The Details
Length: Approx 2 hours (plus a 15 minute intermission)
Genre: Drama/Comedy
Age Recommendation: 14 and up. Children under 10 will not be admitted to the theatre. All patrons must have a ticket. This production contains mature themes and language.
Full Policies: Click here for our full theatre/venue policies that apply to all of our performances. There are no refunds or exchanges.
September 15-24, 2023
La Habra Residents Save 25% on all tier levels!
Student/Senior Ticket Discounts available.
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Directed by Sydney Raquel
Truvy’s beauty salon in Chinquapin, Louisiana, is where all the ladies who are “anybody” come to have their hair done. Annelle: who is not sure whether or not she is still married. The outspoken, wise-cracking Truvy who dispenses shampoos and free advice to the town’s rich curmudgeon, Ouiser, an eccentric millionaire (“I’m not crazy, I’ve just been in a bad mood for forty years”). Miss Clairee, who has a raging sweet tooth; and the local social leader, M’Lynn, whose daughter, Shelby (the prettiest girl in town), is about to marry a “good ole boy.”
DID YOU KNOW: The1989 film starred Olympia Dukakis, Sally Field, Daryl Hannah, Shirley MacLaine, Dolly Parton and Julia Roberts.
The Cast and Production Team
Natalie Kathleen – Shelby Etenton-Latcherie
Natalie Kathleen has been acting for a little over a decade in both theatre and film. This is her first show with Phantom Projects and is thrilled to be working alongside this team. Some of her favorite roles include: Bessie Mundy in The Drowning Girls, Alice Sycamore in You Can’t Take It With You, and Adult Pearl in The Scarlet Letter. Natalie is grateful for all the love and support from her friends, family, and mentors. She dedicates this performance and every one that follows to her Aunt Lorie.
Tanya Raisa – M’Lynn Etenton
Tanya is delighted to be a Steel Magnolia in the role of M’Lynn. Her last role with Phantom Projects Theatre was as The White Witch in C.S. Lewis’ The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Tanya began her acting career on stage and pursued a double degree in Acting and Communicative Disorders from CSUF. She has played various roles performing in over 20 theaters in Southern California. Her work has grown into storytelling on-screen in tv & film, commercials, improv, and voice-over. Tanya also owns a music education business and has a penchant for traveling the world, acquiring other languages and eating dark chocolate. Sweet gratitude to Steve & Sydney and the entire cast & team of Steel Magnolias.
Monica Rae Wilson – Ouiser Boudreaux
This will be Monica’s first performance with Phantom Projects and her first time on stage for nearly 25 years. She has been busy teaching children’s theatre, directing and painting murals so she is over the moon happy to be acting again. Currently, Monica teaches for Drama Kids Int. in Northwest Orange County and is very devoted to education through Theatre Arts.
Monica grew up in Iowa and received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Performance and Design from Viterbo University in La Crosse, WI. Her favorite acting credits include Nora in A Doll’s House for which she was nominated for the Irene Ryan Award, Katie in Finishing Touches for the City of Clinton Showboat, and the Velveteen Rabbit in The Velveteen Rabbit for the touring company Alpha Theater Project out of Saginaw, MI. While living in Chicago she considered Victory Gardens Theatre “home” where she played Dysan in Dysan, Millie in April Snow, and the French Girl in Can Can. And if not on stage, you would have found her painting sets, designing costumes or creating props as well for almost every theater she ever worked for.
Monica would like to thank Phantom Projects for getting her back on stage with the opportunity to play “Ouiser Boudreaux.” It’s truly a dream come true.
Natalie Botkins – Annelle Dupuy-Desoto
Natalie Botkins is excited to be a part of Steel Magnolias. Some of her previous roles include: Brilliant Traces (Rosannah DeLuce) and Fun Home (Joan) at Talking Horse Productions, as well as Othello (Desdemona) with Guerl-rilla Theatre and Pippin (Catherine) at the Macklanburg Playhouse.
Sherry Domerego – Clairee Belcher
A long-time theater afficionado, Sherry has appeared in well over 100 theatrical productions since she first stepped foot on a stage almost 40 years ago. Her most-loved personifications include (but are not limited to) Mama Rose/Gypsy, Fraulein Schneider/Cabaret, Sister Mary Regina/Nunsence, Mrs. Tottendale/Drowsy Chaperone, Lady Bracknell/The Importance of Being Ernest, and Ethel Thayer/On Golden Pond. She has sung and danced her way through a myriad of musicals and has emoted her way through numerous plays – both comedies and dramas.
