Press Release

 

Triad Stage welcomes the big hair and big hearts of Truvy’s hair salon to Downtown Greensboro

NewBridge Bank presents Robert Harling’s Southern treasure, Steel Magnolias, April 10 – May 8, 2011

(Greensboro, NC) —Triad Stage’s 10th Anniversary season continues with a special extended run of Robert Harling’s Steel Magnolias, directed by John Feltch. Many things beside hair get done at Truvy’s hair salon, and that’s why it is the place to go in Chinquapin Parish, Louisiana. Gossip, revelations and witty Southern banter flow like refreshing sweet tea on a hot summer day. The opinionated Truvy and her new assistant, Annelle, play host to unlikely friends Ouiser and Clairee, the respectable and sociable M’Lynn and her beautiful daughter, Shelby. As the women come face to face with difficult times, they are brought together through strength and love. Steel Magnolias runs April 10 through May 8, 2011. Opening Night is Friday, April 15. The production is sponsored by NewBridge Bank.

ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHT
Before launching a successful stage and screenwriting career, Robert Harling graduated from Tulane University School of Law, but instead of taking the bar exam, he opted to become an actor in New York. After years of productive work as an actor in voiceovers and commercials, Harling was inspired to write the highly acclaimed stage play Steel Magnolias, which was based on the relationship between his mother and late sister, who lost her battle with diabetes. The play continues to thrive in theatrical productions throughout the world. Immediately bridging a career from stage to screen, Harling adapted his original play into the popular film of the same title, which starred Sally Field, Julia Roberts, Shirley MacLaine, Olympia Dukakis, Dolly Parton and Daryl Hannah. Over the years, he has become a much sought-after screenwriter. Other writing credits include Soapdish, which was based on his acting experience and starred Sally Field, Whoopi Goldberg and Robert Downey, Jr.; The First Wives Club, starring Bette Midler, Goldie Hawn and Diane Keaton; and Laws of Attraction, starring Pierce Brosnan and Julianne Moore.

ABOUT THE PRODUCTION
One of Triad Stage’s core values is to support Southern writers. There are few playwrights more Southern than Robert Harling, or plays more Southern than Steel Magnolias. As a Southerner by choice, not by birth, the story of six strong women brought together by friendship and heartache intrigued director John Feltch from the beginning. “When [Triad Stage Artistic Director] Preston Lane asked me to direct this play, I felt like I was being given a lifetime supply of chocolate...well, okay, at least a month’s supply!” Feltch last helmed Triad Stage’s 2008 production of Bell, Book and Candle. “The number of plays with great roles for women is shockingly limited,” he continues, “and Steel Magnolias is a prime example of why there should be more.”  However, the show is not without its challenges. “The key to delivering this story in all of its richness, without falling prey to cheap laughs or clichés, is having that story inhabited by six wonderful actresses.”

Feltch brings together an ensemble cast of both new and familiar faces to Triad Stage audiences.  Regional theater favorite, Elizabeth Meadows Rouse, last seen in 2006’s The Matchmaker, is Truvy. Making her Triad Stage debut, Elizabeth May plays Truvy’s new assistant, Annelle. Broadway’s Jill Tanner, also new to Triad Stage, is the staple of Louisiana society, Clairee. Cinny Strickland (Beautiful Star, Providence Gap), is the wise-cracking Ouiser and Beth Ritson (Brother Wolf, Tobacco Road, The Night of the Iguana, Picnic), is the respectable M’Lynn. Finally, Catherine Charlebois, fresh from the national tour of Wicked, makes her Triad Stage debut as Shelby.

The creative team includes: scenic designer Fred Kinney, costume designer Kelsey Hunt, lighting designer Robert Perry and sound designer Kate Brown. The dramaturg is Drew Barker, Christine Morris is the vocal coach, Cindi Rush is the casting director and the stage manager is Bree Sherry.

Biographies of the cast and creative team, and more information on the production can be found online at www.triadstage.org.

PERFORMANCE AND SPECIAL EVENT INFORMATION
Tickets for Preview performances of Steel Magnolias, on April 10, 12, 13 and 14, are all $20 each. From Opening Night, April 15, through the run of the production, single ticket prices range from $10 to $44. Prices vary depending on the day of the week and seat location desired.

All performances are at Triad Stage at The Pyrle Theater, located at 232 South Elm Street in downtown Greensboro, North Carolina (between Market and Washington Streets).

Show times for Steel Magnolias are 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday evenings and 8:00 p.m. on Friday and Saturday evenings. Sunday matinees are at 2:00 p.m. The Tuesday, May 3, performance is sold out.  There is a special 2:00 p.m. matinee on Wednesday, May 4. There are no matinee performances during previews. Pay-What-You-Can performances are Tuesday, April 19, and Wednesday, April 20, at 7:30 p.m. Wine Tasting Friday is April 22, prior to the evening’s 8:00 p.m. performance and is hosted by Stonefield Cellars Winery. A Sign-Interpreted performance is on Tuesday, April 26, at 7:30 p.m., with services provided by the Greensboro Communication Services for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.

Technically Talking,a behind-the-scenes discussion with members of the design team is Tuesday, April 12, immediately following the 7:30 p.m. preview performance. The Technically Talking series is sponsored by Lomax Construction. The InSight Series, the free humanities program that brings a noted speaker to the Triad to discuss the world of the play and its subject matter, will be held on Sunday, April 17, immediately following the 2:00 p.m. matinee performance. PostScript, a lively, open discussion with the cast, will be held on Thursday, April 21, in The UpStage Cabaret immediately following the 7:30 p.m. performance. The PostScript series is sponsored by Locke and Andrew Clifford of Clifford Clendenin & O’Hale, LLP.

ABOUT TRIAD STAGE
Triad Stage is a professional not-for-profit regional theater company based in Greensboro’s downtown historic district. All Triad Stage productions are created in Greensboro using the best of local and national talent. Triad Stage gratefully acknowledges the support of its Season Sponsors: Mitre Agency, the North Carolina Arts Council and the United Arts Council of Greater Greensboro. The starring sponsor for Steel Magnolias is NewBridge Bank, with support from Our State magazine, Moses Cone Health System and Compass Financial Partners.

Triad Stage’s 2010-2011 MainStage Season, its tenth, concludes with Preston Lane’s world premiere adaptation of Ludvig Holberg’s dress up farce, Masquerade (June 5 – 26, 2011). Single tickets are on sale now. Season Passes for the 2011-2012 season go on sale April 4, 2011. The 2010-2011 UpStage Cabaret Season continues with Suzan-Lori Parks’ upside down history, The America Play (April 28 – May 14, 2011). Single tickets for the production are on sale now.

All Triad Stage productions feature the bold acting and breathtaking design that have been nationally recognized by The Wall Street Journal, and by the American Theatre Wing, founder of the Tony Awards®, which named Triad Stage one of the top ten most promising theatres in the country as a recipient of the 2010 National Theatre Company Grant. Triad Stage has also earned accolades including “Best North Carolina Production of 2010” for The Glass Menagerie by Triangle Arts & Entertainment magazine; “One of the Best Regional Theatres in America”, New York’s Drama League; “Best Live Theater”, Go Triad/News & Record and The Rhinoceros Times; and “Professional Theater of the Year”, North Carolina Theatre Conference. 

To purchase tickets or for performance information on Steel Magnolias, call the Triad Stage Box Office at 336.272.0160 or toll-free at 866.579.TIXX (8499), or visit www.triadstage.org.

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