When I learned Potomac would be participating in competition theater for the first time, I didn’t know what to think. Initially, I was doubtful about putting on two winter plays instead of a musical, as has been Potomac’s tradition. However, my skepticism was soon replaced by excitement for the opportunity to perform in the one-act, six-woman play, Steel Magnolias. We would compete against schools around the state at the Virginia Thespians Festival.
Set in a beauty salon, Steel Magnolias follows the stories of six women in a small town in Louisiana. While it has comedic aspects, it is a tragic story of strength in times of hardship and the joys of building family ties. We performed the play on January 5 at Capital One at 8 a.m. and will put it on for the US on January 11 in EPAC during Panther Time and January 12 in the Black Box at 6:30 p.m.
Before auditions, Ms. Mia Fisher-Phillips, Upper School teacher and theater director, gave everyone a copy of the script to read. Even so, nothing could have prepared me for the experience of my auditions. On the first day, we each performed a memorized monologue, and someone else had prepared the same monologue as I had. I panicked that another actor’s performance would detract from mine. However, this turned out to be an empty concern.
During callbacks, I was blown away. In the unrehearsed reads of critical scenes, other actors performed so well I found myself overcome with emotion for characters I didn’t know yet. There was an astonishing absence of the usual competition with other actors, just a genuine, honest effort to help each other to our best performances. In my five other shows at Potomac, none have rivaled this kind of overwhelming community in an audition space.
After the first performance at Capital One, this show is the most meaningful experience in my Potomac Theater career. The community and camaraderie formed early in the rehearsal process were the key to our success on stage. When we walked out on that stage during the competition at Capital One, not one of us was alone. In live theater, things go wrong all the time. Every show is a little different. What makes it possible and not so frightening is that we are ready to face it together. No matter what happens on stage, the tragedy, humor, emotion, and community fostered by this show make it a memorable one for everyone who comes to see us perform.
