Steel Magnolias - Hamilton Family Theatre Cambridge

Robert Harling

Director

Sheila McCarthy

Set Designer Douglas Paraschuk

Costume Designer Jennifer Wonnacott

Stage Manager Grace Batten

Lighting Designer Siobhán Sleath

Assistant Stage Manager May Nemat Allah

Assistant Director Susan A. Lock

The Cast (in alphabetical order)

Lauren Bowler

Ellen Denny

Sharon Heldt

Mary Pitt

Chick Reid

Blythe Wilson

Originally produced by the W.P.A. Theatre, New York City, 1987. (Kyle Renick, Artistic Director)

“Steel Magnolias” is presented by special arrangement with Broadway Licensing, LLC, servicing the Dramatists Play Service imprint. (www.dramatists.com)

The video or audio recording of this performance by any means is strictly prohibited.

Season Media Sponsor

Season Sponsor

Production Sponsors

Design Sponsor

Media Sponsors

Drayton Entertainment gratefully acknowledges the financial support of the Region of Waterloo

Setting: Chinquapin, Louisiana 1986

the cast

(in alphabetical order)

Lauren Bowler (Anelle Dupuy-Desoto)

Drayton Entertainment: Out of Order, Sound of Music, Rock of Ages, Bittergirl The Musical. Other Theatre (selected): Myth of the Ostrich, Ale Wives, The Tracks (Here For Now Theatre); Jesus Christ Superstar (Western Canada Theatre); One Man Two Guvnors, Gypsy, King Charles III, Jitters, Blood Brothers, Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery (Arts Club Theatre); Matilda (RMTC/Citadel Theatre); Chelsea Hotel (Firehall Arts Centre). Upcoming: Jesus Christ Superstar (Thousand Islands Playhouse). Lauren co-owns and co-founded the Great Wall Tea Co. in 2010. She is euphoric to be reunited on this project with her idol Sheila, and to be working with such a talented and intimidating (in the best way possible) group of gals.

Ellen Denny (Shelby Eatenton-Latcherie)

Drayton Entertainment: Mary’s Wedding, Brighton Beach Memoirs. Other Theatre (selected): Maria in Sound of Music (Thousand Islands Playhouse); Red Velvet (Crow’s Theatre); Life After (Canadian Stage / Musical Stage); Eliza in My Fair Lady (Capitol Theatre Port Hope); Vanya & Sonia & Masha & Spike (Manitoba Theatre Centre / Mirvish); Belle in Beauty and the Beast (Neptune Theatre); Anne in Anne & Gilbert (National Arts Centre); The Penelopiad (Citadel Theatre). Also a playwright, Ellen’s work has been produced by Neptune Theatre, The Guild Charlottetown, and Here For Now Theatre, and has streamed on STRATFEST@HOME. Ellen is grateful to perform with this stellar all-female cast!

Sharon Heldt (Truvy Jones)

Drayton Entertainment: Mom’s The Word. Other Theatre (selected): Lunenburg (Lighthouse Festival Theatre); The Ladies Foursome (Upper Canada, Theatre Orangeville, OOH); The Ginkgo Tree (Blyth Festival); DINK (Factory Theatre); The Catering Queen (Tarragon Theatre); The Long Weekend & Real Estate (Theatre Aquarius); Twelfth Night (Banff); Emerald City (MTC); Top Gun! The Musical (47th St. Theatre NYC); two seasons with Stratford Festival. Film/TV: The Handmaid’s Tale (Hulu); Sex/Life (Netflix); One More Before You Go (ARC Films); Brother (EVV Inc.). Happy to be back at Drayton! Grateful to the women in our lives that lift us up along the way. Big hugs to Macayla, Skylar and my love, Steve. www.sharonheldt.com

Mary Pitt (Clairee Belcher)

Drayton Entertainment: The Sweet Delilah Swim Club, It Runs in the Family. Other Theatre (selected): Into the Woods (Canadian Stage & Neptune Theatre); Man of La Mancha, The Miracle Worker, Gypsy (Stratford Festival); Caroline or Change (Acting Up Stage); Bingo Ladies (Port Stanley Festival Theatre & Hudson Village Playhouse); A Second Helping (Victoria Playhouse); Florence Foster Jenkins in Souvenir (Gravenhurst Opera House); Little Women, Too Close to Home, The Bluff (Theatre Orangeville); Quiet! I’m Talking (Sudbury Theatre Centre). Mary also performs in feature films and television. She is thrilled to be back with Drayton Entertainment performing in Steel Magnolias.

