Auditions for Steel Magnolias by Robert Harling, City Theatre, September 15 & 16, 2013

STEEL MAGNOLIAS Auditions on September 15 and 16 at the City Theatre. 3823 Airport Blvd. Suite D. Austin, TX 78722
Directed by City Theatre Artistic Director Andy Berkovsky
Times: Sunday, September 15, 12:30 – 3:30 p.m.Monday,
September 16, 6 – 10 p.m. Ten minute slots by appointment.

Show dates: November 22 – December 22.
Thanksgiving show dates are tentative with rehearsals beginning end of September. Casting all roles. If you are not able to make this audition time, please let us know.

Fall in love with the ladies of Steel Magnolias all over again! Robert Harling’s wisecracking and wise southern hit comedy serving up life, love and laughter that’s as warm and comforting as sweet potato pie. In the haven of Truvy’s beauty salon, six women come together to share secrets, gossip and bare their souls learning to embrace themselves and the future with all its uncertainties. From weddings to divorces, babies to funerals, new beginnings to happy endings, they weather every event with grace, determination and perfectly coiffed hair.

Bring headshot, resume and a one minute prepared monologue. Scenes will also be performed if needed. Call 512-524-2870 or info@citytheatreaustin.org to set up an appt.

STEEL
MAGNOLIASAuditions When: September 15 and 16.

Where: The City Theatre. 3823 Airport Blvd. Suite D. Austin, TX 78722
Time: Sunday, September 15, 12:30 – 3:30 p.m. Monday,
September 16, 6 – 10 p.m. Ten minute slots by appointment.

Show dates: November 22 – December 22. Thanksgiving show dates are
tentative with rehearsals beginning end of September. Casting all roles. If
you are not able to make this audition time, please let us know.
Directed by City Theatre Artistic Director Andy Berkovsky

Fall in love with the ladies of Steel Magnolias all over again! Robert Harling’s
wisecracking and wise southern hit comedy serving up life, love and laughter
that’s as warm and comforting as sweet potato pie. In the haven of Truvy’s
beauty salon, six women come together to share secrets, gossip and bare
their souls learning to embrace themselves and the future with all its
uncertainties. From weddings to divorces, babies to funerals, new
beginnings to happy endings, they weather every event with grace,
determination and perfectly coiffed hair.

Bring headshot, resume and a one minute prepared monologue.
Scenes will also be performed if needed.
512-524-2870 or info@citytheatreaustin.org to set up an appt.

Upcoming: STEEL MAGNOLIAS by Robert Harling, Un-named Theatre Project dinner theatre in Georgetown, October 18 - 20

THE UNNAMED THEATRE PROJECT

presents its inaugural season of Georgetown dinner theatre

Steel Magnolias

by Robert Harling

October 18-20, 2012

Lockett Banquet Room inside Burger University - 119 W.7th Street, Georgetown, TX 78626

Opening the Inaugural Season, celebrating its 25th anniversary is the modern classic, Steel Magnolias, written by Robert Harling. Steel Magnolias is directed by Olin Meadows who directed the show in early 2011 to a sold out run, and Austin favorite Matthew Charles Burnett (Cabaret, The Producers, Into the Woods, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels). Adding to the cast and crew is returning actresses Cathie Sheridan, Cici Barone, Megan Henderson and Joan Baker, with Trina Sherman and Mary Kennelly joining to round out the cast.

Tickets for the Un-Named Theatre Project‘s presentations of The Georgetown Dinner Theatre will be $30.00 which includes both the Dinner and the Performance. Table Reservations are available as well as Season Tickets at the low price of $120.00 includes five tickets for the year to use at any performance of your choice. You may use your five tickets as best seats your needs: 1 seat for each show, or multiple seats for different shows. Patrons can purchase tickets by mailing unnamedtheatreproject@gmail.com or by calling 512-468-0610. The Un-Named Theatre Project also has a Facebook page so please look for us and “like” us to stay up to date on all of the upcoming events the Un-Named Theatre Project has planned.

