Moppets, The cast and crew of The Splatter Play, and herself for getting all this shit done. She is so excited to share this stage and creative process with her love, Skyler, and now with all of you!
SKYLER GOFF (Props Designer & Puppetry) - Skyler Goff is a local director, playwright, and performer. He recently opened the 51st season of The Montford Park Players with his play, Wendy and Peter, co-written and directed by Sami Mills. He is thrilled to be in this production with his fellow gore enthusiast and life long partner, Ashleigh Goff.
SARAH HAJKOWSKI (Assistant Stage Manager & Dramaturgy) - Sarah Hajkowski is part of stage management and dramaturgy for The Splatter Play. She is a recent graduate from nearby Brevard College studying Theatre and English, and aims to keep theatre collaboration in her life for the long haul. Excited by the constellatory nature of dramaturgy, she also writes plays of her own, and dabbles in performance as seen in The Magnetic's own One Act Festival in August 2023. Thanks to all for their energy and break legs, cast!
JESS JOHNSON (Director) - Jess has over 20 years of experience as a stage manager, director, props and scenic designer, and dramaturg. She currently serves as the Co-Artistic Director for The Magnetic Theatre. The biggest, warmest thanks to Abby, the cast, and the production team for birthing this collaborative creation (after all, we were all pregnant) and for bringing all of the best and weirdest parts of yourselves to the process! And thanks to you, our incredible audience, for supporting local theatre.
TYLER JOHNSON (Set Designer, Special Effects) - Tyler is a woodworker and furniture designer who moonlights as a set designer. When not figuring out ways to transform spaces, he’s busy taking big pieces of wood, turning them into smaller pieces of wood, then sometimes turning them back into big pieces of wood. You can see some of his work on Instagram at @tothebonewoodworking and catch him at The Big Crafty in December or check out his work at Foundation Woodworks.
KATIE JONES (Puppetry) - Katie is a theatre director, performer, and educator. She grew up down south but spent her 20s living and working in 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 from Naropa University. In addition to serving as The Magnetic Theatre's Co-Artistic Director, she has worked locally with Asheville Creative Arts and the Asheville Fringe Arts Festival, and teaches at Brevard College.
ZACH KNOX (Composer) - Raised in the hills outside of Austin, Texas, Zach Knox first learned how to play piano from Elvis Presley's sister-in-law. Since then, he has completed 8 harmonious years as a music teacher for the public schools of Houston, TX and Western North Carolina. When he's not at the theatre, you can probably find Zach on stage playing keyboards with Smooth Goose or Supatight, or maybe seeing one of his brilliant wife's plays, or in Hominy Creek with his fascinating daughter.
BRANDON MCIVER (Special Effects) - Brandon is excited to help make the messes at The Magnetic. He is the Technical Director at Flat Rock Playhouse and has 20 years of experience in technical theatre. He has also created effects for numerous stage plays including Evil Dead the Musical and the Lieutenant of Inishmore. In addition to his stage work he has designed and built both practical and digital effects for several independent films as well as serving as Art Director for numerous local and national commercials. Thanks to everyone at The Magnetic for inviting him to help with this production. He looks forward to further involvement in the local arts scene.
QUINN TERRY [HE/THEY] (Production Assistant) - Quinn is the Box Office Manager for The Magnetic Theatre. Recent production credits include stage managing for Fish earlier this year and directing for the One Act Festival at The Magnetic! Recent onstage roles include Ferdinand in The Tempest (Montford Park Players), multiple roles in the 2023 One Act Festival (The Magnetic), and Rhonda in Happyland (The Magnetic). You can also catch him in our upcoming holiday show, New Queer's Eve. A million thanks for supporting local theatre!
We’d like to thank The Puffin Foundation for their support of this project
PHOTOS by JENNIFER BENNETT / JENBENMEDIA
www.jenbenmedia.com
GALLERY
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SPECIAL THANKS TO…
Keith Shubert
Luther Thompson
Co-Artistic Director | Jessica Johnson |
Co-Artistic Director | Katie Jones |
Technical Director | Abby Auman |
Marketing Manager | Jennifer Bennett |
Box Office Manager | Quinn Terry |
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
George Awad
Eliza Heath
Jason Phillips
Josh Sullivan