December 12, 2025 • 21 mins
The holiday season is all about spending time with those we love and cherish. Family, friends, your grandma, who thinks you're perpetually a child, no matter how old you actually get? It's about holding them close, celebrating the passing of another year, and looking towards what's coming next. It's the idea of family that is at the core of The Ringwald's most recent production, the holiday-centered play Steel Poinsettias! Written by Vince Kelley, this parody sequel to Steel Magnolias brings our favorite beauty salon and its regulars into the modern day! We spoke to two of the cast members, Chase Bowman and Quinn Jacob, about what audiences can expect from this production! In this exclusive BSB interview, Bowman and Jacob discuss what it's like to play the new generation inhabiting the Steel Poinsettias' work and how they've developed their characters over the course of rehearsals. With roles written with them in mind, both actors talk about the immense privilege of bringing them to life at The Ringwald and how the show captures the essence of Christmas. What holiday traditions do these two actors have with their loved ones? Check out this exciting interview to find out!
Find the video of this podcast on YouTube
For more entertainment coverage, visit Box Seat Babes
Follow us on social media @boxseatbabes or check out our Linktree!
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
The holiday season is a time to gather with family and friends, much like those whofrequent Truvy's Beauty Spot.
(00:05):
The Ringwalt is returning to the world of Steel Magnolias in a holiday parody sequel,Steel Poinsettias Today we're talking to two of the cast members from the show, Quinn
Jacob and Chase Bowman.
How are the two of you doing today?
Doing great, thanks for asking.
Thank you so much.
We're super excited to talk to both of you and we are super excited to talk about thisshow.
(00:25):
We have seen Steel Magnolias before and it's absolutely devastating.
So I can only imagine what humor and tragedy maybe happened in this one.
So I'm wondering, Chase, can you kind of start us off by telling us what's happening?
and the story of Steel, Poinsettias
So during the story of Steel Poinsettias, it is all the ladies that are back in the shop.
(00:48):
But we have time jumped a few, like 20 or 30 years.
So we are now in like current day, like 2025.
And so it involves JJ coming home for the holidays and sort of bringing up a lot of likechallenging questions for M'lynn
uh and so she's sort of like dealing with JJ, uh JJ coming home and JJ asking her allthese questions and uh and so all the ladies in the shop and including Annelle who's
(01:17):
played by Quinn.
uh Annelle is...
Oh no, my god.
I'm so sorry.
Yeah, thank you.
Sorry about that.
So the characters that we play, uh JJ Jackson Jr.
is Chase's character who is um Julia Roberts' son.
In the movie, if you remember, she has her son and that's when she passes away, very sad,of course.
(01:41):
Everyone remembers.
And I play Annelle's daughter, Shelby.
So Darryl Hannah at the end of the movie, if you remember, she goes into labor.
She tells M'lynn she's going to name her daughter Shelby.
um after Julia Roberts' character, that is who I play.
We are best friends, Shelby and Jackson Jr.
Yes.
Thank you so much, Courtney, for fixing my mistakes.
(02:01):
It's very much like you two are the legacy characters from the original story.
We are, we are the only two characters in the show that do not appear as like charactersin the movie.
We are kind of added on, uh which makes it very special.
We get to add on into a new generation and uh you see kind of how this village has shapedthese two new people.
(02:25):
fantastic.
What is that like stepping into the world of a story that so many people are familiarwith?
mean, Steel Magnolia is a classic.
It is.
Chase, you want to take that one?
Yeah, I got it.
got it.
I love Steel Magnolias because my first introduction to it, I worked a play version of ita few years ago at Thumb Coast Theaters.
uh They did a play version a few years ago and I was very lucky to work backstage for itand I had not watched the movie yet.
(02:50):
So I was going into it completely blind and every single night that I worked it, I wasabsolutely devastated.
Like I cried every single night where it was M'lynn doing the monologue.
um
where she's grieving her daughter.
Like it was so heartbreaking every night to watch it.
And then I waited to watch the movie like a few years later um because I wanted that to belike my initial introduction.
(03:13):
But I still love the culture that it has brought.
I love how it has brought like a sense of unity for a lot of people.
And a lot of people can also see themselves as these characters.
that's sort of what, or they see like their other family members as like those charactersthat they see.
And so it's very
nice to be able to help portray those characters and help bring them to life.