The Un-Named Theatre Project, Austin’s newest theatre venture, founded by Austin theatre veterans Olin Meadows, Cathie Sheridan, Matthew Charles Burnett and many others, is pleased to announce the inaugural season of the Georgetown Dinner Theatre. The Georgetown Dinner Theatre will be an interactive dining and entertainment experience, which the greater Austin area has been missing for quite some time. Being held in the historic Lockett building on the Georgetown “Square”, the building sets the mood from the moment patrons walk in the door then comes the scrumptious meal provided by Chef Alan Grimsley of Burger University, followed by the top notch theatre produced by the Un-Named Theatre Project and their talented actors. The Un-Named Theatre Project, heralded by Artistic Director Olin Meadows, is producing a full season of plays and musical performances that will please everyone.

Following Steel Magnolias, The Un-Named Theatre Project will be producing a Christmas Musical Revue, starting out 2013 will be The Trip to Bountiful” , followed by “The World Goes Round” which features the Music of Kander and Ebb, then closing out the season is “The Oldest Profession”, a racy adult comedy about turning a buck in a rough economy. Plan to be thrilled and excited by the new and exciting season of theatre that The Un-Named Theatre Project has planned, and be prepared for some exciting surprise events as well.

Tickets for the Un-Named Theatre Project‘s presentations of The Georgetown Dinner Theatre will be $30.00 which includes both the Dinner and the Performance. Table Reservations are available as well as Season Tickets at the low price of $120.00 includes five tickets for the year to use at any performance of your choice. You may use your five tickets as best seats your needs: 1 seat for each show, or multiple seats for different shows. Patrons can purchase tickets by mailing unnamedtheatreproject@gmail.com or by calling 512-468-0610. The Un-Named Theatre Project also has a Facebook page so please look for us and “like” us to stay up to date on all of the upcoming events the Un-Named Theatre Project has planned.

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Auditions in Georgetown for Steel Magnolias, Unnamed Theatre Project, August 27

Auditions by the Un-named Theatre Project on Monday, August 27, 2012, 7:00pm. (***Audition Date Subject to Change***) for a dinner theatre presentation of Steel Magnolias by Robert Harling, at The Lockett Banquet Room inside of Burger University, 119 W. 7th Street, Georgetown (click for map). Production to be directed by Olin Meadows and Matthew Charles Burnett. Show Dates October 18-20.

Please bring a resume and headshot and be prepared to perform a cold reading from the script. Any Questions or Comments Can be emailed to unnamedtheatreproject@gmail.com

Upcoming: Steel Magnolias, Hill Country Community Theatre near Marble Falls, April 14 - 24

Received directly:

a

HCCT announces cast for

Steel Magnolias

April 14-24

Thursday through Saturday, April 14 - 16, 7:30 p.m., with a 2:15 p.m. matinee on Sunday, April 17

Monday through Wednesday, April 18 - 20, 7:30 p.m., with a 3 p.m. matinee on Sunday, April 24

2003 W. FM 2147 in Cottonwood Shores

An ensemble of seven area women have been cast for the six roles in Steel Magnolias, the comedy-drama of parenting, sacrifice and friendship set to open at the Hill Country Community Theatre April 14.

Often described as the funniest production to ever make you cry, the play portrays the women who frequent Truvy's Beauty Salon in fictional Chinquapin Parish, LA,　a cozy place where ‘all ladies who are anybody go to have their hair done.’

The cast is comprised of four seasoned actresses and three newcomers to the HCCT stage.

Returning to the HCCT stage are Laura Braden as Truvy, the clever, sassy salon owner; Francie Dix as Clairee, the wealthy, wise-cracking widow; Lee Alvey as M’Lynn, a mental health worker and the mother of the bride; and veteran actress Ronda Dale Kirk as the crusty Ouiser, the neighbor with a biting attitude and barking dog.

Cast members who are HCCT newcomers are Amanda Rose as Annelle, the naïve beauty college graduate with a secret; Jordan Baker as Shelby, a neo-natal nurse on the verge of marriage with visions of parenting; and Gloria Sopel, who is sharing the role of M’Lynn with Lee Alvey and also assisting with stage managing.

