Strong and sassy Steel Magnolias blooms this May at Indiana Repertory Theatre
Season closer invites you to celebrate friendship with this pop culture favorite

Indianapolis, Ind.— The Indiana Repertory Theatre will close the 2021-2022 Season with Steel Magnolias, Robert Harling’s off-Broadway hit which inspired a blockbuster movie of the same name. Created with our co-producing partner, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, the production runs May 10 – June 5, 2022 on the OneAmerica Mainstage.

In Steel Magnolias, six women from all walks of life experience the everyday joys and tears of small-town living while gathered at their favorite hair salon. When tragedy strikes, the play reveals the steely bonds of compassion and love that hold true friends together. The show brings to the stage the familiar and beloved characters, like the wise-cracking Truvy, her eager new assistant Annelle, curmudgeonly Ouiser, millionaire Miss Clairee, local social leader M’lynn and her truth-talking daughter Shelby.

“I think the familiarity of this story is one of its strengths,” said Director Laura Gordon. “The play is a perfect mix of warmth, honesty, and humor. I’m excited to share a story that embraces friendship through good times and bad that celebrates kindness and the resilience of the human spirit, all while having a good laugh. As Truvy says, ‘Laughter through tears is my favorite emotion.’”

Led by Laura Gordon, the production was developed by an all-female design team. The creative team stayed true to the time period in which Steel Magnolias was originally set: the mid-1980s. Costume designer and Arkansas-raised Holly Payne used her experience growing up as a woman in the South to select authentic period costumes that are true to the era and location of the show. Complete with excellent design details, Steel Magnolias includes witty banter, memorable one-liners, and the timeless celebration of community that makes the story such a pop culture favorite.

“Now more than ever, we need a good laugh. Our season closer offers plenty of those, plus some good, healthy, cleansing tears,” adds IRT’s Resident Dramaturg Richard J Roberts. “The women who gather at Truvy’s beauty shop bond over a lot more than cuts and curls; they create a tight-knit family of many colors that gets them through everything from weddings to funerals. Steel Magnolias reminds us how friendship and community help us survive the hardest challenges that life can throw at us. For a play written in 1987, that sounds an awful lot like today, doesn’t it?”

Health & Safety Policy Updates: For Steel Magnolias only, the IRT will allow concessions in the Theatre, and the balcony seating area will now be a mask-optional area. Masks are required in the main level of Theatre seating, as well as anytime patrons are in the public Theatre spaces. All patrons on the main level should still use their masks when not actively eating or drinking. This change in policy for the balcony seating area to be mask-optional is because this area is farther away from the stage. The IRT’s policies about masks in public areas and providing proof of vaccination or negative test policies are still in effect.
 Tickets are available now for our strong and sassy season closer!

DETAILS

WHERE: Indiana Repertory Theatre, 140 W. Washington Street, OneAmerica Mainstage Theatre

RUN DATES:  May 10 – June 5, various times. Steel Magnolias is approximately 2 hours and 15 minutes, including a 15-minute intermission. Tickets and performance schedule available at IRTlive.com.

TICKETS: Tickets start at $25. Click to buy.

CAST & CREATIVE TEAM:

KATE ABBRUZZESE | Shelby Eatenton Latcherie
GINA DANIELS | Clairee Belcher
ANNIE FITZPATRICK | M’Lynn Eatenton
NAOMI JACOBSON | Ouiser Boudreaux
BRITTANY ANIKKA LIU | Annelle Dupuy DeSoto
SUSAN LYNSKEY | Truvy Jones


STEPHEN HARLING | Playwright
LAURA GORDON | Director
REGINA GARCÍA | Scenic Designer
HOLLY PAYNE | Costume Designer
JAYMI LEE SMITH | Lighting Designer
MELANIE CHEN COLE| Sound Designer
RICHARD J ROBERTS | Dramaturg
NATHAN GARRISON | Stage Manager
BECKY ROEBER | Assistant Stage Manager
STEPHANIE KLAPPER | Casting

For more information contact Kerry Barmann, Marketing Communications Manager at kbarmann@irtlive.com or 317.916.4824.

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ABOUT THE IRT
Founded in 1971, the Indiana Repertory Theatre (IRT) is the largest professional not-for-profit theatre in the state and one of the leading regional theatres in the country. The mission of the Indiana Repertory Theatre is to produce top-quality, professional theatre and related activities, providing experiences that will engage, surprise, challenge, and entertain people throughout their lifetimes, helping us build a vital and vibrant community.
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Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access (IDEA): The IRT strives to celebrate and serve the diverse people and cultures that make up our whole community. The IRT is committed to providing access for all; to creating and maintaining an antiracist theatre that is inclusive, safe, and respectful.
 

