Steel Magnolias Cast

Rudi most recently performed in Cinderella, her tenth production with the Charleston Light Opera Guild, where she portrayed the high-flying, singing Fairy Godmother! Other notable performances with CLOG are the Dolly Parton-inspired DoraLee Rhodes in 9 to 5: The Musical, Maria in The Sound ofMusic, Marian Paroo in The Music Man, Tanya in Mamma Mia!, Brooke Wyndham in Legally Blonde, Gertie in Oklahoma!, Woman 1 in Sondheim’s Putting it Together, and with the singers and dancers in Hello Dolly!, and Something Rotten! Rudi works for The American Theatre Guild, the nation’s largest presenter of national Broadway tours, where she manages marketing for some of Broadway’s most beloved musicals and plays. She is the owner and founder of Putnam Princess Parties where she and her company have provided princesses and princes for thousands of events throughout the tri-state for over nine years. She enjoys gardening, spending time with her two felines, and cheering on her husband Ryan as the head men’s basketball coach at the University of Rio Grande. She thanks her mother and father for instilling her with a love and passion for theatre and basketball. A life-long Dolly Parton fan, she’s incredibly excited to try out her sea legs for her first straight play & first Alban production!

Sam is thrilled to be returning to the Alban stage! A Beckley native, Sam grew up performing on stage at Grandview (WV’s newest National Park) with Theatre West Virginia. She holds a BA in theatre from Greensboro College. Sam and her husband Stevie just moved back to Charleston after spending a year performing in elementary schools with the National Theatre for Children and The REV on Tour.

Anna has practically grown up on the Alban Arts Center stage and has been involved in WV theatre for most of her life. She has had the opportunity to be a part of The Alban Arts Center, Huntington Outdoor Theatre, and the Limelight Theatre taking on roles such as Cinderella in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella, Glinda in The Wizard of Oz, Ellie Mae in The Beverly Hillbillies, Margot Frank in The Diary of Anne Frank, Miss Honey in Matilda: The Musical, and many more. She gives a big thank you to her husband, Philip, who always makes it possible for her to do what she loves. She works as an educator for Mission WV. This year, she directed her first short film titled, Waiting Room. She is honored to be portraying the role of Shelby, as she is also a mother to a sweet boy, Ellis, and can relate to the love of a mother, which goes beyond all else. Lastly, she would like to thank her mother for teaching her the fierce strength and love of being a woman.

JP has been active in community theatre for decades. Her last role at the Alban was Big Mama in "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof." She also performs with Murder and Merriment. Ouiser is a bucket-list role for JP who is thrilled to be back on the Alban stage.

Rebecca Robinson of Huntington, WV is a wife and mother of three teenagers and a high school visual art teacher in South Point, Ohio. She found her way to the stage rather recently with Huntington Area Regional Theater (HART). She was in the ensemble cast of Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast” in 2017 and played Fiona in “Shrek: the Musical” in 2018. She also enjoys singing with the choir at Our Lady of Fatima Church in Huntington. Rebecca is very excited to be a part of this very special show!

This performer is new to the area and is thrilled to be a part of this Alban cast, and Steel Magnolias. A proud Buckeye native, she has 45 years of credits in musical theatre, cabaret and straight plays with Actor's Guild, Mid-Ohio Valley Players, Hipp-Stage Summer Theatre @ People's Bank Theatre and Marietta College. Professionally, she received opportunities at Nashville Children's Theatre performing Really, Rosie at the Kennedy Center and their European tour of 1978, and Dinner theatre tours throughout the Midwest and South. Recent performances include Charleston Light Opera Guilds Music Man as Eulalie Shinn, Marmee in Little Women, and Maggie Jones in 42nd Street.