(03:37):
to say that I've never I had not seen Steel Magnolias until recently when uh BirminghamVillage Players put it on last year and so I had no idea walking in either what I was
getting myself into and it's just like so it's soul-crushing but it also there's suchcatharsis to it as well there's like the humor and the the emotions that of them coming
(03:57):
together as a family is just really it's really a nice piece of that story
Yeah, it feels like such a such a great slice of life like when I I have a Almost asimilar experience to you.
I saw the movie many many many years ago I didn't remember much about it except for likethe biggest plot points.
I revisited it just recently um before we started uh rehearsals for steel points that doesand whoa How crazy it was?
(04:28):
these women and their lives and how they support each other.
It was just such a beautiful story of love and hope.
it really, brings you into tears.
Even without all the tragedy in it, it brings you to tears.
Absolutely.
So what drew you to auditioning for the show, Quinn?
(04:48):
Yeah, so actually, if you can believe it, uh the writer of the show, his name is VinceKelly.
He's written for uh many Ringwald shows in the past.
He's a very talented uh performer, writer.
He actually wrote the show with all of us in mind.
Yes, every person who is in the role that they are, he had that person in mind whilewriting their character.
(05:13):
uh he told us the other day, he was like, it's actually...
I was so ecstatic that you all said yes, because this is who it was meant for and I'm sohappy you guys are all here.
And with that, it's been such a wild ride.
He wrote it perfectly.
We're all in a great place with the character that we have and it's been such a funjourney.
(05:36):
such a huge compliment for someone to write a show with you in mind for a role.
I literally was like my god that's that's so crazy it's happened to me before I just neverhappened to chase before you know and and getting to step into that the new characters
like that is such a such an honor it really is.
(05:56):
I will say it is very fun, especially when you're like looking into the script and lookinginto our texts where it's like, there's moments where I'm just like, where I will read and
I'm like,
like this is the conversation that we have had before.
Or like, this is like a joke that has been said in the rehearsal room and now it's in thescript.
And so it's fun seeing little conversations and little bits that we have in our real lifesort of be written into the show.
(06:21):
It's a lot of fun.
So you're playing JJ Chase.
Who, like what is JJ's narrative through this show?
JJ's narrative, like he's very, he's very stubborn.
He's very, um he's very similar to how M'lynn functions with, like with Shelby not being apart of his life, sort of M'lynn went and stepped in as like the, as the mother figure,
(06:42):
like as the great grandmother figure that I have.
um And with JJ, he's very much like he's set in his ways.
He knows what he wants and he knows that like he's gonna stick to what he wants and it'svery much sort of like that's also how M'lynn functions too.
where she's kind of like, she's set in her ways and so she like, she has her past, she hasher ideas and so she sort of sticks to them.
(07:03):
Well, because they're so similar, they also like to fight a lot.
And so it's a lot of fun to play with that aspect, especially with Joe Bailey.
I love Joe Bailey with all of my heart.
uh He directed me and Quinn actually in our college production, Rocky Horror.
And so that's how we got to meet him.
it was like, and so knowing him for so long and...
(07:26):
Having this relationship with him, it's so much fun to play off of him as well.
Mm-hmm.
such an energy that I can only imagine what that's like.
Oh yes, yes, especially like, cause we did Annie with him as well over the summer and himas Miss Hannigan, I still look at him as M'lynn and I'm I'm imagining like Miss Hannigan
like right in front of me.
(07:47):
It's so much fun every time.
am.
What is Shelby's narrative in this show?
Yeah.
So Shelby is such a down to earth person.
She is always the coolest girl in the room.
She is the daughter, of course, of Annelle and Sammy, um who get together in the movie.
(08:12):
In the beginning of the show, she basically comes in and tells everyone that she is
putting her name forward to be in the Miss Christmas Pageant this year.
This is not something she has ever done before.
She is not by any means a pageant girly, um but she loves trying new things for ambition.
(08:32):
Like she's a very ambitious person.
It's established that she is the owner of a podcast, a true crime podcast in which she...
tells a lot about cold cases and different kinds of things in the south.
This podcast is really taking off for her.
um And she just wants to keep rising.
(08:56):
Every time that you see her in the scenes, she kind of is uh alluding towards differentthings that are going to push her career forward.
um And it all cultivates in the end scene, which I won't give any spoilers, but she...
basically comes into her own by the end of the show and she's uh ready for new chapters inher life.
(09:20):
That sounds like you both have such unique storylines that really showcase, again, justhow this story can continue to grow.
these people, while we see, I think when you used earlier, Slice of Life, that truly, thatwas kind what the first movie was about, and you're recapturing that magic once again.
Absolutely.
Vince did a great job of really bringing in that the whole vibe from the movie, thatfamilial connection.