IRT shares highly anticipated return of The Paper Dreams of Harry Chin
Hauntingly theatrical tale shares story of immigration, identity, and illumination
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Indianapolis, Ind.—After being forced to close during rehearsal due to the pandemic, Jessica Huang’s The Paper Dreams of Harry Chin will make its Indiana premiere at the Indiana Repertory Theatre this month. Based on a true story, this intricate and illuminating look at immigration and a family caught between two cultures makes its Indiana premiere April 20 – May 15, 2022 on the IRT Upperstage and will be available for streaming May 2 – 15. In an exciting and rare occurrence, the entire original cast, director, and many members of the design team has returned to continue their work on this production, which is part of this season’s INclusion Series celebrating diverse storytelling.

After forging a new identity to move to the United States in order to send money home to his starving village in China, Harry Chin finds himself trapped between two families and two worlds. The Paper Dreams of Harry Chin travels between past and present, reality and dreams, as it explores the consequences of making a group of people illegal and the importance of identity, family, and culture.

“Intent on uncovering remarkable plays that tell little-known American stories, we found Jessica Huang’s haunting play, which details the life of an illegal immigrant during the Chinese Exclusion Act,” said IRT’s Margot Lacy Eccles Artistic Director Janet Allen. “Huang’s story delivers the heartbreak of separated families, long-kept secrets, the fear of discovery, the difficulty of language and culture barriers, and the desperate desire for a better life in America.”

The Paper Dreams of Harry Chin was originally commissioned by the History Theatre in Minnesota, and Jessica Huang uncovered the real Harry Chin’s heartbreaking and amazing immigration story while researching the Chinese Exclusion Act at the Minnesota Historical Society. Inspired by her discovery of this family’s history, Huang connected with Chin’s daughter Sheila Morris, who is represented in the play, and was able to access photos and first-hand accounts of the family’s experience to help develop the story, resulting in a magical and moving theatrical experience.

“Huang has vividly illuminated with great care a period of our American history often intentionally under examined,” said IRT’s Associate Artistic Director Benjamin Hanna. “It is a timely piece that asks us to think deeply about our current immigration policies and how our ancestors gained access to the land we live on.”

While the story is rooted in a moment of US history, it focuses on the relationship between fathers and daughters, the living and ancestors, truth and secrets, culture and country. To engage in more conversations around these topics with the community, the IRT will host and share post-show discussions and community conversations throughout the run.
Tickets are available now for this surreal journey through past and present!

DETAILS

WHERE: Indiana Repertory Theatre, 140 W. Washington Street, IRT Upperstage

RUN DATES:  April 20 – May 15, various times. Streaming May 2 – 15. The Paper Dreams of Harry Chin is approximately 2 hours and 15 minutes, including a 15-minute intermission. Tickets and performance schedule available at IRTlive.com.

TICKETS: In-Person tickets start at $25. Virtual tickets are $30.  Click to buy.

CAST & CREATIVE TEAM:
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ANNE BATES | Laura
ALLISON BUCK | Sheila
SAM ENCARNACION | Boss & Interrogator
STEPHENIE SOOHYUN PARK | Yuet & Susan
DAVID SHIH | Harry
LINDEN TAILOR | Poet & Immigration Officer
 
JESSICA HUANG | Playwright
JAKI BRADLEY | Director
WILSON CHIN | Scenic Designer
YAO CHEN | Costume Designer
CHA SEE | Lighting Designer
BROKEN CHORD | Sound Design & Composition
REUBEN LUCAS | Projections Designer
RICHARD J ROBERTS | Dramaturg
ERIN ROBSON-SMITH | Stage Manager

For more information contact Kerry Barmann, Marketing Communications Manager at kbarmann@irtlive.com or 317.916.4824.

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ABOUT THE IRT
Founded in 1971, the Indiana Repertory Theatre (IRT) is the largest professional not-for-profit theatre in the state and one of the leading regional theatres in the country. The mission of the Indiana Repertory Theatre is to produce top-quality, professional theatre and related activities, providing experiences that will engage, surprise, challenge, and entertain people throughout their lifetimes, helping us build a vital and vibrant community.
Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access (IDEA): The IRT strives to celebrate and serve the diverse people and cultures that make up our whole community. The IRT is committed to providing access for all; to creating and maintaining an antiracist theatre that is inclusive, safe, and respectful.