Auditions for Steel Magnolias, Hill Country Community Theatre, Marble Falls, February 28 - March 1

Received directly:

in Cottonwood Shores, near Marble Falls,is holding auditions for

Steel Magnolias

by Robert Harling

February 28 and March 1 at 7 p.m.

Cast of six women. Auditions both evenings at the theatre, 2003 W. FM 2147 (click for map)

Steel Magnolias will run April 14 - 24.

For more information, call 830-693-4447.

Images by Ron Abrams: Steel Magnolias, Renaissance Guild, San Antonio

Images by Abrams Photography for

Steel Magnolias

by Robert Harling

Directed by Antoinette Winstead

February 4-20, 2011

Friday & Saturday evening shows at 8:00 PM, Sunday matinees 4:00 pm

Little Carver Civic Center, 226 N. Hackberry, San Antonio, 78202 (click for map)

Tickets are $21 - Click here to purchase or call ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000

Discounts for Seniors, Military, and Students $17 ( ID required); SATCO and ATAC $16 ( ID required)

For more information contact (210) 656-0349 or visit www.therenaissanceguild.org

Click to view additional images at AustinLiveTheatre.com. . . .

Steel Magnolias, Sam Bass Community Theatre, Round Rock, January 27 - February 19

At one point in Robert Harling's mischievous script for Steel Magnolias, set in Truvy's beauty shop in Chinquapin, Louisiana, tidily turned out Clairee Beltcher responds when the newly hired perm-and-trim assistant Annelle worries that one of the husbands might intrude into that women's world. "Oh, those men wouldn't ever come in here," she says. "They're afraid that we might be running around nekkid or something."

Harling's 1987 play and the 1989 film of succeed exactly because of that. These simple, charming women are sweet and frank with one another, emotionally naked and not the least ashamed of it.

Steel Magnolias is a story with a powerful attraction, one that transcends the merely "chick flic" aspect of it. It's a story of friendship and binding over the long term. No wonder that this play is so frequently produced in community theatre. I first saw it at Way Off Broadway Community Players in Leander in January 2009, then again a few months later at the Trinity Street Players of First Baptist Church. I was out of town when the City Theatre did it this past December. Sam Bass has this appealing production running until February 19, the Renaissance Guild in San Antonio stages an African-American edition for three weekends starting on Friday, February 4, and the Hill Country Community Theatre near Marble Falls holds auditions late this month for an April production.

It's popular with audiences because they know the story and they can't resist the story of the fragile young Shelby surrounded by those funny and affectionate older women. Almost everyone loves a good cry -- 'cepting maybe the caricatured Louisiana men who never look inside the beauty shop.

Read more at AustinLiveTheatre.com . . . .

Images from Sam Bass Community Theatre: Steel Magnolias, January 28 - February 14

Images received directly from the Sam Bass Community Theatre:

Sam Bass Community Theatre, Round Rock, presents

Steel Magnolias

by Robert Harling

directed by Olin Meadows

January 28 - February 19, 2010

600 Lee Street, Round Rock (click for map)

Sam Bass Theatre of Round Rock is pleased to announce its first production of 2011, STEEL MAGNOLIAS, written by Robert Harling and directed by Olin Meadows. Come join us as we take you take you back to the 1980's in the heart of Louisiana to Chinquapin Parish and meet the colorful and vibrant ladies of this small southern town.

This show is sure to be a hit, with Joan Baker as Claree Belcher, the former First Lady of Chinquapin, along with Veronica "Ronni" Prior as Ouiser Boudreax, the crotchety but lovable old crow of the town, followed up by Alicia "Cici" Barone and Kat Connor, doubling in the role of Shelby Eatenton Latcherie, the prettiest girl in town and the conductor of this roller coaster ride of emotions, aided by her mother, M'Lynn Eatenton, played by Cathie Sheridan. And featuring Meagan Henderson as Annelle Dupuy, the young budding beautician and her mentor Truvy Jones, played by Edie Elkjer, the proprietor of Truvy's Beauty shop where all the action happens in this rollercoaster of fun, laughter, tears and heartwarming moments.

