Fish Creek, Wisconsin — Peninsula Players Theatre, America’s oldest professional resident summer theatre, opens the fifth and final show of its 90th season with Robert Harling’s “Steel Magnolias,” a hilarious celebration of friendship, heartaches, and hairdos! This beloved and moving comedy runs from September 3 through October 19. Performances are Tuesdays through Sundays at 7:00 p.m., except on Sundays, September 14, 28, October 5, and 19 at 2:00 p.m. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.peninsulaplayers.com or call the Box Office at (920) 868-3287.
“Steel Magnolias” chronicles the lives and friendships of six marvelously different women who support each other through triumphs and tragedies. They congregate every Saturday at Truvy’s beauty shop to ponder the mysteries of life and death, husbands and children – as well as hair and nails! Through their witty banter and plenty of ribbing, the women form bonds as strong as steel and friendships that feel like family.
The cast, director, and creative team include both new talent to Peninsula Players Theatre and returning alumni. Among the cast are Emily Scinto, Cassie Slater (“Cabaret,” “Sunday in the Park with George”) and Amanda Walker, all of whom performed in “Little Women The Broadway Musical.” Scinto’s stage credits include Chanhassen Dinner Theatres and Drury Lane Theatre; Slater received a Joseph Jefferson Award for her performance in “Merrily We Roll Along” at White Horse Theatre; and Walker has performed at Marriott Theatre and Cortland Repertory Theatre. They join Karen Janes Woditsch (“Barefoot in the Park,” “Almost, Maine”), who returns for her 10th season after having performed in Broadway’s “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child,” and Meg Thalken (“Ripcord”), whose credits include Northlight Theatre, Actors Theatre of Louisville and television programs “Chicago Med” and “ER.” Making her Peninsula Players Theatre debut is Tami Workentin, a Milwaukee-based actor/director/playwright. Workentin’s credits include Court Theatre, Next Act Theatre, Northern Sky Theater, Renaissance Theatreworks and more.
Slater will portray Truvy, the town’s gossip-loving force of nature. Scinto portrays Anelle, the new, shy hairdresser looking for her place in the world. Woditsch and Walker are cast as the mother-daughter duo, M’Lynn and Shelby. Rounding out this powerhouse cast are Thalken and Workentin, who portray the bickering buddies Ouiser (pronounced Wheezer) and Clairee. With laughs, tears, and warmth, this cast will make “Steel Magnolias” a memorable night of live theatre.
Melanie Keller returns to Peninsula Players Theatre to direct “Steel Magnolias,” where her previous directing credits include “I Ought To Be In Pictures,” “Trying,” and “Murder for Two.” As the associate artistic director of First Folio Theatre, she directed the Joseph Jefferson-nominated “Silent Sky,” and as a member of Signal Ensemble, her direction of “The Drowning Girls” earned her another nomination. Other directing credits include Illinois Wesleyan University, Northern Illinois University and Montana Shakespeare in the Parks.
The creative team includes Kärin Simonson Kopischke, costume design (“Silent Sky,” “Write Me a Murder”); Michaela Lochen, scenic design (“Million Dollar Quartet”); Kyle Pingel-Hickey, wig design (“Little Women The Broadway Musical”); and Noele Stollmack, lighting design (“Mary’s Wedding”). Making her Peninsula Players Theatre debut is Martilia Marechal, sound design.
Nestled along Door County’s scenic shore, Peninsula Players Theatre has captivated generations of audiences since 1935. The organization has staged hundreds of classic dramas, comedies, musicals, pre-Broadway tryouts, and world premieres. Peninsula Players Theatre is a professional, not-for-profit theatre that employs members of Actors’ Equity Association (AEA), the union of professional actors and stage managers; United Scenic Artists (USA), a labor union and professional association of designers, artists and craftspeople; and the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society (SDC), a theatrical union of stage directors and choreographers.
In the autumn, the Theatre’s all-weather pavilion features in-floor radiant heat to take the chill out of the air, but as Mother Nature is the Theatre’s lobby, patrons should dress for the weather and be prepared for shifting temperatures and breezes off the bay. Peninsula Players Theatre is a smoke-free campus; smoking is strictly prohibited at all times on the grounds. Audience members are invited to come early for a pre-show beverage or snack at the Luna Bar and Canteen. The grounds open 90 minutes before the show. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.peninsulaplayers.com or call the Box Office at (920) 868-3287.
