STEEL MAGNOLIAS to Bring Beauty to Roxy Regional Theatre This Summer

This summer, beat the heat and come on down to Truvy's beauty shop, where the motto is "there is no such thing as natural beauty" and all the ladies who are "anybody" come to have their hair done. The Roxy Regional Theatre presents Robert Harling's stage hit STEEL MAGNOLIAS, July 28 through August 19.

Directed by Ryan Bowie, the beloved comedy-drama which inspired the 1989 film starring Dolly Parton, Julia Roberts, Sally Field, Shirley MacLaine, Olympia Dukakis and Daryl Hannah centers on the bond among a group of six Southern women at a small-town beauty shop in northwest Louisiana.

Jama Bowen, who has previously appeared on the Roxy Regional Theatre stage as Dr. Ruth Westheimer in Becoming Dr. Ruth, Bloody Mary in South Pacific, Rosie in The Wedding Singer, Madame Thenardier in Les Miserables and a number of other productions, dispenses shampoos and free advice as the vivacious, wisecracking beauty shop owner, Truvy Jones.

Helping out as her eager new assistant, Annelle Dupuy (who is not sure whether or not she is still married), is Emily Rourke. As a company veteran, Rourke has performed in numerous Roxy productions, including The Awesome '80s Prom (Whitley Whitaker, The Head Cheerleader), The Taming of the Shrew (Bianca), On the Town (Ivy Smith) and The Cat in the Hat (Sally), and she has brought her technical expertise, choreography experience and directorial skills to countless others.

Ashley Harris, who returns to the Roxy following appearances as Sandy in 2014's Grease, Fantine in Les Miserables, Janet in 2013's The Rocky Horror Show, Myrtle in The Great Gatsby and many others, plays Shelby Eatenton, the "prettiest girl in town" who is about to marry a "good ole boy."

Local attorney Stacy Turner, who appeared as Shelby in the Roxy's 1990 production of Steel Magnolias and has been involved in countless shows since the theatre opened in 1983, treads the boards this time around as Shelby's mother and local social leader, M'Lynn.

The role of everyone's favorite wealthy curmudgeon, Ouiser Boudreaux, is played by Mairzy Yost,* who returns to the Roxy Regional Theatre after guest directing last summer's production of Smokey Joe's Cafe.

Linda Speir, whose past Roxy credits include The Crucible, A Streetcar Named Desire, A Tale of Two Cities and many others, brings her innate charm to the character of Miss Clairee Belcher, an eccentric millionaire with a raging sweet tooth.

Filled with hilarious repartee and not a few acerbic but humorously revealing verbal collisions, STEEL MAGNOLIAS began as writer Robert Harling's beautiful, cathartic memoir about his late sister and grew into this widely beloved play and a popular film about the hope, healing and even humor possible in the midst of heartache.

Friday, July 28, is the traditional pay-what-you-can preview of STEEL MAGNOLIAS. All tickets not pre-sold at the regular ticket price will go on sale at 7:30pm that evening for a $5 minimum donation.

Kicking off opening weekend on Saturday, July 29, is the Roxy's annual summer cookout, featuring hamburgers and hot dogs (courtesy of Edward's Steakhouse), accompanied by sides and all the fixin's, under the marquee at 6:30pm. Tickets for the package, which includes the 8:00pm performance of STEEL MAGNOLIAS, are $40 (adults) and $25 (ages 13 and under). The reservation deadline for the cookout is Friday, July 21.

STEEL MAGNOLIAS is made possible in part through the generous support of Hugh & Joy Hatcher.

Performances run July 28 through August 19 on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 7:00pm and Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00pm, with 2:00pm matinees on Saturday, August 5, and Saturday, August 19.

Tickets are $20 (adults) and $15 (ages 13 and under) and may be reserved online at www.roxyregionaltheatre.org, by phone at (931) 645-7699, or at the theatre during regular box office hours (9:00am to 2:00pm, Monday through Friday, and one hour prior to curtain). Military, APSU students and CitySaver coupon holders can receive two tickets for the price of one to Wednesday and Thursday performances during the run.

The Roxy Regional Theatre is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to producing professional live theatre and promoting the arts, with emphasis on education, in Clarksville, Middle Tennessee and the Southeast. The theatre is located at 100 Franklin Street in Historic Downtown Clarksville. For more information, visit www.roxyregionaltheatre.org.

* Mairzy Yost is appearing courtesy of Actors' Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States

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