When not treading the boards, Sherry can be found digging in the dirt, planting flowers, painting walls and furniture, sewing costumes, and baking goodies for hungry cast members. Sherry is an avid participant with Huntington Beach Tee It Up For The Troops, which in ten years has raised 2.7 million dollars in support of our veterans & their families. We must never forget that the USA is the land of the free because of those brave men and women. Sherry’s most cherished role will always be grandma to Lindsey, who shares her passion for performing.
Jeanetta Behr – Truvy Jones
Jeanetta is thrilled to be a part of her first production with The Phantom Projects Theatre. Originally from Indiana, she left acting behind to help her son pursue HIS dream of acting. During her hiatus, she learned of the auditions for Steel Magnolias. Returning to the stage a little earlier than planned, she would never pass on her bucket list production. She feels so honored to share the stage with such a talented cast. Other credits include Wizard of Oz (Wicked Witch of the West), Mame (Mame), Music Man (Marian), The Vast Difference (Dr. Howard), The View from Here (Carla), and her most recent production, The Odd Couple (Vera)
which won her an Encore Award for Best Supporting Actress. She is thankful to her husband and three children for always reminding her that following your heart is one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself.
Sydney Raquel – Director
Sydney Raquel is an award nominated director for stage and film. She is the owner and founding Artistic Director of SPROUTIN’ studio, with credits as director, editor, and producer of award winning films “Optimal”, “Podcast & Chill”, and “Passed Over” through the 48 hour film project Los Angeles and San Diego. Sydney also works as the Production Manager at The Wayward Artist in downtown Santa Ana, where she directed Actually by Anna Ziegler in 2022, and received nominations for Best Director and Best Production of a Play through the Orange County Theatre Guild. Sydney focuses on creating meaningful and authentic work of womanhood and the human experience.
Loren Morris – Production Stage Manager
Loren is thrilled to be working with Phantom Projects for another wonderful show in La Habra and a show that holds a very special place in her family. This is her seventh show with Phantom Projects and only her eighth show as stage manager. This will be her sixth show at The Phantom Projects La Habra Depot Theatre. She is very thankful for this show and production crew and has many more projects to follow in the following months.
Zoe Wilber – Costume Designer
Zoe moved to Orange County from Portland, OR and earned their BFA in Theatre Performance from Chapman University in 2021. She has costume designed three past Phantom Projects Theatre Group productions: “The Face of Emmett Till”, “The Outsiders” and “Little Shop of Horrors”. Zoe would like to especially thank Steve, Loren, and Sydney for their support and artistic collaboration.
Robert Harling (playwright) his directorial debut with “The Evening Star” for Paramount, which he also wrote for the screen based on Larry McMurty’s novel. “The Evening Star” reunited Shirley MacLaine and Jack Nicholson and co-stars Juliette Lewis, Bill Paxton, Scott Wolf, Miranda Richardson, and Marion Ross. “The Evening Star” is the continuation of one of the most beloved and acclaimed movies of our time, “Terms of Endearment.” Before launching a successful stage and screenwriting career, Robert graduated from Tulane University School of Law, but instead of taking the bar exam, he opted to become an actor in New York. After years of productive work as an actor in voiceovers and commercials, Harling was inspired to write the highly acclaimed stage play STEEL MAGNOLIAS, which was based on events from his personal life. STEEL MAGNOLIAS continues to thrive in theatrical productions throughout the world. Immediately bridging a career from stage to screen, Harling adapted his original play into the popular film of the same title, which starred Sally Field, Julia Roberts, Shirley MacLaine, Olympia Dukakis, Dolly Parton, and Daryl Hannah. Over the years, Mr. Harling has become a much sought-after screenwriter: other credits, to name a few, include “Soapdish,” which was based on Harling’s acting experience and starred Sally Field, Whoopi Goldberg, and Robert Downey Jr., and “FIRST WIVES CLUB” for Paramount, starring Bette Midler, Goldie Hawn, and Diane Keaton. more.