Steel Magnolias premiered April 25th-27th to be one of OCSA’s last main stages as the school year quickly comes to an abrupt end. Set in small town, Louisiana, the show revolves around a tight-nit-group of southern women who bond at the local beauty salon, as they confront life’s sudden obstacles and tribulations. The schools production demonstrated just that and more.

OCSA’s Steel Magnolias was nothing less than an extraordinary accomplishment on displaying women’s strength as individuals and a conquering community. With comical and humorous relief weaved into the production, Steel Magnolias set us back decades, as we revel in the power of womanhood.

The biggest feat by the drama department was casting. Our six leading ladies filled the stage most of the show, five seniors and one junior, with Amanda Seymour playing our front character, Truvy Jones. Though the cast was small, personalities thrived and filled any gaps the audience may not have received if more actors/actresses were on stage. A round of applause to Lexi Delgato, who’s role as Shelby Eatenton Latcherie was both heartbreaking and inspiring as her performance reached everyone’s hearts in the audience. Not to mention the fact that if you didn’t notice the small set backs on stage, that’s because Delgato’s improvisation naturally covered it up; credit when credit is due.

An additional breakaway star, Amanda Traverso, was another actress to carry out some of the best acting the school has ever received. Her part as Clairee Belcher did not only present a funny, witty relief to the production, but a sense of equal, relatable stability.

The drama department displayed an astounding amount of raw, acting talent; however, the shows progress getting from one scene to the other was slow. Most of what happened on stage included gossip mixed in with heartbreaking/funny action, but the conversation dragged to the point where it seemed repetitive and tedious. Nonetheless, OCSA’s actresses fueled the flame with big personalities and energy that lifted the mood.

Though the show primarily ran with one set, the stage was exceedingly realistic for the time period. We have senior tech major, Hailey Scott, to thank for that. Scott was the head set designer, while OCSA’s tech department worked tirelessly to build it. If you have ever been to a hair salon or beauty parlor, you could agree that everything was openly authentic. Safe to say that tech was a true hit.

Overall, the show ran with such power and modern acts of strength. Though the production fell into a sort of a day-to-day routine, it didn’t fail to bring tears to my eyes and break my heart. Definitely a show I wouldn’t mind seeing twice.

Thank you OCSA and our drama/tech department for putting on a great production. An appreciable way to end the 2018-2019 school year.