Set in a hair salon in Louisiana of the 1980s, Mountain Community Theater’s first production of 2025 is a play focused on the ability of human connection to overcome hardship. Originally written as a short story by Robert Harling to cope with a family tragedy, he expanded it into a two-act play produced off-Broadway in 1987. After a successful run in New York City, Harling adapted it into a screenplay that starred a dream team of A-list actors. This year, Daria Troxel, of Mountain Community Theater’s selection committee, chose this play and asked Peter Gelblum to direct.

The Sentinel spoke with Gelblum about this upcoming production.

Q What are you most excited about with this play?

A It’s a really excellent script and I have an amazing cast. I think this is the first time at MCT where I’ve gotten everybody that I wanted. I got my first choices for every role. I had six roles. I had 30 people audition. I called back 20 of them, which meant 20 of them were good enough to be called back. I am really happy with who I cast. There were that many good people.

Q I imagine you learn from every play you direct. Is there anything in particular that this play has taught you?

A Other than about hairstyles? The woman playing Truvy, who owns the hair salon, Manirose Bobisuthi, that’s what she does for a living. That’s been great. Working on this play has been reinforcing how wonderful a community of women can be and is here. They’ve been so supportive of each other and helpful. Nobody’s running anybody else down or being nasty or saying cutting things. Everybody is just helping each other.

Q How does the symbolism of the title relate to your experience directing this group of actors?

A I think that the women in this play are sort of soft on the outside, and flowery and pretty and care about their appearance, but they’re really strong inside. There’s a tragedy that’s at the core of the play, and the women come together and support each other. It’s very real. There can be a tendency to play these characters as stereotypes, but the author actually has a note at the beginning of the play. These are real people. These are real people, and my cast makes those people come alive. It’s very moving and touching, as well as being hilariously funny. It’s my favorite kind of play that has both laughter and tears in it.

Q Set inside a hair salon in the ’80s, how does this play relate to our online and digital age?

A There’s no text, there’s no email, there’s nothing digital happening, and they come together, personally and talk, face to face, about everything. I think the biggest relevance for me to these particular times we’re in, is the power of community and of friendship. There’s zero political stuff in the play, not a word other than a joke about Louisiana politicians not going to heaven, but you have no idea what political party these people belong to, because they don’t talk about it at all. The power of friendship and community can get you through anything in life, anything at all, and it is really, really powerful.

We also spoke with actor Manirose Bobisuthi, who plays Truvy, the owner of the hair salon.

Q What is your background in theater?

A I’ve been doing theater since high school. I went to Santa Cruz High and got the bug there, and then continued with a lot of local community theater, Actors Theater and Cabrillo, and then had a long hiatus to raise my family. A few years ago, I got back into it again with “8 Tens @ 8,” and then the ball just started rolling.

Q How has it been to learn the role of Truvy?

A This role is really fun because I am, in fact, a hair stylist. I have been a hair stylist for 27 years. Truvy is the epitome of Southern hair stylist. I’ve long referred to being a hair stylist as being a licensed “hairapist.” It is oftentimes one of the only places that people can really let their guard down and show their true colors, and Truvy’s salon is no different. It’s the heartbeat of these women’s worlds. So for me, it’s like putting on a comfortable pair of shoes and walking around, but with a Southern accent and maybe a little bit more chattiness than I personally possess. It’s definitely challenging, though, because I am, in fact, actively doing hair on stage.

Q How do you feel about the stories of the play?

A We have not made it through a single rehearsal without all of us being in heartfelt tears. There’s no pretense to the heart of it. It’s got incredible laughter and humanity. There’s no pomp and circumstance. It’s not contrived in any way. It’s just six women going through a slice of life together. I think that as a cast and through Peter’s direction, we’re really delivering quite a gem.Q What role does Truvy play in this community of women?

A Everybody provides some real morsels of depth, and nobody has one specific role. It is truly ensemble in its writing and in its delivery. I have some pretty funny lines, and I’m running these women and holding space. I guess, if anything, Truvy is the container. Truvy holds the soup.

Additionally, the Sentinel caught up with MarNae Taylor, playing the role of M’Lynn Eatenton.

Q How would you describe your character?

A My character is the mother of Shelby. She works at a mental guidance center. She is a lot more quiet than the rest of them. She doesn’t add a lot to the gossip of the room, but she does listen a lot. She is very concerned about her daughter. Her daughter has diabetes, and she has been taking care of her since she was a child. She’s a very caring, very loving person. She’s very much a part of the group and she thinks of them as her best friends and they all feel like sisters. They are there for each other through thick and thin, no matter what is happening. She knows that if she needs anything, that’s where she can go. That’s where they all like to be.

Q How has it been learning this role?

A I lived in Louisiana for several years, a total of probably eight years. So, I know the accent, and I know the area. Relating to that feeling that I got to experience when I lived there helped me relate to the characters in the area and storyline. Having to go through the serious part of the show and really feel it was not an easy task. You have to go through that feeling to make real for the stage every time you perform it.

Q What has it been like working with this cast and director?

A I have worked with a couple of the people in the cast before, and I’ve seen a lot of their work. I just love all of them. Everybody is just wanting to make the best show; we’re all very dedicated. It’s really enjoyable to watch the evolution of everyone’s character as you go through the process.

I’ve worked with Peter a couple of times. I was in “Our Town” and “August: Osage County” with Peter, so I know him and his work. The Mountain Community Theater is kind of like family. People will say it’s kind of interesting having a male direct an all-female show, but Peter is a very sentimental, emotional guy, so I think he can connect pretty easily. He lets us feel things out and give suggestions. It’s really wonderful to work with somebody who likes to collaborate.

Q How do you view the connection between teaching theater and being on stage?

A You can teach something, but if you don’t experience it, and you don’t actually get out and do it, there’s an incomplete relationship to what is happening on the stage. I acted in college as well, and all through high school. But, when you get your teaching degree, it’s all kind of academic. When you get out there and actually physically do it, it’s a different sense.

I think it helps my teaching (so) the students can come and see me acting, and they can understand that I possibly do know what I’m talking about. But getting out there and just doing what you’re teaching is, I think, extremely important, because you’ve got the experience of both the academic side and the experience of creating a character, and you know what it takes. So it’s wonderful to help the students be able to do that as well.

“Steel Magnolias” opens at 8 p.m. Friday at the Park Hall, 9400 Mill St. in Ben Lomond, and runs until April 13. Visit mctshows.org for information and tickets.