The actors of Cape Fear Regional’s upcoming production of Steel Magnolias sit around a wooden table. They laugh and joke and compliment one another. They almost embody parts of the upcoming show. They all have stories that connect them with the storyline of the show they are performing in. For them, this story resonates.  
“I remember when they announced the season and I felt like it speaks to me,” says Danette Holden who plays M’Lynn. “ … M’Lynn is the one that speaks to me the most … She’s a strong-willed mom. She's a very put-together mom in the 80s.” 
Holden laughs and says that she’s basically playing her own mother -- a strong woman, who was raising a daughter in the 1980s. The others join in on the chuckle. They may have had a similar situation. 
“This role is oddly not a stretch for me,” she says. “Some of this is very easy to picture and embody.” 
Steel Magnolias will run from March 27 through April 13 at Cape Fear Regional Theatre’s new location at 1707 Owen Drive. Like Holden, other actors relate to the storyline, perhaps not by way of their own mothers as inspiration but rather the theme of womanhood. And of course, a penchant for fabulous hairdos since the play entirely takes place in Truvy’s hair salon. 
“It’s a really special place for the ladies of the neighborhood,” says Cara Chumbley. Chumbley plays Truvy and feels as though the character is the glue of the show. “Everything is coming into her space … a very iconic character.” 
Besides Holden and Chumbley, theater goers will experience the work of Director Laura Josephner and actress Mari Blake who plays Shelby. This is Blake’s first show at Cape Fear Regional Theatre. She talks about Shelby's journey and is completely enthralled by her story. 
"I remember going to the salon with my mom ... it felt so grown up and I wanted to be a part of it" she says. "The same for Shelby. She wants her independence."
Josphner, at the head of the table, is no stranger to Cape Fear Regional Theatre and has a deep love for Steel Magnolias. The play and 1989 movie, starring Julia Roberts and Sally Fields, were written by the same person, Robert Harling, Josephner says, who took a lot of the story from his own life. Josephner loves that this story about womanhood and feminine strength was written by a man. The others quickly agree. 
“There is a lot of depth. This show really honors that. It’s fascinating it was written by a man,” Chumbley says. “It feels authentic and genuine. It doesn’t feel made up because
it's not.” 

The play version of Steel Magnolias has a cast that only includes women unlike the movie which included male actors. “The film was expanded to include the men in their lives,” Josephner says.  “ … But it's
really a show of the time. It really was a changing point [the 80s]. These were women who grew up and they were housewives. It was just when women were going to work. It was a turning point too for where the women are.” 
During the play, the audience will experience the changes in the women as they come to the hair salon during a period of about two years. The relationships develop and deepen and everyone will join them on their different journeys even if the setting, Truvy's salon, remains the same throughout the entire play. 
“It’s very interesting that really nothing changes,” says Chumbley. “They change so much. The time changes. It’s where you start and where you end.” 
For Marketing Director, Ashley Owen, she is enjoying seeing the actors during their readings. The production, she says, is both timeless and beautiful.  
“It’s a beautiful representation of the positive relationship between women,” Owen leans forward as she speaks. “I didn’t know the true power of friendship between women until my 20s. This story does such a great job showing that women together can really do powerful and amazing things. They are more than pretty hair and make-up and nails.” 
Although the show has a full cast featuring only women and tells the stories of these families through the lens of the women of the household, Chumbley wants to remind audiences that it is not just for women. 
“It can be assumed to be that. The men are a part of it. It’s important for everyone to come see. It’s about relationships.”
The actors say there will be sad moments in the play but plenty of laughter too. The theatre will offer discount nights for military and teachers as well as some fun pre-show activities to include a floral arranging night and a custom hair tinsel night. For more information, visit www.cfrt.org. 
Oh and one more thing, Chumbley closed with, “You might get more from a side seat than even the center. The director has been making sure that it gets in there … Here’s the secret — pick a side seat.” 
As she finishes saying this, Chumbley and the others all break into smiles.