Chick Reid (Ouiser Boudreaux)

Drayton Entertainment: Debut. Other Theatre (selected): Tempest, Napoli Milionaria, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Beaux Stratagem, Grapes of Wrath, Little Years Noises Off, No Exit (Stratford Festival); Saint Joan, Burn This, Abundance, Holiday, Crimes of the Heart (Theatre Plus Toronto); Cavalcade, Back to Methuselah, The Women, Marathon 33, Peter Pan, War and Peace, The Madness of George III, Dracula, Getting Married, The Ladykillers, Devil’s Disciple, Sherlock Holmes: The Raven’s Curse (Shaw Festival). Film/TV (selected): Fairfield Road, Everything She Ever Wanted. Teaching: 19 years in the Dan School of Drama and Music, Queen’s University. 2018 Recipient of CAEA’s Life Membership Award for her contribution to the Performing Arts in Canada. She lives on a farm in Warkworth, Ontario with husband Tom McCamus.

Blythe Wilson (M’Lynn Eatenton)

Drayton Entertainment: Evita, The Prom, Kinky Boots, Mamma Mia!, Sound of Music, All Shook Up. Other Theatre: Into the Woods (TIFT); Mary Poppins (Broadway/ US Tour); Sound of Music, Mamma Mia!, Man of La Mancha (Mirvish); Billy Elliot, Guys and Dolls, Oliver!, Oklahoma! (Stratford Festival); A Christmas Carol (Grand Theatre); The Three Musketeers (Chicago Shakespeare); 25th Annual...Spelling Bee (Connecticut Rep); Mystery of Edwin Drood, Happy End (Shaw Festival); The Last Five Years (Can Stage); Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, with Donny Osmond (Chicago Theatre); Evita, Mary Poppins (Theatre Calgary/Citadel). Film/TV: The Handmaid’s Tale (MGM).

the creative team

Sheila McCarthy (Director)

Drayton Theatre: Sweet Delilah Swim Club (Director). Other Theatre: Worked across Canada in many theatres including Stratford and Shaw, directing and acting in over a hundred productions. Recipient of two Dora Major Moore Awards as well as two Canadian Screen Awards and two Gemini awards for Best Actress. Film/TV (selected): Die Hard 2, The Day After Tomorrow, Stepping Out, Little Mosque On The Prairie, I’ve Heard The Mermaids Singing, Cardinals (ACTRA Award for Best Actress), and Oscar-winning Women Talking. Upcoming films include Dancing On An Elephant, Voices Of The Mother, The Well, and Love Is The Monster. Thrilled to be back at Drayton Entertainment directing the Magnolia cast!

Douglas Paraschuk (Set Designer)*

Drayton Entertainment (selected): Jersey Boys, Fiddler on the Roof, American Son, The Music Man, South Pacific, Dial M for Murder. Over 30 productions for the Stratford Festival. Director of Design and Associate Director for the UAE Golden Jubilee Celebration (2021) Expo, Dubai. Designer for Stephen Fry’s Mythos (Shaw Festival, Edinburgh Festival, English National Tour). Director of Design for the Calgary Stampede Grandstand show (2014-23). Director of Design for the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics opening, medals, and closing ceremonies. Director of Design for the opening and closing ceremonies for the Asian Games in Doha, Qatar. For over 35 years, Doug has designed for television, theatre, film, opera, ballet, and touring productions and has created hundreds of productions in Canada, the United States, Asia, and Europe.

Jennifer Wonnacott (Costume Designer)

Drayton Entertainment: A Few Good Men, On Golden Pond, Twelve Angry Men. With more than 20 years’ experience in theatre wardrobe production, Jennie is thrilled to be using her costume knowledge for design. Past productions included shows with The Stratford Festival, Mirvish Productions, Theatre Aquarius, and others. Jennie is the winner of the 2016 Pauline McGibbon Award from the Ontario Arts Council. Many thanks to the wardrobe department for giving their confidence in this endeavour, and to family and friends for their support.

Siobhán Sleath (Lighting Designer)*

Drayton Entertainment: The Sweet Delilah Swim Club, Sexy Laundry, The Ladies Foursome, The Men’s Foursome, It Runs in the Family, Unnecessary Farce. Other Theatre: Witness for the Prosecution, Horse and His Boy, Wilde Tales (Shaw Festival); The Hobbit (Adirondack Theatre Festival); Ring of Fire, Steel City Gangster (Theatre Aquarius); Ann (Arkansas Rep Theater); Figaro’s Wedding (Against the Grain); The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (Alberta Theatre Projects); Wow Factor: A Cinderella Story (Canadian Opera Company); Brighton Beach Memoirs (Harold Green Jewish Theatre Company). For more information: www.siobhansleathdesign.com.

