Steel Magnolias
By Robert Harling
March 14th & 15th , 2025
Presented through special arrangement with Broadway Licensing
Steel Magnolias
Director’s Note
It is always a difficult task to figure out what show we should do here at Gwynedd. We had so much fun last year when we just so happened to have an all-Gwynedd student cast that we decided to try to recreate that magic with a play solely centered around strong, funny, insightful women. I don’t have to tell you, but we have those traits and more in our students.
Steel Magnolias explores the themes of friendship, resiliency, loss, and love. What’s so wonderful about this play by Robert Harling is that it’s a perfect mixture of those matters all wrapped in a hilarious and sometimes tragic tale. I have loved this story for many years, and I thought it would be a good fit for our students. I think it has a lot to do with my upbringing and the trials and tribulations of my life, but I always gravitate to the resiliency and strength in this piece of theatre. I would like to focus on that aspect for a bit.
I have most definitely written about them before this, but I will just quickly tell you a little about the women in my life. I was raised in a house dominated by feminine energy and strength being the youngest of four siblings, all sisters above me guiding me through life’s ups-and-downs. My mother was always the guiding light for us four. I could go on and on about her, but let’s just say she’s pretty remarkable. Not only her, but I had the great good fortune to be surrounded in my adolescence by five of the strongest women I will ever meet: my beautiful aunts. They are my very own Truvys, Annelles, Clairees, Shelbys, M’Lynns, and Ouisers. I have thought of them often while directing this play. My mother and sisters were my primary source of my education in adoration and friendship, but my aunts have shown me the resiliency that every woman can possess. A lot of that resiliency comes from dealing with the hardships that life offers especially loss and grief. In the last fifteen years, my family has faced unimaginable loss, some expected and some tragically not. Through all of it, my aunts have shown me and their communities that women unsurprisingly so hold so much strength in their grasps. They are able to withstand most things within difficult conditions. You will see that on full display within the words and actions of this amazing story.
We are so appreciative that you have joined us today. This cast has worked so hard to put on this production. It was a large undertaking both physically and emotionally. The show is a fine balance of humor and tragedy. Our students have taken up that mantle and done wonders with it. I cannot wait for you to laugh at their foibles and cry at the raw pain that these skilled young thespians will perform for you today. It really is a wonderful combination of the two opposite sides of emotion. To quote a character that I think is the very heart of the play: “Laughter through tears is my favorite emotion.”
I think back to something one of my beloved aunts said at a memorial service our family held when I think of this production. I tried to soak the production in this sentiment. She was thanking everyone for coming to it and she wanted to thank her sisters. She used a term we don’t always associate with familial or friendship bonds: soulmates. My aunt thought of her sisterly bond as something almost written in the stars. I always cherish that memory of something so beautiful at a time of great sorrow. I feel as if any of the characters in the play you are seeing tonight might also describe their friends in the same manner. Sometimes soulmates aren’t significant others or the
Steel Magnolias
ones-that-got-away. They are sometimes sisters who you can rely on to give you strength when you don’t believe you have any. They are sometimes friends who pick you up whenever you fall. And they are sometimes even a group of women with different ideals and histories that come together in a simple, little salon to gossip, gab, and grieve.
Charlie Gallagher | Director, Monarch Stage Players
Steel Magnolias
Cast List
Truvy Jones...............................................................................................................................Nolyn Reilly ’25
Annelle Dupuy-DeSoto..................................................................................................Francesca Deitzel ’27
Clairee Belcher...........................................................................................................................Emily Bogle ’26
Shelby Eatenton-Latcherie...............................................................................................Kaeleigh Morris ’28
M’Lynn Eatenton.................................................................................................................Clara Glennon ’26
Ouiser Boudreaux Allison Schroeder ’27
Swings
Reese Miller ’26 (Truvy Jones/M’Lynn Eatonton)
Abby Blais ’28 (Annelle Dupuy-Desoto/Shelby Eatenton-Latcherie)
Svea Mehta ’27 (Clairee Belcher/Ouiser Boudreaux)
Steel Magnolias
Creative Team
DIRECTOR/SCENIC DESIGN
Charlie Gallagher
PRODUCER
Trish Giangiulio
SCENIC DESIGN/TECHNICAL DIRECTOR/BUILDER
Peter Kelsey
COSTUME DESIGN
Maggie Griffin-Smith
HAIR/MAKEUP
Tessa Thomas ’26
LIGHTING DESIGN
Scott Coumbe
SOUND DESIGN
Scott Coumbe
Steel Magnolias
Scene Breakdown
ACT I
Scene 1: April 1983
Scene 2: December 1983
ACT II
Scene 1: June 1985
Scene 2: November 1985
SETTING
Chinquapin Parish, LA
INTERMISSION
There will be a three-minute pause following Act I, Scene 1, a 15-minute intermission following Act I, Scene 2, and a three-minute pause following Act II, Scene 1.
