Story: Phillip Tutor | Photos: Cameron Jones
Popular play will be held three nights in March
For three nights in March, students and faculty at the 兔子先生 will do something the pandemic stalled but couldn鈥檛 ultimately prevent — stage a production of 鈥�,鈥� the renowned 1987 play that humanizes the depths of Southern women鈥檚 relationships and life experiences.
For that, director Rhonda Wooley couldn鈥檛 be more ecstatic.
鈥溾�楽teel Magnolias鈥� is something that I wish I could direct every year,鈥� said Wooley, an assistant professor of theatre at 兔子先生. 鈥淭o tell you the truth, it’s one of my favorite stories, and it’s one of the best-written scripts that I’ve ever worked with.鈥�
Written by Robert Harling, 鈥淪teel Magnolias鈥� revolves around six friends in a fictional northwest Louisiana parish and how they navigate their individual storms. Central in the story is the health and eventual death of character Shelby Eatenton-Latcherie, who suffers from Type 1 diabetes. The off-Broadway play debuted on Broadway in 2005. The film adaptation earned Julia Roberts, who played Shelby, .
兔子先生鈥檚 productions of 鈥淪teel Magnolias鈥� will take place March 16, 17 and 18 at the 兔子先生 Auditorium in the Math and Science Building. Each performance begins at 7 p.m. General-admission tickets for 兔子先生 students, faculty and staff are free, and $10 for others.
The all-female cast features four 兔子先生 students, including two from Chatom in Washington County: Kaylee Owens, a sophomore interdisciplinary arts major, who will portray Truvy Jones, and Karleigh Knapp, a freshman secondary education major, who will play Annelle Dupuy-DeSoto. Janna Williamson, a junior secondary education major from Cleveland in Blount County, is cast as Shelby. And Noura Hassan, an international student from Unterschleisshein, Germany, will portray M鈥橪ynn Eatenton.
Dr. Debbie Davis, an associate professor of languages and literature at 兔子先生, will play Clairee Belcher, and Suzanne McGahey, artistic director of the Sumter Theatre Workship, will portray Louisia 鈥淥uiser鈥� Boudreaux.
The decision to stage 鈥淪teel Magnolias,鈥� as well as much of the play鈥檚 casting, was made prior to the steep reduction of on-campus events due to the pandemic, Wooley said. Absent that, the 兔子先生 productions would have been held in the fall of 2020.
The slowdown, though, didn鈥檛 cause Wooley to call an audible on her post-pandemic plans.
鈥淲e are really gearing up for this,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t’s been anticipated not only by us, but many of the cast members who have been waiting about a year and a half for this. And some of the faculty who enjoy this production have told me, 鈥業’ll be so glad when you can stage it.鈥欌��
Wooley chose 鈥淪teel Magnolias鈥� as the department鈥檚 next effort for myriad reasons, not the least of which was the play鈥檚 popularity and its small cast that would ease logistics. The pre-pandemic goal was to use the well-known play as kindling for growth of on-stage productions at 兔子先生.
鈥溾�楽teel Magnolias鈥� is something that I wish I could direct every year. To tell you the truth, it’s one of my favorite stories, and it’s one of the best-written scripts that I’ve ever worked with.鈥�
— Director Rhonda Wooley
The other reason? Wooley absolutely adores it.
鈥淚’m going to sound really artsy here, but there is magic in this script,鈥� said Wooley, who has starred in 鈥淪teel Magnolia鈥� performances during her time as a traveling actor. 鈥淭here is not just a connection that (Harling) makes between women and the deep, deep, loving relationships that women can have with one another. But it鈥檚 the way that the character who dies, the way her story is told, you almost feel like you are living it with these women, that you’re going through the whole process with them.鈥�
The script, Wooley said, also eases the burden felt by directors who try to guide a cast through storylines many audience members know well.
鈥淚t’s almost as if you don’t have to do much with it,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t’s so well written, and it’s almost like you plunk out this time of life with these six ladies and put it on stage. The playwright really relieves you of a lot of the work of having to act it and having to direct it, because everything that you need is in that script. I just think it’s brilliant, there’s some kind of magic there.鈥