The Osceola County School for the Arts will bring their production of Steel Magnolias to the stage this Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 6:30pm.

Written by playwright Robert Harling, as a dedication to his sister who died of complications from diabetes, and first debuted in 1987, Steel Magnolias examines the relationships between a lovely group of southern ladies from Louisiana in a small-town beauty parlor who witness the milestones in each other’s lives. Harling wanted the audience to have a true representation of what his family endured during his sister’s experience, and all of the characters are composites of people he knew growing up in a small town in Louisiana. The play is ultimately hilarious and heartwarming, deeply revealing of the strength and purposefulness of each character in their lives. The title suggests the main female characters can be both as delicate as the magnolia flower and as tough as steel. The play’s complexities has brought audiences all over the world to both laughter and tears.

Senior drama major, Camila Gutierrez, who will play the role of Annelle in the show, says that she is very excited to showcase all the hard work from everyone in the casts and how much they have connected in the process. “The cast and crew are incredible people. This whole process has been very smooth and very progressive for everyone involved. We always have fun and there was never a rehearsal where anyone dreaded working.” Camila says that she is very confident in the onstage chemistry between everyone in the casts and believes the audience will enjoy watching them interact. “They should expect some serious topics with a lot of comedic relief as well as rumors from our town ‘Chinquapin Parish’ and backstories from the people residing in the town”.

Camila is very excited to play her character. “There is a lot of character development from my character. She starts off as a very young girl who struggles to find her purpose…at the end of the show, you see her as a completely different person who has learned from her mistakes. I enjoy playing her because I relate to her in my way. The past four years have been a wild journey…looking back, I have realized how much I was capable of. Annelle does the the same throughout where she takes a look back and sees her good fortune in the present tense.”

To experience Camila play this wonderful character, and the rest of the cast and crew, come see Steel Magnolias which opens Thursday, April 25th and runs through Saturday, April 27th at 6:30pm.

Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students. You don’t want miss it!