‘Steel Magnolias’ debuts in the Campus Black Box Theatre before its two-week run

Lizzie Spratt as Truvy and Gabrielle Byndloss as Shelby have been preparing for the play with the rest of the cast since August.

When learning that Robert Harling’s production of “Steel Magnolias” was to be put on at GCSU, those receiving the news had one of two reactions: either they had never seen the movie and therefore did not know what to expect, or they were familiar with the film and immediately became thrilled.

Directed by Iona Pendergast and stage managed by Stacey Silverman, this classic tale of several strong-willed and charismatic Southern women will be the perfect addition to this year’s theme of “A Southern Celebration: Welcome Home.”

The six student-actresses who are portraying these Southern belles are Hannah Schumacher as M’Lynn, Gabrielle Byndloss as Shelby, Lizzie Spratt as Truvy, Erin Borain as Annelle, Erin Williams as Clairee and Lauren Adel as Ouiser.

Junior pre-nursing major Aly Roxburgh is extremely excited to see this performance.

“I can’t wait to see GCSU’s adaptation of the film…Ouiser is by far my favorite character, and I’m looking forward to seeing how she is portrayed,” Roxburgh said.

The cast was chosen in August and immediately began rehearsing. These rehearsals were held every weeknight from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., as well as extensive

From left, Ouiser (played by Lauren Adel), Truvy, Clairee, Annelle (played by Erin Borain) and Shelby discuss gossip and tomatoes.

weekend rehearsals sometimes lasting up to 12 hours.

This will be the third show that Pendergast and Silverman have put on together, and they are both delighted to be working with a familiar face. The tedious and lengthy job of putting on a production together is much easier and much more comfortable when members of staff and cast are well-acquainted.

“Steel Magnolias” was the first show to hold auditions this semester, and for a significant and specific reason. Pendergast wanted the girls to have ample time to get to know one another so that the characters they play could have a noticeably deeper and more meaningful relationship, just as they do in the story. She also requested that the girls not watch the film prior to the show after being chosen for their roles; a couple of the actresses, in fact, have never even seen the movie before.

“Iona wanted the women to be characters, not caricatures,” Silverman said.

Pendergast said she wanted the actresses to think of the character in the story they were playing, instead of the actress who played that role in the movie.

“Being Clairee is really fun because I feel that she is very similar to me. We are both sarcastic, but very caring,” senior theater major Erin Williams said. “It’s also a lot of fun playing someone three times my age.”

From left, Erin Williams as Clairee, Gabrielle Byndloss as Shelby, Hannah Schumacher as M’Lynn and Lizzie Spratt as Truvy in a scene where diabetic Shelby has a reaction to having too much insulin. M’Lynn, Shelby’s mother, rushes to get her apple juice to raise her blood sugar.

Due to its popularity and recognition as a production which falls in the Southern genre of performing arts, a large turn-out of Milledgeville locals is expected. There have been posters put up in various locations, radio announcements and ticket give-away opportunities, as well as table tents in the dining hall in effort to promote this play.

The performances will began on Nov. 9 following a gala to celebrate the opening on the Black Box theatre. Guests in attendance of the gala were members of the theatre department, donors and President Dr. Dorothy Leland. It was a black-tie event featuring white roses, wine and refreshments to celebrate. During the gala, Karen Berman, chair of the theatre department welcomed the attendants to the event, encouraged donations to the department and thanked members of the attendants as well as involved faculty. Leland also took the mic and claimed to appreciate the theatre department’s progress.

“It has gotten better every single year.” said Leland.

There will be 12 individual showings in all, being held on every day except for Nov. 15.

There are only 156 seats in the Black Box Theatre, so it is highly recommended that tickets be purchased in advance. Tickets are available online at www.gcsutickets.com or at the Campus Theatre during the day. The doors will open at 7:30 p.m. and will close at exactly 8 p.m.

Posted by KateRamsey on Nov 11 2010. Filed under Features, Lead stories. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.