State Theater puts on ‘Steel Magnolias’
Local theater group prepares for second ever production
The State Theater Players of Boyertown will be bringing audiences to a hair salon in northern Louisiana during their upcoming production of “Steel Magnolias” at the end of April.
Featuring an all female cast of six women, director Alicia Brisbois mentioned that while she chose the play for its popularity, their rendition will stand out from other versions of the popular story.
“We have to make it ours,” said Brisbois. “It’s a very popular movie. A lot of people know the film and love it and it’s ingrained in their brain and hearts. So partially trying to get away from the memory of that movie is big challenge.”
“Steel Magnolias” will be the second production the theater group has put on, following their performance of “Our Town” in November of 2016. The group has been rehearsing for several months, three nights a week to prepare.
However, unlike “Our Town”, the theater group will make use of props and sets for “Steel Magnolias.” Items such as mirrors, combs, and styling chairs are being used to create the hair salon from the story.
“In ‘Our Town’ we were trying to tell a story of a real life without props, but now we are trying to tell a story of a real life with them. Sometimes it’s easy to get bogged down with what’s in the stage business of it, but at the same time it gives the actors more of a purpose with what they’re doing,” said Brisbois.
Brisbois believes one of the most challenging aspects will be capturing the mood of the story and the characters.
“You put this on the stage and all the sudden the audience is supposed to believe that they are in North Louisiana. They have to really believe. The actresses have to learn how to be these people, and to figure out who these characters are.”
Julia Witwer, who plays the role of the diabetic Shelby Latcherie, has done extensive work beyond memorizing lines to learn her character — including researching diabetes and even writing fake journal entries.
“I do this because I’m weird, but I write diary entries for my characters outside of the script, so I know what’s happening in their life behind the scenes,” said Witwer.
Eighteen-year-old Witwer, who has been acting since the age of 11, has performed in over 30 different musicals and plays. She mentioned that she enjoys working with the other lead actresses, many of whom are new to acting.
“My favorite and most challenging part has been working with these other women. The rest of the cast is very new to acting, and I am not,” said Witwer.
Brisbois, who attended Temple University for theater, explained that her favorite part of directing is seeing people who have never acted before find meaning on the stage.
“It’s something that gets in people’s souls. They get up on stage, and there’s no turning back. It touches their soul to be up there and they find a part of themselves.”
In the future, Brisbois said she hopes that the theater company can become more of a self-run community organization that also puts on productions for the town.
It’s so fortunate for a company to have a space like the state theater,” she said. “I would like it to become it’s own entity. This is not my theater company. This is a theater company for Boyertown.”
Performances of “Steel Magnolias” will be on Friday April 28 and Sat. April 29 at 7 p.m. and Sunday April 30 at 3 p.m. Tickets can be bought at <www. statetheatrepreservation. com>.