DEKALB, IL, May 9, 2024 – Stage Coach Players (SCP) invite you to join them as they visit a small town in Louisiana where all the ladies who are “anybody” come to have their hair done. That place is Truvy’s Beauty Salon, and the play, Robert Harling’s Steel Magnolias. The comedy-drama opens on Thurs., May 23, 2024, and runs for two weekends. It is sponsored by Curated Travel along with Jerry and Annette Johns.
Ryan Washabaugh directs his first play with SCP. Steel Magnolias centers around a group of women who live in a small town in Louisiana. They often meet in the parlor to gossip or seek solace in one another’s company and have grown close over the years. The plot covers events over three years relating to Shelby Eatenton-Latcherie’s Type 1 diabetes, and with how the women cope with their conflicts while remaining friends.
Harling wrote Steel Magnolias based on his experience on the death of his sister in 1985 from diabetic complications after the birth of her son. A writer friend suggested that he write the experience to come to terms with her death. It originally was written as a short story to give his nephew, but soon evolved into a play which was performed Off-Broadway.
The cast for Steel Magnolias includes Barbara Cowan Kolb (Funny Money) as M’Lynn, Katie Feeley (Beauty & the Beast) as Annelle, Lori Lay (Love, Loss, & What I Wore) as Truvy, Donna O’Hagan (Love, Loss, & What I Wore) as Clairee, Blythe Schwaller (Elf) as Shelby, and Paula Tsiagalis (Young Frankenstein) as Ouiser.
Steel Magnolias will warm your hearts as it captures the emotional power of the six women, filled with a combination of vigor and vulnerability in each of them. Lay said she believes the most interesting aspect of the play is how much each of the characters grow and mature throughout the course of the play. “They weather many tough storms together, but one thing remains unshakable: their faith and loyalty to each other.”
Although it opened Off-Broadway in early 1987 at the WPA Theatre in New York City, Steel Magnolias surprisingly never found its way to Broadway until April of 2005, debuting at the Lyceum Theatre and running for 136 performances. However, Steel Magnolias is a staple of community theatre with productions of it being mounted nearly continuously.
Director Ryan Washabaugh, directing his first play with SCP, said that one of the things he likes most is “the plays’ timeless ability to remind audiences of our shared humanity, the fragility of life, and the importance of community and safe spaces.”
As with many people, Feeney finds Steel Magnolias near and dear to her heart. “I hope that audience members are able to connect with and perhaps see a reflection of themselves within these women.” She continued, “Steel Magnolias portrays an array of strong, powerful, and hilarious women, and the show allows for a peak into their lives where the audience sees a plethora of situations that each individual encounters throughout the course of the show.”
Performances for Steel Magnolias are Thurs. – Sat., May 23 – 25, 2024, and Fri. and Sat., May 31 and June 1, 2024 with a curtain time of 7:30 p.m. along with Sunday matinees on May 26 and June 2, 2024, with a curtain time of 2 p.m. Tickets are $17 each or $15 for seniors and children aged 13 and under. Tickets are currently on sale through the box office phone at 815-758-1940. To purchase tickets, visit our online website at www.stagecoachplayers.com. You can also call the SCP box office at 815-758-1940. The box office will open Sunday, May 19, 2024.