(09:48):
He really did a great job of bringing that into the space.
And also he makes sure to add some little references from the movie into the script aswell.
And so if you pay attention, you'll be able to catch some similar lines that you'llrecognize from the movie.
Mm-hmm.
That's so cool.
I love a callback.
know, there's nothing like, I think all of us in this, our age bracket, we love a callbackto something that we either grew up on or that we have such a closeness to.
(10:14):
ah So Chase, what is your process then for developing JJ?
So obviously you get the script.
I know that this was kind of written with you in mind, but how do you make this characteryour own?
When it comes with like the rehearsal process and everything I try to become like asmemorized as possible So that way when I'm in the rehearsal room, and I'm walking through
the space I'm able to sort of like I'm able to sort of like step into JJ Because I like Istill go to Wayne State and so I'm learning a lot of different acting techniques like
(10:43):
while I'm it while I'm in school and so like trying to uh Implement what I'm learning inclasses into practice as well uh has been a lot of fun
And so it's like stepping into like my imaginary body and then sort of like walking withhim through space and finding out every like little detail of him.
Like I have a little notebook that is pink and it has a bunch of flowers all over it.
(11:07):
And any sort of thought that I have like when it comes with JJ and like a characterdevelopment, I'll write it down.
um I'll write it down or I'll just like make like a little note of just like, I like thismoment between like these two characters or I like this relationship or I want to develop
this.
ah Or I write down any questions I have and so it's it's I try to sort of like flesh himout fully And sort of figure him out as a person and then sort of take him take him
(11:34):
physically and then walk him through the show ah Every night and so it's it's fun to seehim make these decisions and watch him discover uh all of these new Conflicts all of these
new ideas every night
That's a very thorough process.
It's almost like as much homework as for a role that you possibly can do.
It's truly like, it's homework.
(11:57):
It's my craft.
It's what I want to do in my life.
And so I'm putting in the most effort that I can.
And so I hope that what I'm doing in the rehearsal room is able to showcase at the end.
Do you have a similar process or do you have a different way of developing Shelby?
Yeah, so my process is a little different.
I do keep a like little notes thing as well, but my process is a little bit more liketactile hands-on first and then I'll go back to do...
(12:30):
So I kind of am like a reverse of Chase where I'll go back now in the process or liketowards like tech and then answer all those questions that have been like nagging in my
brain about her.
But in the beginning is when I just kind of try her on for size.
I start with um like just taking like walking around the house.
I don't really get into my character fully until I feel like my lines are memorized.
(13:00):
I think that that is a very specific thing for me.
It's always kind of been this way when I'm working on a character.
I just don't really feel in it until
I have it all down in my brain and I can start making different choices on stage becauseuntil I have the lines memorized, that's all I'm thinking about.
Do know what I mean?
It almost feels like it's a very technical part of it, you know what mean?
(13:23):
Like, you have to get it all in there before you can emotionally start to expand and feelwho this character is.
Absolutely.
So as the process has been going on and I get more things down and I and I get moreblocking down That's when I can really start to make Changes and make tweaks and really
start to look a little bit more inward on like, okay.
Why am I doing this?
Why am I?
(13:45):
Saying this right now.
What's what's causing me to move from point a to point B?
um That's when I can really start dissecting it and I think that it really opens up a hugeworld
for me to play in the whole like couple weeks before we open.
I think it is so much fun to be able to like be in costume, be in wig, be in character andjust get to play around like I am Shelby.
(14:13):
feel like I would probably have a similar process because I would be so anxious aboutgetting all the lines down first that I wouldn't be able to think about anything else.
So I can appreciate that.
So with the Steel Magnolias, which is definitely has comedic parts, but does have a lot oftragedy in the end.
How would you describe the tone of Steel Poinsettias?
(14:35):
I would say it still holds the light-hardness of the, it holds the light-hardness and theempathy of the movie and so it holds a lot of family values close, but also it is a Vince
Kelly written show and so it's humorous beyond belief and there's a lot of humor, there'sa lot of heart that is really involved in this show.
(15:01):
Yeah, I think that it hit the nail on the head chase.
It is a very humorous show.
There is a lot of laughs.
There's a lot of room for play and a lot of like riffing that we do.
um But there's also a lot of heart.
There's a lot of seriousness.
There's many, there's quite a few scenes that are like the boiling points or that are thelike there's you know, the um there's like in the middle of the show they have like the
(15:29):
emotional climax of the show um and I think that all of the humor balances out into areally nice, excuse me, all of the humor and all of the emotion.
makes for a beautiful show.
think it all balances out very nicely.
ah And you get you get all the all the the laughs that you did in the movie and then youget all the tears that you did in the movie as well.
