Gypsy Theatre Company

Bringing theatre to life, and life to theatre...

FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS - January 25, 2009

      Playhouse Serves
          up a classic
'Steel Magnolias' opens Thursday
                                                  By Jennifer Sami

For its Cumming Playhouse debut, Gypsy Theatre is pulling out all the emotional stops
with a production of "Steel Magnolias." The show's six sweet, sassy, smart, stubborn and
strong Southern women offer something for everyone, said its director and Gypsy co-
owner who goes only by the name Mercury.

"Since this play is set in a South, I think there's a strong appeal for audiences because it's
an American slice of pie," Mercury said. "Many of us are familiar with this show and it's a
wonderful story that a lot of us enjoy."

The story follows the struggles and joys of a close group of women, showing that
friendships forged at a beauty parlor can endure through births, weddings, funerals and
daily life.

Mercury said the production is a mix of laughs and tears, highlighting the talent that can
be expected from the year-old production company in the future.

"This community of ladies, who are family even through most of them are just friends,
deals with these situations and it just shows how they support each other very well," he
said. "It gives a good representation of a lot of our lives and how we deal with the good
and the bad times."

Jan Grimshaw plays the role of M'Lynn Eatenton. Her character is typically calm and
demure, so it took some help from Mercury to reach a level of believable anger.

"I was always told to be a good girl, be nice, don't get upset and don't yell at people," said
Grimshaw, a Cumming resident. "And I've had to let go of that constraint in order to
express anger. Mercury was wonderful and he really helped me."

One part of the production that hasn't been difficult, Grimshaw said, is acting as though
her fellow cast members are friends. Though they've only been rehearsing together for a
couple of months, she said the women have a close connection.

"These are wonderful women. I am having so much fun," she said. "We really have
developed a bond and I feel like we really are all sitting in the beauty shop getting our hair
done and we've been doing it for years."

While audiences might be familiar with the 1989 movie, "Steel Magnolias" was first written
as a play. While the movie introduces a variety of settings and an ensemble cast,
including the husbands and fathers of the six women, the play is restricted to just the
women in a few settings.

Some voices come from offstage and events are only discussed, but the simpler version
allows for more focus on the women.

"The relationships are predominantly about the women," Mercury said. "The actors really
bring their characters to life. This is a collaborative effort."

Grimshaw said the story is what drew her to audition for the production.

"It's such a beautiful story," she said. "It's got humor, it's got friendship, it's got smart-
Aleck remarks, it's got laughter, it's got tears and the community of these women is just so
special."

E-mail Jennifer Sami at jennifersami@forsythnews.com.
Copyright, 2009, Forsyth County News. All Rights Reserved.

For more information of Steel Magnolias, click here.

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TOWN LOAFER - January 1, 2009

Cultivation of Culture
By Linda Allen

Local, live stage performance.

I’m almost embarrassed to admit it, but in December I attended my first show at The
Cumming Playhouse. That embarrassment stems not from the show, but from it being the
first one I ever attended. And what a show and venue to boot!

We started our night out with a fabulous dinner at Tam’s Backstage Restaurant, where
the food was splendid. We then took a short historical tour upstairs which helped relieve
our full bellies before settling in our chairs for the evening. We saw A Sander’s Family
Christmas, the sequel to the ever-popular Smoke on the Mountain. Not only was the show
entertaining and hysterical throughout, the actors were top notch. I had no idea what I had
been missing all of these years!

If you’re looking for the cultivation of culture in your community, The Cumming Playhouse
delivers what you’re hungry for. Their latest dish, Steel Magnolias, promises to dazzle and
delight your palette. Produced by the Gypsy Theatre Company, this heartfelt play will
tickle your funny bone and your heartstrings.

“Many are familiar with this show,” commented Mercury, Artistic Director of Gypsy and
Director of Steel Magnolias. “It’s a classical story of life and how we navigate through its
ups and downs with the help of family and friends. But I think audiences will be pleasantly
surprised if they’ve only seen the movie version. These characters and their radiance
really sparkle, as it only can, in live theatre.”