Director Olin Meadows has directed many productions across the state of Texas and is best known for his creation of Saffire T. Stone one of the top female impersonators in the state of Texas, as well as Sam Bass Theatre's annual "Evening Under the Stars," staged every New Year's Eve as a fundraiser for local arts in Round Rock.

Click to view additional images at AustinLiveTheatre.com. . . .

Upcoming: Steel Magnolias, Renaissance Guild, San Antonio, February 4 - 20

Found on-line:

Continues its 10th season with

Steel Magnolias

By Robert Harling
Directed by Antoinette Winstead

February 4-20, 2011

Friday & Saturday evening shows at 8:00 PM, Sunday matinees 4:00 pm

Little Carver Civic Center, 226 N. Hackberry, San Antonio, 78202 (click for map)

Tickets are $21 - Click here to purchase or call ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000

Discounts for Seniors, Military, and Students $17 ( ID required); SATCO and ATAC $16 ( ID required)

For more information contact (210) 656-0349 or visit www.therenaissanceguild.org

The story is set in a small-town beauty shop near New Orleans, and spans several years in the lives of the shop’s owner, Truvy, and some women who regularly gather there. The drama begins on the morning of Shelby’s wedding to Jackson and covers events over the next few years, including Shelby’sdecision to have a child despite her illness and the complications that follow. Filled with humor and heartbreak, these “Steel Magnolias” will make you laugh and cry as the realities of their lives unfold.

Read more and view additional images at AustinLiveTheatre.com . . . .

Upcoming: Steel Magnolias, Sam Bass Community Theatre, Round Rock, January 28 - February 14

Received directly:

Sam Bass Theatre, Round Rock, presents

Steel Magnolias

Written by Robert Harling

Directed by Olin Meadows

January 28 - February 19, 2010
Sam Bass Community Theatre, 600 Lee Street, Round Rock

Sam Bass Theatre of Round Rock is pleased to announce its first production of 2011, STEEL MAGNOLIAS, Written by Robert Harling, and Directed by Olin Meadows. This production features some of the top actresses of the Austin area. Come join us as we take you take you back to the 1980's in the heart of Louisiana to Chinquapin Parish and meet the colorful and vibrant ladies of this small southern town.

This show is sure to be a hit, with Joan Baker as Claree Belcher, the former First Lady of Chinquapin, along with Veronica "Ronni" Prior as Ouiser Boudreax, the crotchety but lovable old crow of the town, followed up by Alicia "Cici" Barone and Kat Connor, doubling in the role of Shelby Eatenton Latcherie, the prettiest girl in town and the conductor of this roller coaster ride of emotions, aided by her mother, M'Lynn Eatenton, played by Cathie Sheridan. And featuring Meagan Henderson as Annelle Dupuy, the young budding beautician and her mentor Truvy Jones, played by Edie Elkjer, the proprietor of Truvy's Beauty shop where all the action happens in this rollercoaster of fun, laughter, tears and heartwarming moments.

Director Olin Meadows has directed many productions across the state of Texas and is best known for his creation of Saffire T. Stone one of the top female impersonators in the state of Texas, as well as Sam Bass Theatre's annual "Evening Under the Stars," staged every New Year's Eve as a fundraiser for local arts in Round Rock. Additionally, his productions of "The Dames of Deception" and his "Legendary" drag brunch have garnered waves of critical acclaim, and brought joy to audiences across the state. Stay tuned for future productions featuring an array of colorful characters and thought provoking stories from this young and innovative director.

This show is sure to be a favorite that you will want to return to again and again, so get your tickets now before they are gone. The production will run for fourteen shows, opening January 28, 2011 running Thursdays through Saturdays at 8pm with Sunday matinees at 2:00pm until February 19th, 2011. Tickets are fifteen dollars for general admission and thirteen dollars for students and seniors, with special Thursday night prices of ten dollars, A perfect Valentine gift for that special some one!

Upcoming: Steel Magnolias, City Theatre, November 18 - December 19

Received directly:

Ring in the holidays with Robert Harling’s

wise-cracking and wise Southern comedy hit

STEEL MAGNOLIAS

November 18 - December 19

Thursdays - Saturdays at 8 p.m., Sundays at 5:30 p.m.