Susan A. Lock (Assistant Director)

Drayton Entertainment: Debut. Other Theatre: Directing: Christmas Day At the Roadside Diner (Women At Play(s) Festival 6); Missing You (Women At Play(s) Festival 5); Queenie’s Castle (Women At Play(s) Festival 4); Basket Day (Storefront Theatre); Out At Sea (Divadlo Ano). Acting: On the Other Side of the World (Harley Dog Productions); Eating Pomegranates Naked (Call Me Scotty Productions); TheThree Musketeers in Czech (Studio Ypsilon). Film/TV: Tanya in Shelved (CTV). Susan A. Lock graduated with a Czech Masters from The Theatre Academy of Performing Arts in Prague. Thank you to Sheila, Brenley and Alex for this opportunity! I’m forever grateful!

Grace Batten (Stage Manager)

Drayton Entertainment: The New Canadian Curling Club. Other Theatre (selected): Beneath Springhill, Same Time, Next Year, The 39 Steps, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Never Not Once, Where You Are; three years as Entertainment Technician for Carnival Cruise Lines. Since graduating from the University of Windsor School of Dramatic Art, Grace has worked at venues across North America, from Banff to Belize, on land and at sea. When she isn’t working, she can usually be found knitting or playing with random dogs. @woolngrace

May Nemat Allah (Assistant Stage Manager)

Drayton Entertainment: Debut. Other Theatre: Apprentice Stage Manager for Women of the Fur Trade, Death and the King’s Horseman (Stratford Festival); Stage Manager for Antigonick, Everything Gone, Everything Shone, Assistant Stage Manager for Maybe Not Tomorrow, Cabaret (National Theatre School of Canada); Assistant Production Manager for carried away on the crest of a wave, Stage Manager for The Seagull (University of Waterloo). Training: National Theatre School of Canada and the University of Waterloo. Endless love and gratitude to my family and friends!

ADMINISTRATION

Artistic Director & CEO

Alex Mustakas

Executive Director

Steven Karcher

Associate Artistic Director

David Connolly

Director of Audience Services

Ellen Berwick

Director of Facilities

Alan Card

Director of Finance

Siobhan Lovejoy

Director of Human Resources

Natasha Hopf

Director of Marketing & Development

Jonathan Randall

Director of Production

Dave Horner

Accounting Clerk

Joanne Labrecque

Ticketing & Systems Specialist

Randi Perriam

ARTISTIC

Artistic Administrator

Brenley Charkow

Artistic Administrative Assistant

Stephanie Reeve

AUDIENCE SERVICES

Audience Services Manager

Gary Good

Box Office Manager

Laurie Castro

Box Office Supervisor

Paige Corriveau

AUDIO

Head of Audio

Allan McMillan

Audio Assistant

Nicholas Wadel-Tucotte

MARKETING & DEVELOPMENT

Development Manager

Lindsay Bellaire

Group, Events & Rentals

Manager

Karen De iuliis

Community Engagement

Specialist

Danielle Dixon

Marketing & Development

Associate

Lia Tunstall

PRODUCTION

Production Coordinator

Jeff JohnstonCollins

Technical Directors

Lyle Franklin

Jeff JohnstonCollins

Austin Wilson

Head of Electrics

Lyle Franklin

Head of Construction

Rob Clarke

Assistant Head of Construction

Jenna Barry

Lead Carpenter

Lindsey Woelfle

Carpenters

John Bigelow

John Graham

Toofik Boulus

Ajae Whittaker

House Technicians

Glenn Beckner

Richard McLeod

Naomi Damasco

Matthew Canning

Katrina Kosa

Production Administrator

Caitlyn Hill

PROPS

Head of Props

Kat Theriault

Senior Props Builder

Madeline Samms

Junior Props Builder

Josiah Bosse

Daijah Clement-Day

SCE NIC PAINT

Senior Scenic Painters

Frank Crickmore

Kristen McCormick

WARDROBE

Head of Wardrobe

Jenine Kroeplin

Assistant Head of Wardrobe

Jessica Pembleton

Cutter

Rachel Berchtold

First Hand

Joanna Lee

Wardrobe Supervisor

Julia Nelham

Wig Stylist

Anne May

Rich Halliday FOR STEEL MAGNOLIAS

Audio Coordinator

Anna-Maria Grant

Dresser

Amanda Kennedy

Stitchers

Amanda Kennedy

Heather McKenzie

Wardrobe Maintenance

Amanda Kennedy

HAMILTON FAMILY THEATRE CAMBRIDGE

Facility Manager

Jenna DeGraaf

House Manager

Gary Good

House Technician

Glen Beckner

Bartender

Tristan Sabourin

Box Office Staff

Amanda Howe

Zoha Kan

Lyn Lemaire-Harnack

Kayden McKeown

Custodian

Monique Bride

DRAYTON ENTERTAINMENT

YOUTH ACADEMY

Director of Education

David Connolly

General Manager

Natasha Hopf

Marketing & Development

Associate

Christian Rose

Arts Administrator Assistant

Hanna Freitas

Administrative Intern

Simon Zenker