at Westwego Cultural Center, 177 Sala Avenue in Westwego

(September 15, 2023—Metairie, Louisiana)—Jefferson Performing Arts Society kicks off its Westbank 46^th season stage productions with Steel Magnolias this month at the Westwego Cultural Center on Sala Avenue in Westwego. The show runs for two weekends, Thursdays through Sundays, from Thursday, September 21 through Sunday, October 1.

The 1987 stage play by Robert Harding, based on the real life experiences of his sister and the community of Natchitoches, Louisiana,  became a 1989 movie with an all-star cast featuring Dolly Parton as Truvy, Julia Roberts at Shelby Eatentono-Latcherie, Sally Fields as M’Lynn Eatenton, Olympia Dukakis as Clairee Belcher, Shirley MacClaine as Ouiser Bourdeau, and Daryl Hannah as Annelle. The JPAS production features the following local actresses in these complex and iconic Southern female roles:

CAST:

Rachel Abbate,  TRUVY JONES

Reagan Lincoln, M'LYNN EATENTON

Avery Colle, ANNELLE DUPY-DESOTO

Rachel Looney,  SHELBY EATENTON-LATCHERIE

Marcia Cassanova, CLAIREE BELCHER

Janet Shea, OUISER BOURDEAU

CREATIVE TEAM:

Kiane Davis, DIRECTOR

Elise Bourg, STAGE MANAGER

Benjamin Dougherty, SCENIC DESIGNER

Jules Granger, LIGHTING DESIGNER

Avery Colle, COSTUME DESIGNER

Kasey Smith, WIG & MAKEUP DESIGNER

Jenn Wilt, ASST. HAIR AND MAKEUP/DRESSER

Eric Porter, SOUND DESIGNER

Nerissa Newsom, PROPS DESIGNER

JPAS will present two more stage plays at the intimate setting of the Westwego Cultural Center as part of its 46^th season: Looped (November 9-19, 2023) about Tallulah Bankhead, featuring Leslie Castay in the lead role, and The Mountaintop (January 25-February 4, 2024), about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s final hours, in a surprising and spiritual story that takes place in the Lorraine Motel. Auditions for this show are underway and the cast will be announced soon.

For tickets and information, visit www.jpas.org or call the box office at 504-885-200.  All shows will be onstage at the Westwego Cultural Center,  as the nearby Westwego Performing Arts Theatre is still undergoing repairs from Hurricane Ida. WPAT is due to open in the New Year. For media inquiries on all JPAS shows, email amy@jpas.org.