ROCK HILL, SOUTH CAROLINA – Come out from under the dryers and paint those nails for
a night out when “Steel Magnolias” comes to Winthrop University’s Johnson Studio Theatre
Wednesday-Sunday, Nov. 1-5. Show times are 8 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday with
a 2 p.m. matinee on Sunday.
“Steel Magnolias,” the basis for the Oscar-nominated film, is the bittersweet story of six women who gather under the dryers at Truvy’s Beauty Salon to share gossip, laughter, recipes and beauty secrets in a small Southern town. When tragedy strikes, they face it with sass and strength, supporting each other through thick and thin. By turns hilarious and poignant, “Steel Magnolias” is a heart-warming portrait of friendship and love.
This student-directed piece includes Kristi Swiger (Genoa, Illinois) as Truvy Jones; Joy White (Irmo, South Carolina) as Annelle Dupuy; Madeline Penn (Myrtle Beach, South Carolina) as Shelby Eatenton; Hailee Beltzhoover (Irmo, South Carolina) as Ouiser Boudreaux; Caitlyn Brown (Charleston, South Carolina) as Clairee Belcher; and Ericka Meliszewki (Florence, South Carolina) as M’Lynn Eatenton.
Director Sydney Taie (Goose Creek, South Carolina) has been a fan of “Steel Magnolias” her entire life and chose the play because of her desire to give more female actors a chance to star on stage. In addition to the cast, the crew is entirely made up of female students.
“I really like that the play is all women because I wanted to show female empowerment and give actors a chance to do something they might not have had the chance to do otherwise,” Taie said.
This is Taie’s first time directing a full-length production on stage. Though she began as an actor at Winthrop, Taie has enjoyed taking on the behind-the-scenes roles, but says that directing her peers presents its own set of challenges.
“Being the same age as the actors, I have to step into a different role in the room, since we’re friends off-stage,” Taie said.
Tickets are $5 with a Winthrop ID or $10 for the general public for the Wednesday and Thursday shows and $8 with a Winthrop ID or $15 for the general public Friday through Sunday. Tickets can be purchased online or at the Department of Theatre and Dance Box Office one hour prior to show time or 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday-Friday beginning Oct. 2. Free parking is available in the parking lot between Johnson Hall and Alumni Drive.
For more information, contact Whitney Hough, director of communications and community engagement for the College of Visual and Performing Arts, at 803/323-2399 or houghw@winthrop.edu, or visit the website at www.winthrop.edu/arts.