Written by Robert Harling (first as a play and then later adapted into a screenplay) Steel
Magnolias is based upon true events from his life. The play is set in Truvy’s beauty salon
in Chinquapin, La., where all the ladies who are “anybody” come to have their hair done.
Helped by her eager new assistant, Annelle (who is not sure whether or not she is still
married), the outspoken, wise-cracking Truvy dispenses shampoos and free advice to the
town’s rich curmudgeon, Ouiser, (“I’m not crazy, I’ve just been in a bad mood for forty
years”); an eccentric millionaire, 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.” Filled with witty repartee and not a few acerbic but humorously
revealing verbal collisions, these women, the “Steel Magnolias” draw upon their
underlying strength—and love—which give the play, and its characters, that special
quality to make them truly touching, funny, and marvelously amiable company in good
times and bad.

Gypsy Theatre Company is not new to bringing poignancy and authenticity to the stage,
having recently completed their fall school tour of Gone for a Soldier: Voices of the
American Civil War. Written by local Atlanta playwright, John Stephens, the action in Gone
For a Soldier takes place in and around Atlanta and impartially depicts both sides of the
War Between the States. “I saw this show performed several times in Atlanta,” says
Danielle Bugay, Managing Director for Gypsy. “We were passionate about bringing this
piece of theatre and history to Forsyth County.

Gypsy Theatre Company bills itself as “your local professional community theatre.” “We
had Drama Camps this past June here in Cumming, and it was such fun,” says Mercury. “It
was great to watch the kids (ages 5 to 15) become so involved in the camps, which
culminated in a performance for parents at the end of the week.” Gypsy also performed
the fairy tale, The Festival of Cups, last spring for the grand opening of Sawnee Mountain
Preserve and at the Sawnee Arts Festival. Gone For A Soldier was also performed on
Sawnee Mountain this past summer. Gypsy attended career day and participated in the
last day of school activities at Cumming Elementary as well. “We will continue to expand
our involvement within the community,” Mercury added. “In addition to the Drama Camps,
acting and technical theatre classes are just a few of the things we have in mind for the
future.”

With such enthusiasm from veterans of the stage, Steel Magnolias promises to be
something special, especially with the talents of local Cumming residents Jan Grimshaw,
Stefanie Newsome, Charity Caroline Pirkle, and nearby residents Joylene M. Taylor,
Debbi Hamm, and Caitlin Bruggeman.

The impetus to teach the theatrical arts presents a unique connection to the Cumming
Playhouse’s origin. The original purpose of the edifice was to house Forsyth County’s first
diploma-conferring school. The Cumming Public School was first erected in 1923 to serve
grades 1-11. Shortly thereafter, it burned, was rebuilt within its same brick walls, and
reopened in 1927. Over the years, the school transformed itself as needs arose, serving
as a primary grade school, middle grade school, and in its final operative years as the
headquarters of the Forsyth County Board of Education. The City of Cumming acquired
the school in 1999 from the Forsyth County Board of Education and through the efforts of
the Historical Society of Forsyth County—Annette Bramblett in particular—the old school
was named to The National Register of Historic Places in 2000. The Historic Marker was
dedicated in April six years later.

Funding for restoration was provided by Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax monies
earmarked for Historic Preservation. During this process, beautiful tongue-and-groove
pine flooring and a vaulted ceiling with exposed beams were uncovered in the school
auditorium. This area was restored to its original architectural beauty and converted to
the 184-seat Cumming Playhouse with state-of-the-art lighting and sound. Opening in July
2004, playhouse patrons have enjoyed many main stage plays as well as various
concerts representing an array of music styles: blues and jazz, classical, bluegrass and
country.

The school also provides an historic tour of Old Cumming via photographs, annuals,
historic artifacts, and authentically restored classrooms. It is home to the Bell Center for
Southern Genealogical Research and The Historical Society of Forsyth County.

A finishing touch to the experience of the Cumming Playhouse and Historic School is
“Tam's Backstage Restaurant.” Surrounded by an exciting atmosphere of a Broadway
Pub, a fine selection of entrees and beverages make for a most memorable visit. Open-air
dining is available in the Historic Garden—an area filled with the rich flowers and
established shrubs planted in days gone by—adjacent to the main serving area along with
two additional catering rooms on the main level of the Historic School.

So, starting planning for some culture in 2009. A fine meal, historic atmosphere, and live
talent on stage at The Cumming Playhouse are certain to culminate in a most unique and
pleasant evening.

Historical facts from playhousecumming.com

For more information:
The Cumming Playhouse
770-781-9178
101 School Street
Cumming, GA 30041
www.playhousecumming.com