(15:54):
And also within a shorter time period and shorter time frame because we're only an hourlong show like we're we're we're only like an hour.
Yeah, hour 15 minutes and so having to capture all of that all of the like essence of themovie within such a short time frame is is also something that we were playing with in the
rehearsal room to.
(16:15):
That's a quick pace.
I'm sorry.
It is, yeah.
So then what themes from the show really stand out?
And Chase, I'll start with you.
What kind of resonates with you the most right now with where you are in your life?
holding, for me it's holding like, holding everyone that you have close to you and knowingthat you have like a support system there uh whenever you need it, especially when you're
(16:36):
going through like hard times and you're, and you feel like you're alone.
uh You're always going to have people by your side, especially like with how M'lynn hadall the girls in the shop.
It's making me look at.
the relationships I have with people a lot more closely and it's allowing me to hold thema lot more uh within my grasp and being like, I don't want to you go because I love you so
(16:57):
much.
Absolutely.
Quinn, how about for you?
So I have been really turning around in my head the idea of the fact that we will all beokay no matter what happens.
That is a huge theme of the story.
There is a lot of kind of uncertainty in the beginning about where the children's pathwill lead, the children being JJ and Shelby, about where our paths will lead and where
(17:25):
that leaves the older women of the shop, especially M'lynn.
um and I think that the whole the biggest moral of the story to me is that We all haveeach other will all be fine.
It will it will be okay.
No matter the turmoil or The stress everything will turn out fine and we'll have the oneswe love
(17:48):
think that really showcases too just how important community is, especially now more thananything and The Ringwald is definitely one of those places where community is essential.
So before you know I let you go we do have to talk because this is a show that's kind ofset during the holidays as per you can hint from the title.
So what are some holiday traditions that you like to keep alive in your personal lives inyour real life you know?
(18:13):
Chase how about you?
So so I have a few that are that are like within my like little like lineup um And it'sall it's all with my family like we always go get it.
We get a real Christmas tree every year um We always we always go as a family me my mom mydad my brother and my best friend Owen We always go get a Christmas tree We even used to
(18:35):
get like a Christmas tree for my room to like a tiny little one like one of the CharlieBrown Christmas trees Because another one of our traditions is we watch your good man
We watched the Charlie Brown Christmas and then we also watched the original animatedGrinch movie.
uh Because there's like a specific, and I can only watch it with my father because there'sa specific scene where he'll just die laughing and it's only him that laughs.
(19:02):
And it brings me so much joy and I look forward to it every single Christmas.
Those are some great holiday traditions.
Quinn, how about for you?
So my mom loves to bake.
We will always bake a Christmas delicacy.
It depends on what it is, you know, we've made different things in the past.
(19:22):
One time we made like a yule log, which was awesome.
But we'll always make a different Christmas delicacy.
We'll put up the tree together, we'll decorate it.
um And then like Chase said, Christmas movies are just a huge part of any tradition, anyfamily tradition specifically as well.
put on the fireplace, you turn on your movie, got your hot cocoa.
(19:42):
With my mom, I'll watch Eloise at Christmas time, one of my favorite movies of all time.
uh Which actually, to me, it has a similar vibe to Steel Magnolias even, where it's justthat kind of slice of life, like beautiful little story, you know?
And then with my dad, I'll watch The Family Stone, which is another great Christmas movie.
(20:08):
uh
Yeah, I love getting...
I love this time of year getting to revisit the things that I love.
I think that's important again, because that shows like all these things that you're doingwith family, including, know, people go to shows, theater, you know, this is why it's so
big right around this time of year.
So, ah but before I let you both go, one last question and Chase, I'll start with you.
(20:28):
just, are you hoping audiences take away from this production of Steel Poinsettias?
am hoping that people take away the love and appreciation of each other and also just tohave a fun laugh oh every once in a while.
And that it is okay to laugh in hardships.
Beautiful.
Quinn.
I love that answer, Chase.
(20:50):
I think that I feel something very similar.
I want people to come in and forget their worries, and I want them to have a great hourwith us where we can make them laugh or we can make them cry, and then we can see them
afterwards and send them on their way.
I think that this is a great escape.
Not even escape, that's not the right word, because I think that this is a great anotherworld to visit.
(21:16):
um
in this time of year, I think that this is gonna give people a lot of holiday cheer.
Perfect.
Beautiful.
