I Was a Steel Magnolia

It's been a little more than three years since then.

I don't remember now what made me want to do it. Maybe I saw an ad somewhere or maybe it had been my recent stint back on the stage dancing, but I decided to audition for a local theatre production of Steel Magnolias.

To tell you the truth, I really didn't think I was going to get a part. I had never really acted before, I'd always been in the chorus or the dance troupe in high school... and well, that had been quite some time ago.



But it was either my skills learned while working in TV or maybe it was the fact I had red hair. It turns out the young woman who landed the role of Shelby (the Julia Roberts character) was a redhead so it must have made logical sense to select me. Or, maybe I actually did a good job in my audition.

Either way, I had NO IDEA what I was getting myself into. I hadn't seen the movie in eons. I mean, I really didn't realize which character I could be getting. I was just going to go and read some lines and well, just see.

Ha! Well, this is what happens y'all when you aren't paying attention. I was given the role of M'Lynn, the mother of Shelby. (The Sally Field character.)

So to my surprise one night while going over the script with the cast I discovered I had to portray this scene below. Oh yes.

My first reaction was. Oh no. Oh no no no no nooooooo. I can't do this. I CAN'T!!!!

The directors just looked at me like "oh yes you can."

And over the course of time I learned my lines. I went over that scene and over that scene... until finally I made my peace with it.

They even had "Shelby" and I go to a bridal shop together and get into character and act like we were gown shopping. What a hoot! It actually helped give us a mother/daughter bond.

But I think now I would have played out that scene a lot different. I understand the feelings of having a daughter of my own. I think I would have been sobbing real tears.

Maybe I'm a Steel Magnolia after all.