Steel Magnolias
Stage Crew & Lighting and Sound
Stage Crew
Victoria Buzzanca ’26 (Stage Manager)*
Charlotte Buckius ’26 (Stage Manager)*
Aleah Carter ’25
Sydney Hrlic ’25
Vivian Lipsky ’26
Molly Baliban ’27
Etta Butcher ’27*
Kayleigh Rose ’27
Emma St. Clair ’27
Sophia Avaria-Samples ’28
Anna Axsom ’28*
Mackenzie Dillon ’28
Keeva Nichol ’28
P. Carson Smith ’28
Juliet Talese ’28
Keegan Sharp LSCHS ’26
Lighting and Sound
Simone French ’25*
Victoria Buzzanca ’26*
Mackenzie Dillon ’28*
*Run Crew
Grace Githens ’25
Katie Lynch ’25
Nolyn Reilly ’25
Emily Bogle ’26
Jenna Leary ’26
Reese Miller ’26
Katherine Mincieli ’26
Lila Murphy ’26
Francesca Deitzel ’27
Marra Fitzgerald ’27
Margaret Fitzpatrick ’27
Lucia Hartman ’27
Svea Mehta ’27
Nora O’Hara ’27
Juliana Perry ’27
Abby Blais ’28
Anna Hartman ’28
Lucy Thiel ’28
Steel Magnolias
Ushers
Steel Magnolias
Cast Biographies
Abby Blais ’28 (Annelle/Shelby Swing) is so thrilled to be part of this amazing cast in her first show here at Gwynedd. Abby has been in previous musicals at her old school performing the parts of Donkey (Shrek the Musical), Serena (Legally Blonde the Musical), Rafiki (The Lion King) and others. She is excited for many more to come here at Gwynedd. Enjoy the show!
Emily Bogle ’26 (Clairee Belcher) is ecstatic to be performing in her fourth show at Gwynedd! She was previously in Legally Blonde the Musical (Elle’s Mom, Ensemble), Clue (Mrs. Peacock) and Beauty & the Beast (Bookseller, Ensemble). She is so happy to be able to tell this story alongside such a wonderful cast. She would like to thank Mrs. G, Charlie, and the stage crew for making this production possible. She would also like to thank her family, friends and specifically her best friend Clara for guiding her through this process!
Francesca Deitzel ’27 (Annelle Dupuy-Desoto) is a sophomore at Gwynedd. This is her third show with Gwynedd. She was a part of two of the fall musicals: Legally Blonde the Musical and Beauty & the Beast. She is also involved in the performing arts department through Glee, Chorale, A Cappella and Girls with Guitars. She is so excited to be in her first play at Gwynedd playing Annelle! She would like to thank all those who have made this such an amazing experience including her castmates, the crew, Charlie and Mrs. G. She would also like to thank her family for supporting her.
Clara Glennon ’26 (M’Lynn Eatenton) is proud to be a part of Gwynedd's production of Steel Magnolias. Some of her most recent shows include but are not limited to: Beauty & The Beast (Cogsworth), Clue (Wadsworth) and Legally Blonde (Saleswoman/Perfume Girl, Greek Chorus, UCLA Ensemble). She is so grateful for this opportunity to tell M'Lynn's story and is indebted to the ones that made this show and her participation in it possible. Special thanks to stage crew and Charlie! "Life goes on."
Svea Mehta ’27 (Clairee/Ouiser Swing) has been passionate about theatre since 7th Grade and is thrilled to take on the role of Swing (Clairee/Ouiser) in her 13th production! Some of her favorite past roles include Silly Girl Deux in Beauty & the Beast and Serena in Legally Blonde the Musical, among many others. She is incredibly grateful to her parents for their endless support, to Charlie for the advice and to the entire cast and crew for making this production such a special experience. She hopes you enjoy Steel Magnolias!
Reese Miller ’26 (Truvy/M’Lynn Swing/Assistant Director) is a junior and is so excited to finally be a part of the performing arts department! This being her first show, Reese is having so much fun learning the ropes of live theatre. She is also involved in the Track & Field team and has found a love for balancing both. She is so grateful to have been welcomed into this amazing production by even better people and would like to thank Charlie, her family, and her friends for encouraging her to try something new and for being so supportive!