Thank you so much for both of you being here.
It's been such a pleasure chatting with you.
Thank you very much.
It's been a lot of fun.
Yes, thank you so much for having us.
Of course, absolutely.
So Steel Poinsettias runs at the Ringwald Theater through December 21st.
So get your tickets now and we'll see you at the show.
The holiday season is a time to gather with family and friends, much like those whofrequent Truvy's Beauty Spot.
(00:05):
The Ringwalt is returning to the world of Steel Magnolias in a holiday parody sequel,Steel Poinsettias Today we're talking to two of the cast members from the show, Quinn
Jacob and Chase Bowman.
How are the two of you doing today?
Doing great, thanks for asking.
Thank you so much.
We're super excited to talk to both of you and we are super excited to talk about thisshow.
(00:25):
We have seen Steel Magnolias before and it's absolutely devastating.
So I can only imagine what humor and tragedy maybe happened in this one.
So I'm wondering, Chase, can you kind of start us off by telling us what's happening?
and the story of Steel, Poinsettias
So during the story of Steel Poinsettias, it is all the ladies that are back in the shop.
(00:48):
But we have time jumped a few, like 20 or 30 years.
So we are now in like current day, like 2025.
And so it involves JJ coming home for the holidays and sort of bringing up a lot of likechallenging questions for M'lynn
uh and so she's sort of like dealing with JJ, uh JJ coming home and JJ asking her allthese questions and uh and so all the ladies in the shop and including Annelle who's
(01:17):
played by Quinn.
uh Annelle is...
Oh no, my god.
I'm so sorry.
Yeah, thank you.
Sorry about that.
So the characters that we play, uh JJ Jackson Jr.
is Chase's character who is um Julia Roberts' son.
In the movie, if you remember, she has her son and that's when she passes away, very sad,of course.
(01:41):
Everyone remembers.
And I play Annelle's daughter, Shelby.
So Darryl Hannah at the end of the movie, if you remember, she goes into labor.
She tells M'lynn she's going to name her daughter Shelby.
um after Julia Roberts' character, that is who I play.
We are best friends, Shelby and Jackson Jr.
Yes.
Thank you so much, Courtney, for fixing my mistakes.
(02:01):
It's very much like you two are the legacy characters from the original story.
We are, we are the only two characters in the show that do not appear as like charactersin the movie.
We are kind of added on, uh which makes it very special.
We get to add on into a new generation and uh you see kind of how this village has shapedthese two new people.
(02:25):
fantastic.
What is that like stepping into the world of a story that so many people are familiarwith?
mean, Steel Magnolia is a classic.
It is.
Chase, you want to take that one?
Yeah, I got it.
got it.
I love Steel Magnolias because my first introduction to it, I worked a play version of ita few years ago at Thumb Coast Theaters.
uh They did a play version a few years ago and I was very lucky to work backstage for itand I had not watched the movie yet.
(02:50):
So I was going into it completely blind and every single night that I worked it, I wasabsolutely devastated.
Like I cried every single night where it was M'lynn doing the monologue.
um
where she's grieving her daughter.
Like it was so heartbreaking every night to watch it.
And then I waited to watch the movie like a few years later um because I wanted that to belike my initial introduction.
(03:13):
But I still love the culture that it has brought.
I love how it has brought like a sense of unity for a lot of people.
And a lot of people can also see themselves as these characters.
that's sort of what, or they see like their other family members as like those charactersthat they see.
And so it's very
nice to be able to help portray those characters and help bring them to life.
(03:37):
to say that I've never I had not seen Steel Magnolias until recently when uh BirminghamVillage Players put it on last year and so I had no idea walking in either what I was
getting myself into and it's just like so it's soul-crushing but it also there's suchcatharsis to it as well there's like the humor and the the emotions that of them coming
(03:57):
together as a family is just really it's really a nice piece of that story
Yeah, it feels like such a such a great slice of life like when I I have a Almost asimilar experience to you.
I saw the movie many many many years ago I didn't remember much about it except for likethe biggest plot points.
I revisited it just recently um before we started uh rehearsals for steel points that doesand whoa How crazy it was?
(04:28):
these women and their lives and how they support each other.
It was just such a beautiful story of love and hope.
it really, brings you into tears.
Even without all the tragedy in it, it brings you to tears.
Absolutely.
So what drew you to auditioning for the show, Quinn?
(04:48):
Yeah, so actually, if you can believe it, uh the writer of the show, his name is VinceKelly.
He's written for uh many Ringwald shows in the past.
He's a very talented uh performer, writer.
