6 | FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2014
THE REFLECTOR
LIFE EDITOR: DANIEL HART | life@reflector.msstate.edu
LIFE & ENTERTAINMENT
Tougher than steel: community
theater produces “Steel Magnolias” BY HALEY HARDMAN Staff Writer
The Starkville Community Theatre prepares to treat Starkvillians to multiple presentations of the classic play, “Steel Magnolias.” The play runs Feb. 13-16 and 18-22. “Steel Magnolias” portrays six women and the dramatic events of their lives. Paula Mabry, Starkville Community Theatre director, said the play is set in a Louisiana cosmetologist’s boutique, which provides the site for the women’s spirited conversations. “The audience will see a lovely beauty shop where the ladies of this little Louisiana town come to visit and have their hair ‘done,’” she said. w“The six women in the play are longtime friends who share their good times and bad with one another.” The beauty shop set works well for the play’s characters, Mabry said, as well as for the audience, as a place that provides familiarity. “We can see that the womens’ beauty shop experience is very similar to other shops in other towns and places,” she said. “That’s probably one of the many reasons this show resonates so well.” “Steel Magnolias” relays a variety of emotions to the audience, from tears of sadness to tears of laughter and joy. Callie Paxton, junior communication major and actress starring in the play, said the production mixes a wide range of feelings effectively. “The play is classic and unique because it blends tragedy and comedy,” Paxton said. The play offers different ways to connect with its characters for audience members of all ages. Johnni Sue Wijewardane, another actress starring in the play, said each attendee is sure to form a bond with an actress onstage. “Each person in the audience can connect with at least one character,” she said. Wijewardane also said the play represents all events and walks of life, from marriage to death and all the moments that lie in between. “One can find almost every emotion in this play — the joy that weddings and births bring, fear of illness, sadness and anger felt after the loss of a loved one and wit and humor,” she said. “I hope the audience will be able to feel the connection that each
character has with the oth- way that stories on film can- long history that persists toer characters as well as sense not. day, even amidst advances in the real friendships that have “Live theatre is real. It’s digital technology. been formed between the in the moment,” Mabry “Theatre has long been women who are playing the said. “Real people are play- the avenue for playwrights characters.” ing out stories in front of an to show the world what is All the work the “Steel really going on in Magnolias” cast put into the world,” she said. One can find almost performance and all the “Sometimes it is a shows the theater puts touching love story every emotion in this on stem from a deep and then again, it play — the joy that passion for the performmight be a mystery weddings and births ing arts. The Starkville or a murder. Seeing Community Theatre bring, fear of illness, sadness real people on stage members support live and anger felt after the loss of a performing makes performances, which fill loved one and wit and humor.” that story come alive a different role than that to an audience.” of movies or television. - Johnni Sue Wijewardane, Starkville CommuThe members offer live Truvy in “Steel Magnolias” nity Theatre is passhows, which contain elsionate about the live ements no other medium arts which ensures an can capture. audience. There is nothing to excellent show. “Steel MagMabry said live theatre is compare to that. There are nolias” will captivate the aunot only entertaining, but no ‘retakes,’ no touch-ups as dience with roles that are easy live productions involve au- in film.” to connect with and emotions dience members in a deep Mabry said theatre has a that vary greatly.
Q: How did y’all meet? A: We met in the first year of our MFA (Master of Fine Arts) program at Ohio State. Q: Where are you both from? A: I’m originally from Delaware; he’s from New Jersey. Q: What is your educational background? A: I earned my B.A. in English from Susquehanna University, then got my M.F.A. in
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RACHEL CANNADY | COURTESY PHOTO
Johnni Sue Wijewardane performs as Truvy in the Starkville Community Theater’s production of “Steel Magnolias.” The play follows ups and downs in the lives of six Southern women as they bring their burdens to share at a Louisiana beauty shop.
Q & A with Catherine Pierce, poet and co-director of MSU’s creative writing program with husband Michael Kardos Staff Writer
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M.F.A.S, MATRIMONY:
BY CATIE MARIE MARTIN
What’s your all-time favorite love song?
poetry from Ohio State and my Ph.D. in English and creative writing from the University of Missouri. Mike earned his B.A. in music composition from Princeton, then his M.F.A. (in fiction) from Ohio State and his Ph.D. from the University of Missouri, as well. (Stars aligned and we managed to get into the same Ph.D. program after we graduated from our masters program.)
Q: How did y’all both end up at Mississippi State? What is it like to work alongside
your husband in the English department? A: We came to Mississippi State because we were lucky enough to both land jobs here. Working alongside one another is wonderful — although our professional lives are quite separate, in terms of our classes and our work. We co-direct the creative writing program together, attend meetings and events together and, as a bonus, get to see each other in the halls. When the English department was temporarily moved to Howell Hall (while Lee is being renovated), office space was limited, so faculty were asked to share an office with a colleague. It’s been very easy to share that space with Mike — we have a lot of practice sharing spaces! Q: You and your husband are both creative writers. Does this influence your work? If so, how? Do you look to one another for advice in your creative work? A: Yes, it absolutely influences our work. We are one another’s first readers and critics, and we’re often the first one the other talks to as a new idea is taking shape. Because we’re both writers, we also
understand the idiosyncrasies of one another’s writing processes. Any kind of writing is a solitary endeavor, and it’s nice to share that solitariness with each other.
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Catherine Pierce, poet and professor, directs MSU’s creative writing program alongside her husband, Michael Kardos, fiction writer and professor. She said they act as each other’s first critics and work well sharing office space.
Daniel Hart, Life Editor “In Your Eyes” by Peter Gabriel