On September 29 at 7 p.m., the Šiauliai Culture Centre will host the premiere of “Steel Magnolias,” a play based on R. Harling’s work, performed by the “Durys” Amateur Theatre of the Šiauliai Culture Centre (artistic director: V. Dargis).

American playwright and screenwriter Robert Harling first staged Steel Magnolias in New York in 1987. The play was inspired by a personal family tragedy – the death of the author’s sister Susan from complications related to diabetes. Harling wrote the play as a way of preserving his sister’s memory and paying tribute to the women who stood by her and his family. One of the central themes of the play is therefore the ability of women to remain strong when life brings pain.

The creators of the production ask: Is a strong person someone who never cries and never breaks down, or someone who allows themselves to experience pain and still finds the strength to get back up?

Steel Magnolias is a story about female friendship, love, motherhood, freedom of choice, loss and the ability to carry on with life. Six women meet in a beauty salon, which becomes more than just an everyday place – it becomes a space where they can be themselves: laugh, argue, share their feelings, hide their pain and, ultimately, find support.

The title Steel Magnolias embodies the play’s central metaphor: a magnolia is delicate and beautiful, while steel is strong and resilient. The author used this image to describe women who may appear vulnerable at first glance but reveal extraordinary inner strength when faced with life’s challenges.

Director: Virginijus Dargis
Set designer: Regina Tamašiūnaitė
Translated from English by: Vasarė Andriuškevičiūtė

Admission: by invitation only. Invitations (maximum 2 per person upon presentation of a pensioner’s certificate) will be distributed from September 21 at 9 a.m. at the Šiauliai Culture Centre box office and through Ticketmarket.

Box office hours: weekdays 9 a.m.–6 p.m.; Saturday–Sunday, 1 hour before the event.
Box office tel.: +370 683 57 691
Places are limited.

Event duration: approximately 1 hour 20 minutes
Organizer: Šiauliai Culture Centre

Dear visitors, by attending the event, you agree that you may be photographed or filmed and that the photographs may be published on the Šiauliai Culture Centre website, in the media or on social media.