He actually wrote the show with all of us in mind.
Yes, every person who is in the role that they are, he had that person in mind whilewriting their character.
(05:13):
uh he told us the other day, he was like, it's actually...
I was so ecstatic that you all said yes, because this is who it was meant for and I'm sohappy you guys are all here.
And with that, it's been such a wild ride.
He wrote it perfectly.
We're all in a great place with the character that we have and it's been such a funjourney.
(05:36):
such a huge compliment for someone to write a show with you in mind for a role.
I literally was like my god that's that's so crazy it's happened to me before I just neverhappened to chase before you know and and getting to step into that the new characters
like that is such a such an honor it really is.
(05:56):
I will say it is very fun, especially when you're like looking into the script and lookinginto our texts where it's like, there's moments where I'm just like, where I will read and
I'm like,
like this is the conversation that we have had before.
Or like, this is like a joke that has been said in the rehearsal room and now it's in thescript.
And so it's fun seeing little conversations and little bits that we have in our real lifesort of be written into the show.
(06:21):
It's a lot of fun.
So you're playing JJ Chase.
Who, like what is JJ's narrative through this show?
JJ's narrative, like he's very, he's very stubborn.
He's very, um he's very similar to how M'lynn functions with, like with Shelby not being apart of his life, sort of M'lynn went and stepped in as like the, as the mother figure,
(06:42):
like as the great grandmother figure that I have.
um And with JJ, he's very much like he's set in his ways.
He knows what he wants and he knows that like he's gonna stick to what he wants and it'svery much sort of like that's also how M'lynn functions too.
where she's kind of like, she's set in her ways and so she like, she has her past, she hasher ideas and so she sort of sticks to them.
(07:03):
Well, because they're so similar, they also like to fight a lot.
And so it's a lot of fun to play with that aspect, especially with Joe Bailey.
I love Joe Bailey with all of my heart.
uh He directed me and Quinn actually in our college production, Rocky Horror.
And so that's how we got to meet him.
it was like, and so knowing him for so long and...
(07:26):
Having this relationship with him, it's so much fun to play off of him as well.
Mm-hmm.
such an energy that I can only imagine what that's like.
Oh yes, yes, especially like, cause we did Annie with him as well over the summer and himas Miss Hannigan, I still look at him as M'lynn and I'm I'm imagining like Miss Hannigan
like right in front of me.
(07:47):
It's so much fun every time.
am.
What is Shelby's narrative in this show?
Yeah.
So Shelby is such a down to earth person.
She is always the coolest girl in the room.
She is the daughter, of course, of Annelle and Sammy, um who get together in the movie.
(08:12):
In the beginning of the show, she basically comes in and tells everyone that she is
putting her name forward to be in the Miss Christmas Pageant this year.
This is not something she has ever done before.
She is not by any means a pageant girly, um but she loves trying new things for ambition.
(08:32):
Like she's a very ambitious person.
It's established that she is the owner of a podcast, a true crime podcast in which she...
tells a lot about cold cases and different kinds of things in the south.
This podcast is really taking off for her.
um And she just wants to keep rising.
(08:56):
Every time that you see her in the scenes, she kind of is uh alluding towards differentthings that are going to push her career forward.
um And it all cultivates in the end scene, which I won't give any spoilers, but she...
basically comes into her own by the end of the show and she's uh ready for new chapters inher life.
(09:20):
That sounds like you both have such unique storylines that really showcase, again, justhow this story can continue to grow.
these people, while we see, I think when you used earlier, Slice of Life, that truly, thatwas kind what the first movie was about, and you're recapturing that magic once again.
Absolutely.
Vince did a great job of really bringing in that the whole vibe from the movie, thatfamilial connection.
(09:48):
He really did a great job of bringing that into the space.
And also he makes sure to add some little references from the movie into the script aswell.
And so if you pay attention, you'll be able to catch some similar lines that you'llrecognize from the movie.
Mm-hmm.
That's so cool.
I love a callback.
know, there's nothing like, I think all of us in this, our age bracket, we love a callbackto something that we either grew up on or that we have such a closeness to.
(10:14):
ah So Chase, what is your process then for developing JJ?
So obviously you get the script.
I know that this was kind of written with you in mind, but how do you make this characteryour own?
When it comes with like the rehearsal process and everything I try to become like asmemorized as possible So that way when I'm in the rehearsal room, and I'm walking through
the space I'm able to sort of like I'm able to sort of like step into JJ Because I like Istill go to Wayne State and so I'm learning a lot of different acting techniques like
(10:43):
while I'm it while I'm in school and so like trying to uh Implement what I'm learning inclasses into practice as well uh has been a lot of fun
And so it's like stepping into like my imaginary body and then sort of like walking withhim through space and finding out every like little detail of him.
