Grocery Store Romance at The Hobgoblin Playhouse

Ever gone out for a loaf of bread and come home with a bun in the oven?  Grocery Store Romance is a heartfelt comedy that follows a young couple and their bittersweet adventure of sex, love, pregnancy, and multiple cleanups in the produce aisle. 

Grocery Store Romance jumps into bed with big questions, exploring all the ingredients necessary to cook up a healthy relationship. In addition to many complicated feelings that arise during pregnancy, this play champions a woman’s right to choose alongside a man’s choice to support her. In its comedic tone, the story does not shy away from examining the difficult decisions couples go through when faced with the often unplanned reality of being knocked up. 

Originally workshopped at the University of California Davis, this one-act play premieres at the 2025 Hollywood Fringe Festival with the following cast: 

Amy Cosby: (Laura) Amy is an actor/producer/writer who hails from the great state of Texas. Since living in LA for nearly a decade, she has produced and/or starred in nearly a dozen award-winning projects and can be seen in national commercials for Enterprise and Starbucks. Her day job is a bit different than most; she is a Registered Nurse specializing in Emergency Medicine! Her first love has always been the stage, and she is overjoyed to be returning to it in Grocery Store Romance.

Rio Magdaleno: (Jack) Rio Magdaleno is a So Cal native with roots in Orange County and a creative spirit that’s taken him from sketch stages to streaming screens. He’s appeared in The Offer on Paramount+ and Rutherford Falls on Peacock, as well as national campaigns for Hyundai, Footlocker, and Nike. A graduate of Second City Hollywood with over a decade of improv under his belt, Rio thrives in stories that blend humor with heart. Bringing this passion project to life on stage has been a dream—and he’s thrilled to share it with you.

Julie Phillips: (Earl, Doctor, Vincent, Roger, Elvis, Google, The Sandman)  Julie Phillips is an LA native and no stranger to performing. Her father is award-winning film and TV composer Stu Phillips, and her mother sang at the legendary Copa Cabana with Frank Sinatra and Fats Domino. Julie acted on and off from birth into her 20s, took a 25-year hiatus to raise a family and teach pilates. Frustrated with the lack of realistic content created for women over 50 Julie decided to go big or go home. Julie is now a full-time actor-creator who has written, produced, and starred in multiple award-winning series and short films acquired by and streaming on platforms including IndieFlix and SeekaTV. She recently won best actress at the Micheaux International Film Festival for her short, Covid Book Club. Her other roles include The Young and the Restless, What’s Love Got to Do With It, Pete’s Dragon, Rocky 2, and most recently, she had the pleasure of playing Tallulah Bankhead in Matthew Lombardo’s play, Looped. Julie is passionate about creating funny, authentic, and relatable content for women over 50, full of heart AND hot flashes. She is thrilled to have the opportunity to be back onstage performing in Grocery Store Romance.

David Beatty: (writer/director) David Beatty was born in Huntington Beach, California. He attended college in Colorado, and his growing interest in acting led him to the theater department of Adams State University, where he made his stage debut in Thornton Wilder's 'The Skin of Our Teeth.' Following graduation, he began his acting career at the Creede Repertory Theater, and his work in theater, film, and television has taken him all over the country and around the world. David has appeared in several television shows, including The Wasteland, GET SPY, Criminal Minds, Lien On Me, Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, and Beverly Hills 90210. Stage productions include the US Premiere of Mark Ravenhill's The Cut, US Premiere of Love and Money, Streetcar Named Desire, Big Love, Small Domestic Acts, 'The Lower Depths', and Sam Shepard's 'Simpatico', which earned him a nomination for the Backstage Garland Award. In 2017, David directed the Hollywood Fringe Festival Award winner, Desert Warrior starring Ross John Gosla. In 2025, he wrote and directed the feature film Hello Alice Bloom with worldwide distribution by Double Yellow Line Films.  With over 30 years of experience in theater and film, David has produced short films, television shows, and feature films, including GET SPY, Lien On Me, The Seed Perfection, Surviving New Year's, The White Room, The Human Project, Killing James, to name a few. David received his MFA from the University of California, Davis, where he also taught courses in acting, directing, and screenwriting. Today, David is a working actor, filmmaker, and theatre creator living in Los Angeles.