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September 16, 2014
Story by Joe Vinduska
Photos by Brandon Steinert

������Ƶ sophomore theatre major Joy Conner used to be shy.�� Thanks to her involvement with theatre, her shyness is a thing of the past.�� She’ll be portraying the role of Truvy Jones in the ������Ƶ Theatre production of “Steel Magnolias,” a role made famous by Dolly Parton in the Hollywood movie.�� ������Ƶ Theatre will present the play at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 25-27 in the Fine Arts Auditorium.

Conner always wanted to be in theatre; After all, her mother and father were both interested in it, and it interested her.�� She admitted that she was just too much of a “chicken” to get involved until her freshman year of high school.

“Theatre was a way for me to break out of my bubble,” she said.�� “I’m not shy anymore, so it has helped me.”

Conner participated in theatre all through high school and decided to continue to pursuing it as a career.

“I couldn’t decide what I want to be when I grew up, so I decided to be something that allows me to be a lot of different things,” she said.

As a theatre major at ������Ƶ, Conner said she has been allowed to blossom as a performer.

“I have gotten to play a lot of different roles,” she said.�� “We did a lot of comedies in high school.�� At ������Ƶ, we’ve been doing more serious roles and it has really broadened my horizons.”

Conner said going to school at ������Ƶ allowed her hone her craft and explore other aspects of theater besides performing.

“It’s a really fun environment,” she said.�� “It’s on a smaller scale so you get parts, whereas if you go to a larger school there are tons of people and a lot more competition.�� It’s harder to get cast.�� You also get to experience a little bit of everything and learn tech stuff and how to do your make-up because it’s on a smaller scale.”

Conner is a fan of the “Steel Magnolias” movie and is equally fond of the theater adaptation.
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“It’s really fun to get to see how the characters behave and the gossip in the shop,” she said.�� “It’s a really funny show but has its serious moments.”

While her time at ������Ƶ may be coming to a close after this semester, Conner plans to continue her theatre career at a university in Texas and enter the industry via the Austin theatre scene and continue performing or working as a production assistant.

The play was written by Robert Harling and is being presented with special permission by Dramatist Play Service, Inc.�� All tickets are general admission.�� Ticket price is $7 at the door.�� Students are admitted free.�� Tickets can be purchased in advance by calling (620) 792-9391.�� ��