Like I have a little notebook that is pink and it has a bunch of flowers all over it.
(11:07):
And any sort of thought that I have like when it comes with JJ and like a characterdevelopment, I'll write it down.
um I'll write it down or I'll just like make like a little note of just like, I like thismoment between like these two characters or I like this relationship or I want to develop
this.
ah Or I write down any questions I have and so it's it's I try to sort of like flesh himout fully And sort of figure him out as a person and then sort of take him take him
(11:34):
physically and then walk him through the show ah Every night and so it's it's fun to seehim make these decisions and watch him discover uh all of these new Conflicts all of these
new ideas every night
That's a very thorough process.
It's almost like as much homework as for a role that you possibly can do.
It's truly like, it's homework.
(11:57):
It's my craft.
It's what I want to do in my life.
And so I'm putting in the most effort that I can.
And so I hope that what I'm doing in the rehearsal room is able to showcase at the end.
Do you have a similar process or do you have a different way of developing Shelby?
Yeah, so my process is a little different.
I do keep a like little notes thing as well, but my process is a little bit more liketactile hands-on first and then I'll go back to do...
(12:30):
So I kind of am like a reverse of Chase where I'll go back now in the process or liketowards like tech and then answer all those questions that have been like nagging in my
brain about her.
But in the beginning is when I just kind of try her on for size.
I start with um like just taking like walking around the house.
I don't really get into my character fully until I feel like my lines are memorized.
(13:00):
I think that that is a very specific thing for me.
It's always kind of been this way when I'm working on a character.
I just don't really feel in it until
I have it all down in my brain and I can start making different choices on stage becauseuntil I have the lines memorized, that's all I'm thinking about.
Do know what I mean?
It almost feels like it's a very technical part of it, you know what mean?
(13:23):
Like, you have to get it all in there before you can emotionally start to expand and feelwho this character is.
Absolutely.
So as the process has been going on and I get more things down and I and I get moreblocking down That's when I can really start to make Changes and make tweaks and really
start to look a little bit more inward on like, okay.
Why am I doing this?
Why am I?
(13:45):
Saying this right now.
What's what's causing me to move from point a to point B?
um That's when I can really start dissecting it and I think that it really opens up a hugeworld
for me to play in the whole like couple weeks before we open.
I think it is so much fun to be able to like be in costume, be in wig, be in character andjust get to play around like I am Shelby.
(14:13):
feel like I would probably have a similar process because I would be so anxious aboutgetting all the lines down first that I wouldn't be able to think about anything else.
So I can appreciate that.
So with the Steel Magnolias, which is definitely has comedic parts, but does have a lot oftragedy in the end.
How would you describe the tone of Steel Poinsettias?
(14:35):
I would say it still holds the light-hardness of the, it holds the light-hardness and theempathy of the movie and so it holds a lot of family values close, but also it is a Vince
Kelly written show and so it's humorous beyond belief and there's a lot of humor, there'sa lot of heart that is really involved in this show.
(15:01):
Yeah, I think that it hit the nail on the head chase.
It is a very humorous show.
There is a lot of laughs.
There's a lot of room for play and a lot of like riffing that we do.
um But there's also a lot of heart.
There's a lot of seriousness.
There's many, there's quite a few scenes that are like the boiling points or that are thelike there's you know, the um there's like in the middle of the show they have like the
(15:29):
emotional climax of the show um and I think that all of the humor balances out into areally nice, excuse me, all of the humor and all of the emotion.
makes for a beautiful show.
think it all balances out very nicely.
ah And you get you get all the all the the laughs that you did in the movie and then youget all the tears that you did in the movie as well.
(15:54):
And also within a shorter time period and shorter time frame because we're only an hourlong show like we're we're we're only like an hour.
Yeah, hour 15 minutes and so having to capture all of that all of the like essence of themovie within such a short time frame is is also something that we were playing with in the
rehearsal room to.
(16:15):
That's a quick pace.
I'm sorry.
It is, yeah.
So then what themes from the show really stand out?
And Chase, I'll start with you.
What kind of resonates with you the most right now with where you are in your life?
holding, for me it's holding like, holding everyone that you have close to you and knowingthat you have like a support system there uh whenever you need it, especially when you're
(16:36):
going through like hard times and you're, and you feel like you're alone.
uh You're always going to have people by your side, especially like with how M'lynn hadall the girls in the shop.
