"Steel Magnolias"
By Robert Harling
Directed by Brent Blalock
CAST PROFILES
Susan Kahn (M'Lynn) returns after participating in three Arena shows during the 1997-98 season. She stage-managed Deathtrap, and appeared on-stage as Mrs. Chumley in Harvey and as Rosemary Mortimore in It Runs in the Family. An English/Speech/Drama teacher at Norwell High School, Susan also claims to be a "deadheader"(not to be confused with a "deadhead" This year, she has sixty-four different kinds of flowers and ten eatables! Susan vehemently denies continuing to participate in community theatre just for a chance to have yet another of her fabulous cast parties.
T.J. McCombs (Clairee) has become, over the years, on of the Summit City's busiest theatre personalities. Recently, she was Myrtle Mac Simmons in Harvey and Ilona Ritter in She Loves Me at Arena. During that same hectic time period, she also directed Arena's Deathtrap and Quilters for Huntington College. The award-winning actress (and Homestead High School mathematics teacher) has been, at one time or another, involved with every theatre group in town. Her favorite shows include: You're a Good Man Charlie Brown, Do Black Patent Leather Shoes Really Reflect Up?, Lend Me a Tenor, The Owl and the Pussycat, and Rumors.
Christy Reising (Truvy) kicks off the new Arena season with Steel Magnolias after just closing the last one in Cabaret. Our audiences have also caught her as one of the "Voices" in They're Playing our Song and as Beatrice in ... Whorehouse. Elsewhere, she has been involved in such productions as Starting Here, Starting Now at Grey Lite and The Miss Firecracker Contest at First Pres. On the other side of the footlights, Christy directed a 1996 production of Wrong Turn at Lungfish. "Hugs and kisses to all my family and friends for their love and support through everything)".
Toni Taylor (Ouiser) returns to the summit city stage after a long absence. Local theatre-goers last saw her in productions of Picnic and A Streetcar Named Desire during the late 70's and early 80's. Toni, a configuration manager by day, also enjoys painting, gardening and raising Bengals.
Rebekah Danelle Ward (Shelby), while making her Arena debut, is certainly to stranger to the stage. She has been in productions of Anything Goes, Fiddler on the Roof, and Hello, Dolly! for the Huntington, W.V. Musical Arts Guild. She played numerous roles in T.J. McCombs' production of Quilters. Margot in The Diary of Anne Frank and the title character in Go Ask Alice-all at Hunting on College. A youth ministry intern at Emmanuel Community Church, Rebekah loves working with children and hopes to, someday, do overseas mission work. She thanks God for her love of theatre and her family for putting up with her "dramatics"!
Shenoah White (Annelle) is making her legitimate theatre debut with Steel Magnolias. While she never before appeared in a play, Shenoah has an extensive background in dance -- having worked with both the Ft. Wayne School of Dance and L.A. Dance. She has performed at numerous competitions as well as the Festival of Trees. She also had the privilege of dancing with Gregory Hines when he performed at the Embassy Theatre in 1996.
Brent Blalock (Director) returned to the Ft Wayne theatre after an absence of several years with Arena's recent mounting of the farcical It Runs in the Family, in which he played the humorously put-upon Dr. Bonney (award nomination). Prior to that, this multi-talented actor/director kept busy in a number of other theatre communities, including Huntington, IN where he directed the Sound of Music last summer. Across the border (Ohio), he has worked extensively with the Hicksville Village Players and the Williams County Players. There, he (in addition to playing a variety of roles) directed Musical Comedy Murders of 1940, and more productions of Nunsense and Once Upon a Mattress that he can count!
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