No performances Thanksgiving weekend

City Theatre, 3823 Airport Blvd (behind the Shell station)

Reservations 512-524-2870 or info@citytheatreaustin.org

Tickets $15 - $20. Guaranteed Front/2^nd Row Reserved $25. Students $12. Group discounts are available. Thursday all seats $10. Visit our website www.citytheatreaustin.org

The City Theatre is proud to present the opening of its 2010 – 2011 season with the holiday production of Robert Harling’s funny and moving comedy gem, Steel Magnolias. Directed by Barry Pineo, performances begin November 18 and run through December 19 at The City Theatre.

“If you can’t find anything good to say about anybody, come sit by me.”

These words of wisdom sum up Harling’s 1987 off-Broadway sensation and subsequent smash film Steel Magnolias. Set in a beauty parlor in Chinquapin, Louisiana, the hit comedy illustrates how the lives of six distinctly different women interweave via the small town gossip that shadows the unending cycle of life, love and laughter. The outspoken, wise-cracking Truvy dispenses shampoos and free advice to the shy yet determined Annelle and to the curmudgeonly Ouiser ("I'm not crazy, I've just been in a bad mood for forty years"), the eccentric yet sensible Miss Clairee, and the respected and admired M'Lynn and her daughter Shelby, the prettiest girl in town. Filled with hilarious Southern repartee and humorously revealing verbal collisions, the play draws on the town’s underlying strength – and love – that gives the story and the characters, the special qualities to make them truly touching, funny and marvelously amiable company, in good times and in bad.

Read more at AustinLiveTheatre.com . . .

Steel Magnolias, Trinity Street Players at First Baptist Church, July 31 - August 9

I was invited this past weekend to attend the closing performance of Steel Magnolias, produced at the First Baptist Church, 901 Trinity Street, by the aptly named Trinity Street Players.

The audience filled the black box theatre, a converted space on the upper floor of the church, in which banks of raised seating stood on three sides of the rectangular playing space.

Both the venue and the disposition of the stage brought to mind one of the essays in UT philosopher Paul Woodruff's book last year, The Necessity of Theatre: The Art of Watching and Being Watched (Oxford/New York: Oxford University Press, 2007). After thirty years of work, like me, he returned to an early passion for the theatre. "Instead of writing about Aristotle," he comments in the introduction, "I have written a kind of poetics of my own."

Read more at AustinLiveTheatre.com . . . .

Upcoming: Steel Magnolias, Trinity Street Players at First Baptist Church, August 1 - 9

Click for ALT review, August 13




Noted in the Statesman's XL listings and then located on-line:

Trinity Street Players
present

Steel Magnolias

Friday, July 31 - Sunday, August 9, 2009

First Baptist Church Black Box Theater
901 Trinity Street,Austin, TX
View Google map

Reserve your FREE tickets now to see Steel Magnolias in FBC's Blackbox Theater! Written by Robert Harling but based on the true story of a small town, Steel Magnolias is a heart-warming play full of laughter tears and great eighties hair-dos!

Directed by Cathy Jones and assisted by David McCullars Steel Magnolias stars Ann Pittman, Mary Jane Smith, Julie Latimer-Spears, Elspeth Silva, Arleigh DeLeon and Linda Miller Raff.

Shows are almost completely sold out so we've added a Thursday night performance Aug. 6th! Call 476-2625 or 913-7636 to reserve your tickets for July 31, Aug 1, 6, 7, 8 at 8pm or Sundays Aug 2, 9 at 2:30pm!

Steel Magnolias, Way Off Broadway Community Players, Leander, January 16 - 31

Leander's community theatre, the waggishly named Way Off Broadway Community Players, is located on Crystal Falls Parkway, which is an unlit country road between 183a and Parmer Lane. I almost missed it, and I did indeed miss the entrance, as did a car directly behind me. We decided not to chance the cross-lawn route and instead maneuvered back around to the driveway.