Kaeleigh Morris ’28 (Shelby Eatenton-Latcherie) is a freshman at Gwynedd Mercy Academy High School and this is her very first show here. She was a part of both Annie Jr. and Finding Nemo Jr. at Saint Philip Neri, and she is playing Shelby in this production of Steel Magnolias. Kaeleigh has made so many strong friendships and memories throughout the process of this show. Being one of the youngest ones in the show, she has learned so much from her older friends and is so grateful to have them. The amazing experience she had during Steel Magnolias has her excited to continue her acting career!!!!!!
Steel Magnolias
Nolyn Reilly ’25 (Truvy Jones) is a senior at Gwynedd and she’s beyond excited to play Truvy Jones in her final show! She has been in all four Gwynedd musicals as well as Little Women and Clue during her sophomore and junior years. Besides the shows, she participates in all the music ensembles, serving as president of both the Mercy Melismatics (GMAHS’s a capella group) and Orchestra as well as vice president of Tri-M Music Honor Society and NHS. She would like to thank Charlie and Mrs. G for putting up with her craziness, this incredible cast for all their hard work and everyone behind the scenes who makes this production possible (especially stage crew and lights/sound). She would especially like to thank her family for always being there to support her no matter what she is doing (and for all the last-minute snack runs for the cast). Enjoy the show!
Allison Schroeder ’27 (Ouiser Boudreaux) (known as Allie to her friends) is currently in 10th Grade and is thrilled to be a part of her third production at Gwynedd. This past year, Allie was a part of Clue as Colonel Mustard as well as Beauty & the Beast. Allie enjoys swimming and music outside of theatre. She is so excited for everyone to see the show!
- A Note of Thanks -
The Cast, Crew, and the Production Staff would like to express our sincere appreciation to:
Denise Marbach ’72, President
Eileen Carty, Principal
Kate St. Clair, Director of Finance
Krista Campbell, Business Office
Kim Scott ’84, Director of Enrollment Management
Jennifer Zandier ’96, Director of Marketing and Communications
Cindy DeCandido, Office Manager
Will Morales, Facilities Management
Tom Clifford, Facilities
Sam Mancuso, Campus Safety
Cindy Holdsworth & Maryann Torrisi of 2nd Look Hair Design for their hair tutorial guidance and help
Patti Buzzanca for help with stage crew
Sydney Hrlic ’25 for our poster design
Allison Schroeder ’24 for her photography skills
A big thank you is due to you: our audience. It is not easy to start a new facet of an alreadyestablished performing arts program, so we so appreciate your patronage and support in coming out and buying a ticket to developing live theatre.
Steel Magnolias
GMMT/MSP PRODUCTIONS THROUGH THE YEARS
2025| Steel Magnolias *
2024| Disney’s Beauty and the Beast
2024 | Clue *
2023 | Legally Blonde the Musical
2023 | Little Women *
2022 | Newsies
2022 | Will This Midsummer Night Never End? *
2021 | Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical
2020 | Into the Woods
2019 | Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella
2018 | Bye Bye Birdie
2017 | Disney’s The Little Mermaid
2016 | The Addams Family
2015 | Once Upon A Mattress
2014 | Guys and Dolls
2013 | Anything Goes
2012 | Roald Dahl’s Willy Wonka
2011 | Meredith Willson’s The Music Man
2010 | Fiddler on the Roof
2009 | Thoroughly Modern Millie
2008 | Disney’s Beauty and the Beast
2007 | Cinderella
2006 | Oklahoma!
2005 | The Pajama Game
2004 | The Sound of Music
2003 | Do Black Patent Leather Shoes Really Reflect Up?
2002 | Godspell
2001 | Smile
2000 | Once Upon A Mattress
Steel Magnolias
1999 | 42nd Street
1998 | Meredith Willson’s The Music Man
1997 | The Boy Friend
1996 | Anything Goes
1995 | The Mystery of Edwin Drood
1994 | Funny Girl
1993 | Meet Me in St. Louis
1992 | Bye Bye Birdie
1991 | Anything Goes
1990 | Annie
1989 | Carousel
1988 |42nd Street
1987 | Hello Dolly!
1986 | Mame
1985 | Oklahoma!
1984 | Bye Bye Birdie
1983 | The Wizard of Oz
1982 | Pippin
1981 | Fiddler on the Roof
1980 | Guys and Dolls
1979 | West Side Story
1978 | Annie Get Your Gun
1977 | Anything Goes
1976 | N/A
1975 | Meredith Willson’s The Music Man
1974 | South Pacific
1973 | Fiddler on the Roof
1972 | Funny Girl
*Monarch Stage Players