By Marion Filler
When playwright Robert Harling wrote Steel Magnolias in 1987, he never imagined it would become both a hit movie and an ageless play. Pioneer Productions, an all-volunteer nonprofit established in 2003, brings the Magnolias to Morristown for two consecutive weekends—another reminder of why this story endures.
The troupe has presented shows in Sparta, Jersey City, and Fair Lawn, but its 2022 move to the Morristown United Methodist Church proved transformative. There, the company found not only a home and a patron, but also a cast member in Pastor Luana Cook Scott.
Since settling in Morristown, Pioneer has produced Rent, Dinner With Friends, Godspell, Lost in Yonkers, Songs for a New World, and God of Carnage—a diverse string that has pushed the ensemble to spread its collective wings.
Steel Magnolias joins that impressive list tonight, Nov. 14, 2025, with a rookie sharing the director’s chair.
“There are no stars in the show—it’s really an ensemble piece,” says co-director Miriam Salerno, who joined the company about four years ago and is making her directorial debut.
“For the most part, all the actors are on stage for almost the whole play, and every one of them has their own story arc. There are three generations of women—two in their 20s, two in their 40s/50s, and two who are older.”
Showtime is 8 pm in the church, at 50 South Park Place. Performances follow on Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday with a matinee at 3 p.m. The same schedule repeats next weekend, Nov. 21-23. Tickets are $25 general admission and $30 for VIP seating.
“Artistically, it’s about humanity and it’s got universality,” says co-director Tom Olori, a veteran director at the helm for the first time with Pioneer Productions. “It’s about six women and their relationships, and what comes up is the cyclical nature of life. It’s beautiful and it’s for everyone.”
The stage and screen versions share familiar characters and Southern charm, but the directors emphasize the play remains true to Harling’s original structure. “It’s not the movie,” says Olori. “It’s better,” adds Salerno without missing a beat.
Some essentials remain unchanged: Six strong-minded Southern women—including a mother and daughter—navigate life together in the fictional Chinquapin Parish, Louisiana. But unlike the film, the play unfolds entirely inside Truvy’s Salon, the cozy gathering place for the Magnolias.
Harling intended to write a short story about his sister’s life, but the idea quickly evolved. “I was an actor, so I thought, well, I know what a script looks like, and I know what dialogue looks like,” Harling told Southern Living. “I’m just gonna try to write this as a play. So, I did.”
Salerno notes that Harling’s original dialogue is tightly constructed for the stage; the screenplay, by contrast, expands the action to multiple locations and adds cinematic flourish.
“The salon is like the seventh character in the play,” says Olori. Salerno agrees that its intimacy is unmatched. “You feel like you are in the salon and part of the family. You see the inner world of this place that was their home away from home—and how important it was for these women to have a place to come and talk.”
The 1989 film famously featured Sally Field, Dolly Parton, Shirley MacLaine, Daryl Hannah, Olympia Dukakis, and Julia Roberts, followed by another star-studded all-Black adaptation in 2012. Olori and Salerno believe their cast more than holds its own. Actors from across New Jersey auditioned and have been rehearsing three nights a week since Labor Day.
The cast includes Angeline Wedemier as Shelby, the prettiest girl in town and diabetic daughter of M’Lynne, played by Shanna Levine Phelps, who also serves as Pioneer’s executive director.
Emillie Farrell takes on the role of Truvy, the wisecracking salon owner who knows everyone’s business—without channeling Dolly Parton’s wardrobe.
Two “old biddies” provide comic fire: Pastor Luana plays former mayor Clairee, while Gabrielle Visser brings bite to Ouiser (pronounced Weezer). Together they unleash a steady stream of memorable one-liners.
Tristen DeChiara reprises the role of Annelle, the shy hairdresser whose innocence and confusion make her instantly lovable.
‘I CAN DO THAT’
“We are a hybrid organization,” says Salerno. “Our core team produces, directs, acts, and also manages the business of the company. We wear a lot of hats.” Cast members also built the set themselves, borrowing costumes and props from other companies to transform the stage into Truvy’s salon.
“This is the first time we’ve co-directed a play,” says Salerno—and it’s also her first full-length production. “They’d been asking me to direct for a couple of years and I kept saying no because I was scared. But then Dan Visser, co-founder and artistic director, suggested Magnolias, and something clicked. I thought, I can do that. I really like it.”
Then came the nerves—and the solution. “I panicked and asked Tom to co-direct with me, and he said yes.”
“I feel so lucky to be in Morristown,” Salerno says. She describes Pioneer’s relationships with the Morristown United Methodist Church, the Morristown and Morris Township Library and Morris Arts, among other organizations, as “amazing.”
“Morris County is home. I cannot imagine being anywhere else.”
Pioneer Productions presents Steel Magnolias, Nov. 14-16 and Nov. 21-23, 2025, at the Morristown United Methodist Church, 50 South Park Place. Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm, Sundays at 3 pm. Tickets: $25-$30.
CORRECTION: Due to an editing error, an earlier version of this story misstated the co-directors’ status. Only one of them, Miriam Salerno, is new to directing.
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