The Cast
JEN ALLEGRA (M'Lynn)
Jen is delighted to be back performing at The Stagecrafters, having last appeared in The Revolutionists (Olympe). Other credits here include: Spinning Into Butter (Sarah), The Miser (Frosine), Any Given Monday (Risa); The Late Christopher Bean (Abby); Good People (Margie); Kimberly Akimbo (Debra); The Last Night of Ballyhoo (Boo); Jake's Women (Karen); A Shayna Maidel (Mama); and Laughter on the 23rd Floor (Karen). Other favorite acting credits include: Much Ado About Nothing (Beatrice); The Taming of the Shrew (Kate); and Pygmalion (Eliza). She holds a B.A. in Theatre from The George Washington University. Jen is thrilled to work alongside an amazing cast and crew and has endless appreciation for Suki and The Stagecrafters family!
ANGELA COOPER (Clairee)
Angela returns to The Stagecrafters stage, from the 2021-22 season when she debuted in Skeleton Crew as Faye. She has previously performed the role of Calpurnia in Bryn Athyn Theatre’s production of To Kill A Mockingbird. She has held principal and background roles in various industrial films, commercial print/web stock, infomercials and advertisements. Angela shares her passion for the arts with countless churches in staged gospel productions and African American historical reproductions. Angela holds an M.S. in Information Technology from Wilmington University, and B.S. in Information Technology from Drexel University. Angela is a passionate thespian and super excited to be among the amazing Stagecrafters family again!
CORDELIA DUNSTON (Annelle)
Cordelia is pleased to be making her Stagecrafters debut in this production of Steel Magnolias. She has previously performed in various Upper Darby Summer Stage productions such as Wind in the Willows and Frozen Jr. as well as the Upper Darby High School production Clue (Mrs. White). She recently graduated from Upper Darby
High School and will be attending Syracuse University in the fall. She would like to thank the cast and crew for this amazing experience, all of her previous directors for helping her get to this point and her parents for encouraging her to keep going.
KRISHNA DUNSTON (Ouiser)
Krishna debuts at The Stagecrafters in this production. She has performed in Philadelphia with the Hear Again Radio Project and in New York City with WWOW Radio as an ensemble member and live foley artist. She directed and toured with the Troubadours Ensemble, performing Shakespeare in middle and high schools. Krishna works in higher education, including 12 years at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, where she served as a lecturer and Assistant Dean of the College of Performing Arts and later as Assistant Provost. She holds a BFA in Acting from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and an MA in Shakespearean Studies from NYU’s Gallatin School. Krishna’s performance as Ouiser was incited by her daughter, inspired by her mother, encouraged by her husband, cheered by her son, and understood by her friends.
Bella Main (Shelby)
Bella is so excited to be making her Stagecrafters debut in Steel Magnolias. She is also thrilled to return to the stage for the first time since… you know. Most recently, she has worked on The Tattooed Lady with Philadelphia Theatre Company and TOWN with Theatre Horizon on the production side. Bella also works as a Teaching Artist with Theatre Horizon, teaching a wide range of children the art of storytelling. In her free time, Bella is a community
organizer and activist with mutual aid projects in Philadelphia. She would like to thank her friends, family, Raleigh, and Marty for always believing in me and inspiring me to continue to create.
LAURA KATE MARSHALL (Truvy)
Laura Kate is grateful to be making her debut at The Stagecrafters in her very own salon! An internationally, classically trained mezzo-soprano and actress, Laura has performed in Opera, Zarzuela, Musical Theatre, in concerts and on stages across the United States and in Europe. She recently understudied the role of Madame in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella at The Walnut Street Theatre, played Queen Alonsa in Delaware Shakespeare Festival’s The Tempest and supported the work of local playwrights in Theatre XP’s Fresh Ink Shorts for the Philadelphia Fringe Festival. Laura began her music and theater studies at NYU and holds a degree in Classical Vocal Performance and a Masters degree in Historical Vocal Performance from Longy School of Music of Bard College, Cambridge MA. Endless thanks to our cast, director Suki and crew for bringing this work so lovingly to life.
