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Steel Magnolias

By Robert Harling

Directed by Peter Hughes.

Poll actors on what shows they most want to do and you'll likely get a wide range of responses. But for women, "Steel Magnolias" by Robert Harling has to be in the Top 10. When the Evergreen Players' held auditions for the show a few months ago, close to 50 women from all over the metro area turned out.

The classic slice-of-life story set in a beauty parlor in Chinquapin, La., features six choice roles, and nobody goes wanting for a great line. The Evergreen Players opens "Steel Magnolias" at Center/Stage in Evergreen on June 30.

For two acts, the audience gets to eavesdrop on the conversations at Truvy's beauty shop. Truvy's is the place in town where women go to let their hair down in more ways than one. They come in to get their nails done and get a touch-up on their psyches at the same time. Of course, gossip flows as freely as the coffee, and through their give-and-take we get to know the six women, the men in their lives and their town as well as if we'd grown up with them. The play may be about all the ways women's lives interconnect, but it's the connection between M'Lynn Eatenton and her daughter, Shelby, that's central. It's their story we live, through triumph and tragedy.

While the characters dish dirt and pecan tassies, they pour their hearts out. But it all comes with ample helpings of humor, too. As Truvy comments late in Act II, "Laughter through tears is my favorite emotion." It's the combination, no doubt, that makes the play so appealing. The dialog is full of gems like Ouiser's "I'm not crazy. I've just been in a very bad mood for 40 years." Or, early on when the phone rings and M'Lynn says, "I'll bet that's for me. It's probably my mind trying to locate my body." There are poignant moments, too, most of them having to do with Shelby who of all the characters most embodies the title of the play in her blend of strength and fragility. It's hers to say, "I would rather have thirty minutes of wonderful than a lifetime of nothing special."

Director's Notes

The Evergreen Players were the first theatre group to hire me after I moved to Denver from Southern California. I had a healthy theatre resume yet no Colorado credits. Most people wanted to see if I would actually stay in Denver and suggested I interview again in a year or so. Kathleen Davis and the Players took a chance on this unknown California transplant. And the rest, as they say, is history. I took the first directing assignment because, frankly, I was hungry to work. Since then, I have continued my friendship with the Players because I believe in their goal to present quality theatre with integrity and ambition. And, because they’re a delightful group to play with.

Steel Magnolias is my seventh show with the Evergreen Players and I am delighted to be directing this production with its talented cast and staff. Steel Magnolias has been in the number one slot on my “Dream List” of shows to direct for 10 years now.

My wish for the Evergreen Players and my request of you, the viewing audience, is to fill the Center/Stage Theatre at every performance of each production. Community theatre, and any theatre, needs an audience to keep it fresh and alive. We theatre people love to play and share our passion through story telling. Little by little the word is spreading “down the hill” that “there is good theatre in Evergreen.” This is the one “best kept secret” we mustn’t keep to ourselves. “Spread the word, and they will come.”

Much thanks and gratitude to my friends at the Evergreen Players!

- Peter Hughes

Cast

Laura DiMinno Truvy

Laura DiMinno earned her BA in Theatre Arts at California State University, Northridge. She loves acting as well as playwriting and has plans to take her play to Broadway. Among the various roles she has played, her most memorable productions were giving birth to her angels, Melanie and Suzy. “Thank you Matt. I love you.”

Jan Hart Clairee

Jan Hart brings Evergreen Players over 40 years of experience in community theatre, both on and off the stage. After retirement from teaching high school and coaching debate/forensics, Jan serves on the Board of Directors for EP and has costumed several shows, including the award winning Haiku. Jan and her husband Gary live with their two dogs, Rusty and Sienna, in Genesee.

Peter Hughes Director

Peter Hughes is directing his fifth production with Evergreen Players. He was last seen as “Lloyd,” the director, in the Players’ Noises Off. Peter also directed Working, the musical, The Lion in Winter, Haiku and All In the Timing for the Players. Peter has worked at Universal Studios Hollywood, Los Angeles Music Center Opera, Summer Repertory Theatre (SRT), The Rep in Arkansas and the New American Theatre. Originally from Southern California, Peter has lived in Denver for five years. “Kathy and M-, this one’s from the heart.”

Lisa Kraai Annelle

Lisa Kraai is excited to be doing her first show with the Evergreen Players, though she is no stranger to the stage. Lisa studied theatre at Northwestern College in Orange City, Iowa. Most of her work has been done in the Littleton area. Favorite credits include A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Nerd, The Dining Room, Eleemosynary and Lover:Winners for which she won a Best Actress Award and got to perform in Heidelberg, Germany.

Lynne Elton Smith M'Lynn

Lynne Elton Smith comes to Evergreen from Michigan, Texas, North Carolina and Delaware, where she has performed and directed professionally and in community theatre. Lynne graduated with a degree in theatre from Eastern Michigan University and taught drama in high school in Texas and in Delaware. She also owned her own gift shop specializing in gifts for music, theatre and dance. For the last two years she has taught an improvisation class at Evergreen High School.

Janis Stephenson Ouiser

Janis Stephenson is a native of Colorado. She began her career in the arts as a dancer with the Colorado Concert Ballet Company. She has also performed with the Denver Opera Foundation, Bonfils Theatre and was a Denver Broncos cheerleader. She is currently a freelance photographer and teaches aqua aerobics. Janis is pleased to be playing the “town curmudgeon, Ouiser Boudreaux.”

Kristin Stork Shelby

Kristin Stork’s favorite theatrical experiences include A Chorus Line (Maggie), Play On (Violet), Rumors (Claire) and Side Show (assistant to music director). Other memorable shows include Dangerous Liaisons (Mme. de Volanges) and Little Shop of Horrors (assistant director). She learned her lines on top of the Flatirons and carries her passport with her every moment, every day. “I’d rather have 30 minutes of wonderful than a lifetime of nothing special.”

Peter Hughes Radio Announcer

Production Crew