As is always the case with the Australian performing arts scene, there is always a range of new productions in the works tailored to every sort of interest. One of the newest productions set to arrive on stages across Australia, starting at this month’s end, is Steel Magnolias, the 1987 play turned 1989 film, with the 2026 Australian production featuring some iconic Australian performers. The season is set to commence at the QPAC Playhouse in Brisbane, followed by multi-week runs at Sydney’s Theatre Royal, Wollongong’s IMB Theatre, Canberra Theatre, Perth’s His Majesty’s Theatre and Melbourne’s Athenaeum Theatre between then and August.
We have been fortunate enough to be able to pitch some questions to Mandy Bishop, who has an incredible history on stage and screen, including as part of the annual Wharf Review, acting as former Australian prime minister Julia Gillard is shows including Double Take and At Home with Julia, and a suite of other stage productions, television shows, and films both in Australia and globally. In the 2026 production of Steel Magnolias, Bishop will play Truvy Jones, the warm, witty, and sharp-tongued owner of the local beauty salon at the heart of the story, previously portrayed by Dolly Parton in the film version.
Scroll down to read their valuable insights, thoughts on the production and her character, and advice for those looking to enter the performing arts landscape:
How has the process of working on Steel Magnolias been going so far – from first learning about the production and your casting, through to rehearsals with the cast?
First of all, thank you for having me on your AMAZING website!! Being cast in this show was (and continues to be) a GIFT. To be a part of the story that changed my life as a young girl. What I remembered the most was the funny women and the LOVE.
I’ve done loads of research on the show since finding out about our excellent tour coming up, and love that it is in fact, a tribute to Robert Harling (the playwright)’s real-life dear sister. It brings a responsibility to it that Robert has talked about on many occasions, not that this is forced, but that he is grateful the productions are helping him remember his sister to the world.
I’ve loved researching all the versions of it since it’s first turn on stage, through the film, through many other productions, including two others here in Australia – which themselves were jam-packed with our Aussie stage legends: Geraldine Turner, Deb Oswald, Jacki Weaver, Nancye Hayes, Nicole Kidman, Genevieve Lemon, Maggie Dence, Jennifer Hagan, Melissa Jaffer.
This cast is extraordinary: Lisa McCune, Belinda Giblin, Debra Lawrance, Jessica Redmayne, Lotte Beckett, and you. What was your first reaction when you saw the names alongside yours, and what has the dynamic been like as you’ve all started building this world together?
Well I had to be patient as everybody joined in, because I just said a big fat YES! when I heard about it. It’s so beautifully written, I sat on my excitement until I could unleash it with the cast and they are ALL excellent ladies.
Some you may have seen lots, and some you may yet to get to know their work, and sometimes it’s the thrill of watching an artist in a work they’ve not done before. It’s like a pink pavlova in the rehearsal room for me!! In all the most delicious ways!!!
Truvy’s beauty salon is essentially the beating heart of this story, and she’s the one who creates the environment where these women feel safe enough to open up. How are you approaching finding your version of Truvy, and what is it about her that drew you to the role?
Yes, you’ve picked it, her heart and sharing her heart with her fellow women is what she’s put on this earth to do. And to quote her, “That’s today’s sermon.” …!!! She provides a private, yet almost compulsively inclusive (both on her part and the parts of the women who are her Saturday clients, who are her neighbour friends). No secrets in these hair sessions and most of all, a good time must be had to enhance her beauty practice! Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing trivial about what these women gossip about, I mean, debate (ha!) But somehow, the amazing thing about Robert’s writing is he tackles the BIGGEST issues in a woman’s life and has them laughing at themselves/with each other, at the same time… somehow.
So much of Steel Magnolias lives in the relationships between these six women, and Truvy connects with each of them in different ways. As you’ve been working through the script in rehearsals, is there a particular dynamic or relationship that you’re finding especially rich to explore?
What a great question, I love all the relationships, as Trudy’s heart’s (and actual professional) job is to make sure everyone feels welcome, supported, humoured, listened to…..and coiffured!!!
Steel Magnolias walks a tightrope between enormous laughs and genuine heartbreak, sometimes within the same scene. As an actor, how do you navigate that balance, and is that tonal shift something you find exciting or challenging – or both?
Exciting!! Because emotional athleticism in story and writing, is an entertainment treat the audience. I can’t wait to work ourselves deeply into these ladies, so we represent the real characters of the play.
