Corinth Theatre Arts kicks off 55th season with ‘Steel Magnolias’

CORINTH, Miss. (WCBI) – A well-known story of six women who are described as “delicate as magnolias, but tough as steel” is brought to the stage in Corinth.

To kick off its 55th season, Corinth Theatre Arts is bringing “Steel Magnolias” to the stage.

“Our season this year is ‘back by popular demand’,” said CTA Executive Director Joshua Steen.

That means any production CTA has staged more than once and also sold out.  “Steel Magnolias”, the play about the friendship of six southern women, met those criteria.

CTA is the oldest consecutive running community theatre in the state. Steen said he had two requirements from the cast of “Steel Magnolias”.

“Number one is to learn your lines and number two is to become friends, and if you can actually become friends, we can do this show really really well,” Steen said.

“I love the girls. We are having a good time. It’s really fun. It tells a story. It’s sad, happy, all the things rolled into one,” said Jane Dixon who plays Clairee.

“We’ve become really good friends, going out to eat, going over lines and in different plays. Sometimes if you forget lines it can make people angry or upset but here we just laugh and it’s so much fun,” said Tonya James who plays Annelle.

There may be six ladies on stage for “Steel Magnolias” but what makes this or any production successful are volunteers behind the scenes.

“We are a volunteer-driven community and we have the benefit of having volunteers from all over, they are the ones who keep it alive and keep it running,” Steen said.

Cast members said they are glad to support their local community theater.

“If you have never done theatre before, you get to see someone who has tried it out and it makes a difference,” said Nestly Gates who plays Truvy.

“It’s especially with the young ones coming up. A lot of kids, like mine, don’t have the aptitude for sports, and the arts is an excellent avenue for them,” said Cindy Arnold who plays M’Lynn.

“It’s a chance to get up in front of your fellow townsmen, and act, and have fun. It’s a lot of fun,” said Dr. Sandy Childs-Jones who plays Ouiser.

Steel Magnolias runs through Sunday afternoon.

For ticket information go to wheretheatrecomesalive.com

For 24/7 news and updates, follow us on Facebook and Twitter