It's making me look at.
the relationships I have with people a lot more closely and it's allowing me to hold thema lot more uh within my grasp and being like, I don't want to you go because I love you so
(16:57):
much.
Absolutely.
Quinn, how about for you?
So I have been really turning around in my head the idea of the fact that we will all beokay no matter what happens.
That is a huge theme of the story.
There is a lot of kind of uncertainty in the beginning about where the children's pathwill lead, the children being JJ and Shelby, about where our paths will lead and where
(17:25):
that leaves the older women of the shop, especially M'lynn.
um and I think that the whole the biggest moral of the story to me is that We all haveeach other will all be fine.
It will it will be okay.
No matter the turmoil or The stress everything will turn out fine and we'll have the oneswe love
(17:48):
think that really showcases too just how important community is, especially now more thananything and The Ringwald is definitely one of those places where community is essential.
So before you know I let you go we do have to talk because this is a show that's kind ofset during the holidays as per you can hint from the title.
So what are some holiday traditions that you like to keep alive in your personal lives inyour real life you know?
(18:13):
Chase how about you?
So so I have a few that are that are like within my like little like lineup um And it'sall it's all with my family like we always go get it.
We get a real Christmas tree every year um We always we always go as a family me my mom mydad my brother and my best friend Owen We always go get a Christmas tree We even used to
(18:35):
get like a Christmas tree for my room to like a tiny little one like one of the CharlieBrown Christmas trees Because another one of our traditions is we watch your good man
We watched the Charlie Brown Christmas and then we also watched the original animatedGrinch movie.
uh Because there's like a specific, and I can only watch it with my father because there'sa specific scene where he'll just die laughing and it's only him that laughs.
(19:02):
And it brings me so much joy and I look forward to it every single Christmas.
Those are some great holiday traditions.
Quinn, how about for you?
So my mom loves to bake.
We will always bake a Christmas delicacy.
It depends on what it is, you know, we've made different things in the past.
(19:22):
One time we made like a yule log, which was awesome.
But we'll always make a different Christmas delicacy.
We'll put up the tree together, we'll decorate it.
um And then like Chase said, Christmas movies are just a huge part of any tradition, anyfamily tradition specifically as well.
put on the fireplace, you turn on your movie, got your hot cocoa.
(19:42):
With my mom, I'll watch Eloise at Christmas time, one of my favorite movies of all time.
uh Which actually, to me, it has a similar vibe to Steel Magnolias even, where it's justthat kind of slice of life, like beautiful little story, you know?
And then with my dad, I'll watch The Family Stone, which is another great Christmas movie.
(20:08):
uh
Yeah, I love getting...
I love this time of year getting to revisit the things that I love.
I think that's important again, because that shows like all these things that you're doingwith family, including, know, people go to shows, theater, you know, this is why it's so
big right around this time of year.
So, ah but before I let you both go, one last question and Chase, I'll start with you.
(20:28):
just, are you hoping audiences take away from this production of Steel Poinsettias?
am hoping that people take away the love and appreciation of each other and also just tohave a fun laugh oh every once in a while.
And that it is okay to laugh in hardships.
Beautiful.
Quinn.
I love that answer, Chase.
(20:50):
I think that I feel something very similar.
I want people to come in and forget their worries, and I want them to have a great hourwith us where we can make them laugh or we can make them cry, and then we can see them
afterwards and send them on their way.
I think that this is a great escape.
Not even escape, that's not the right word, because I think that this is a great anotherworld to visit.
(21:16):
um
in this time of year, I think that this is gonna give people a lot of holiday cheer.
Perfect.
Beautiful.
Thank you so much for both of you being here.
It's been such a pleasure chatting with you.
Thank you very much.
It's been a lot of fun.
Yes, thank you so much for having us.
Of course, absolutely.
So Steel Poinsettias runs at the Ringwald Theater through December 21st.
So get your tickets now and we'll see you at the show.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
The Joe Rogan Experience
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.
Two Guys, Five Rings: Matt, Bowen & The Olympics
Two Guys (Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers). Five Rings (you know, from the Olympics logo). One essential podcast for the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. Bowen Yang (SNL, Wicked) and Matt Rogers (Palm Royale, No Good Deed) of Las Culturistas are back for a second season of Two Guys, Five Rings, a collaboration with NBC Sports and iHeartRadio. In this 15-episode event, Bowen and Matt discuss the top storylines, obsess over Italian culture, and find out what really goes on in the Olympic Village.