Most audiences will know Steel Magnolias through the iconic 1989 film. For those coming in with that as their primary reference point, what do you think the stage version has to offer that might surprise them?
Yes the film = ICONIC for so many wonderful reasons. As you know, Steel Magnolias was a play before it was made into the film (and the writer went on to write other films, Soapdish, First Wives Club to name a couple).
The dialogue was edited a little for the film, (the screenplay was adapted by the playwright himself, and in fact, he appears as the Minister in the wedding scene!) The edit was necessary due to length; plays can be longer than films usually.
That said, the play flies along, so an audience may not notice the inclusion of all the original dialogue. A live audience will only get more of the wondrous, sassy and hilarious quips, couched in truth and big family issues.
Dolly Parton made Truvy iconic in the 1989 film, and for many audiences, she’ll be the first point of reference for the character. How does it feel to be stepping into shoes that were filled by someone of that stature, and is that something you embrace as part of the fun, or do you find it more freeing to set it aside and build Truvy from the page up?
I too am an audience influenced by Dolly’s beautiful soul in the role. I think Dolly spells heart, so we believe she hosts these ladies regularly, whether they’re up or down with life events.
For myself, I’ve studied the play, so the script being slightly different to the film (and some of Trudy’s lines are attributed to other characters, and vice versa for the film), so, my interpretation will be of the original source material; how Robert Harling wrote the play.
Dolly is also beautifully musical, I am learning a lot from her energy as a singer, and thinking of ways for Truvy to embody inflection emotionally….if that makes sense without giving too much away yet!!
At its core, Steel Magnolias is a story about female friendship, resilience, and community. Why do you think that resonates just as strongly today as it did nearly forty years ago, and what do you hope Australian audiences take away from this production?
It resonates because a group of clever, witty, wise and also innocent characters getting together to lead each other through life’s trials and tribulations, will always be entertaining and identifiable. It is very much about family – both biological, adoptive and communal. It was a play about women in the most fun way possible, a glimpse of community in the South of Northern USA, that literally blooms in content, like its namesake. It was one of the first all-female stories of its time, and it feels that the “feelz” are exactly why millions of people keep coming back to it. Australian audiences will recognise this small community, the family highs and lows, the rebirth from the need to survive and the love we give to each other in order that it might some day make life ok.
Your career has covered a remarkable range across film television and stage. What do you see as some of the defining chapters or turning points across your career so far?
I’ve loved every job i’ve ever had. Writing for yourself on stage and TV is a good thing to challenge yourself with. Sometimes it’s worked, and sometimes it’s died a slow painful death! Then every job where we work on other writers’ works is a profound experience. Without writers, we performers have nothing. We love reading and digging, and learning about areas of life we’ve often not had the experience of. I also LOVE touring. I think the performing arts is for everybody. Good stories, good drama, laughs and good live experiences mean we’re not just performing for ourselves at home. I’ve also loved doing children’s TV and theatre, Opera House theatre, TV series, Producing and writing.
With the tour set to travel from Brisbane through to Sydney, Wollongong, Canberra, Perth, and Melbourne, what are you most looking forward to about taking this show around the country?
Taking the story i love to people who are booking to see it for the very same reason. Not only that, but they will be bringing their children and a whole new generation will learn this whopper of a heart story.
For anyone sitting in the audience on this tour who might be an aspiring performer watching you and this cast and thinking, “that’s what I want to do” – what would your advice be for pursuing a career in the performing arts, particularly here in Australia?
It always starts with giving it a go, on whatever level you are able to engage with. Join a group of like-minded people, in your local neighbourhood or town…and begin performing. Or join the shows put on by your school/university. If your institution isn’t able to do shows or performances, then seek permission to engage in a community group or another school as an affiliate program. Also be open to lessons and learning from different teachers. I’ve loved my classes here in Australia and in New York. Even going to talks from practitioners whose work you have admired can be hugely enlightening. Then get out and practice!
I would like to pass on my sincerest thanks to Mandy Bishop for both her time and valuable insights as she prepares to commence with the Australian tour of Steel Magnolias at the end of this month. I would also like to express my appreciation to Sharonne Lipman from SLIP Publicity for facilitating this interview.
Whether this interview has made you want to check out a performance of Steel Magnolias in your city, or you are hearing about it for the first time, you can find all ticketing information for the production on the play’s official Australian website.