The Players had a full house for the second night of their three-weekend run of Steel Magnolias. I suspect that I was the only person in that audience who didn't know the story, since the 1989 movie with the all-star cast came out while I was on assignment outside the United States.

It's a gentle story, played out on a single set, Truvy's beauty salon in the depths of Louisiana. Steel Magnolias follows six women over three years -- a collection of matter-of-fact southern eccentrics, including a mother and daughter. The daughter, Shelby, is an attractive blonde young woman who is revealed to be suffering from Type I diabetes. In scene 1 she is preparing for her wedding; in scene 2 Shelby announces to her mother that she's pregnant; in scene 3 she has is a happy young mother but her kidneys are failing and her mom has volunteered to donate a kidney; and in scene 4 we learn that Shelby has died suddenly following failure of the transplant. That plot line is brutal, the stuff of tear-jerkers.

But you knew all that. Perhaps you didn't know that in fact, actor Robert Harling began writing short stories and then this script as a therapeutic exercise after his older sister died of just such complications.

Rather than dwelling on the morbidly inevitable outcome, Harling created a piece that celebrates friendship and authenticity. These women know each other well and they are very forgiving. It's a piece about the female community that thrives in that beauty shop, off limits to men.One never sees any men in this piece, and the gentle jabs at southern masculinity are of the feminine "I just can't believe that he does that!" variety.

Erin Mwalwanda plays Shelby as positive and decisive, a young woman entering her own pink dream of marriage and motherhood. Yes, she has differences with her protective mother, M'Lynn (the patient, lip-biting Kim Rubin), but she will not be deterred. There's not a trace of pathos here, as long as she is present in the story.









Lissa Satterfield as Truvy is the unflappable hostess to all her friends. She presides over the rituals of hair (with the help of some impressive wigs, provided by theatre supporter Pat Painter). In the opening scene Truvy herself is in the chair, trying out the skills of a young woman seeking a job.





Truvy's decision to hire Annelle might have been an act of charity, but it provides opportunity and safe haven for a lost and intensely unhappy young woman. Under the protection of the female friends at Truvy's, Katherine Sheppard transforms from the severe, frightened haircutter (before) into a happy, self confident party girl (after). Annelle then finds companionship and support in an evangelical Christian group, a development that the other women understand and tolerate.


My favorites in this piece were the two women who completed the ensemble: Sandie Bush as the moneyed widow of the town mayor (left) and Shelley Kelley as grouch Ouiser Boudreaux (right). These two are often in the background of the action -- here, quite literally, as they sit at deep upstage center. Sandie Bush is adorably attentive at every moment of the action, even when she is relegated to the outskirts, and she has fun when the women talk her into buying the local radio station. Shelley Kelley has great presence and she makes the most of her grumpy remarks. Her exasperation is that of a highly intelligent woman who finds herself given a smorgasbord of disappointments. Kelley is comic but at the same time very appealing.

Director Lynda Davidson moves her characters smoothly about the stage and they keep the audience laughing. Only in scene 4 is there a disquieting break in the rhythm -- the scene runs very slowly, almost apprehensively, until grieving mother M'Lynn finally arrives in the circle of friends. This scene makes huge demands on M'Lynn, who must first appear collected, then must relate to all of us the unexpected catastrophe, rage and weep, react in surprise, and then achieve tearful equanimity. The plot demands that transformation, essentially concentrating the whole process of shock, grieving and tentative reconciliation into about ten minutes on-stage time. Kim Rubin plays the sequence with great conviction. She breaks entirely through the surfaces of the worried, contained M'Lynn and takes that previously steady woman character into previously unglimpsed territory.

So why would we go to see such a drama? One where we know the story and we know that Bad Things are going to happen to Good People?

Probably as a celebration of community. Gathering in a community theatre to share that amusement, experience, grief and catharsis reaffirms us. Looking into the eyes of hopeful Shelby, worried M'Lynn, grouchy Ouiser and others, and seeing ourselves and the community around us.

As a friend commented to me this morning, "You could probably reach into that audience and pull out those same personalities." Thanks to the entirely voluntary efforts of groups like the Way Off Broadway Community Players, the audience has exactly that privilege.