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Independence, MO —
When Courtney Bogert walked into the auditions for Truman high School’s production of “Steel Magnolias,” she came prepared to play the part of Truvy’s new assistant, Annelle.
“I loved Daryl Hannah’s interpretation of Annelle so much that I came into the audition with the glasses, hunched back and played the character super shy,” said the Truman sophomore. “But then I realized that she had so much more depth than that shy, backwoods girl. I wanted to bring myself to the part, which I think is what we all did.”
“Steel Magnolias” is a comedy-drama set in Chinquapin, La. It centers around a beauty shop where six women discuss their relationships, pasts and futures. The play spawned a 1989 movie starring Julia Roberts, Sally Field, Shirley MacLaine, Olympia Dukakis and Dolly Parton along with Hannah. The play is being presented on the stage with members of the audience surrounding the set.
“Steel Magnolias” is 7 p.m. today, Thursday, Friday and Saturday at the high school. Admission is $6 in advance and $7 at the door. Because audience members are on stage, seating is limited to 120 per performance.
“I have never done this play before and ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ was very male heavy. This gave our actresses more of an opportunity,” director Ron Meyer said. “The girls are really doing excellent. It is tough sometimes, with all six of them on stage, but they are doing a really good job.”
Senior Olivia Heacock plays Shelby, the emotional center of the story. Heacock said what makes this play different is that it is set in a beauty shop with the six women talking to each other. She said it was also a challenge to play a character with diabetes since she does not have experience with the disease herself.
“It has been difficult, but also really interesting as I have been doing the research. I want to make it as genuine as possible and convey those emotions to the audience,” she said. “With just the six of us, we really have to trust each other and rely on one another. You can find these characters everywhere you look, so we really want to make our characters believable.”
Senior Erin Waterhouse plays M’Lynn, Shelby’s mother. Waterhouse said while all of the girls watched portions of the movie as a way to study their roles, she said it was just as important to create their own character.
“I think the audience will be surprised at how different the play is from the movie. In the play, everything happens at the beauty shop, but spans a few years. There are also no boys in the cast,” she said. “Sure, I watched the movie as a basis as to who this person was and to study how she would respond to certain situations, but I wanted to make this role my own. We don’t want the audience to see us as the movie.”
When Courtney Bogert walked into the auditions for Truman high School’s production of “Steel Magnolias,” she came prepared to play the part of Truvy’s new assistant, Annelle.
“I loved Daryl Hannah’s interpretation of Annelle so much that I came into the audition with the glasses, hunched back and played the character super shy,” said the Truman sophomore. “But then I realized that she had so much more depth than that shy, backwoods girl. I wanted to bring myself to the part, which I think is what we all did.”
“Steel Magnolias” is a comedy-drama set in Chinquapin, La. It centers around a beauty shop where six women discuss their relationships, pasts and futures. The play spawned a 1989 movie starring Julia Roberts, Sally Field, Shirley MacLaine, Olympia Dukakis and Dolly Parton along with Hannah. The play is being presented on the stage with members of the audience surrounding the set.
“Steel Magnolias” is 7 p.m. today, Thursday, Friday and Saturday at the high school. Admission is $6 in advance and $7 at the door. Because audience members are on stage, seating is limited to 120 per performance.
“I have never done this play before and ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ was very male heavy. This gave our actresses more of an opportunity,” director Ron Meyer said. “The girls are really doing excellent. It is tough sometimes, with all six of them on stage, but they are doing a really good job.”
Senior Olivia Heacock plays Shelby, the emotional center of the story. Heacock said what makes this play different is that it is set in a beauty shop with the six women talking to each other. She said it was also a challenge to play a character with diabetes since she does not have experience with the disease herself.
“It has been difficult, but also really interesting as I have been doing the research. I want to make it as genuine as possible and convey those emotions to the audience,” she said. “With just the six of us, we really have to trust each other and rely on one another. You can find these characters everywhere you look, so we really want to make our characters believable.”
Senior Erin Waterhouse plays M’Lynn, Shelby’s mother. Waterhouse said while all of the girls watched portions of the movie as a way to study their roles, she said it was just as important to create their own character.
“I think the audience will be surprised at how different the play is from the movie. In the play, everything happens at the beauty shop, but spans a few years. There are also no boys in the cast,” she said. “Sure, I watched the movie as a basis as to who this person was and to study how she would respond to certain situations, but I wanted to make this role my own. We don’t want the audience to see us as the movie.”
