Zonie Thompson, who plays Shelby in "Steel Magnolias," sits as her mother, M'Lynn, played by Laurie Morris, gives her advice about her upcoming wedding at their favorite gathering place — Truvy's in-home salon.

After an eight-year hiatus, Footlights Community Theater marks its reopening in Athens with a weekend performance of the Southern classic, “Steel Magnolias.”

From July 26-29, director Kristi Kargic will bring the story of six women bound by tradition and tragedy to life in a one-set performance at Athens State University’s McCandless Hall.

Kargic said she chose Robert Harling’s play as her comeback performance because it’s a story that speaks to the populace here in Athens.

“I wanted the audience to feel like they stepped into their local beauty shop to say ‘hi’ to friends,” she said. “These women are in truth our friends and neighbors, and this story could very well happen next door at the beauty shop around the corner.”

Casting calls for the play went out in May after Kargic was finally able to secure a rehearsal space at First Baptist Church in Athens.

Choosing a cast with a wide breadth of experience, Kargic said she can’t say she found the right people but, rather they found her.

“I couldn’t have been luckier as a director,” she said. “I could not have found a better cast for this production. My goal was not to chose only the best of the best but to give people with no experience the chance to grow as actors and thespians.”

The cast includes Zonie Thompson as Shelby, Laurie Morris as M’Lynn, Ann Sowby at Ouisier, Karen Middleton as Clairee, Leign Anne Black as Truvy and Ashley Hargrove as Annelle.

Staying as true to Harling’s vision that the story take place without set changes, Kargic relied heavily on her friends at Kathleen’s Korner Salon to furnish the stage with styling chairs, beauty carts and hairdryers.

Having only one stage to design allowed Kargic to direct more energy toward developing the emotional side of her characters, who are are said to be as “delicate as a flowers and tough as steel.”

“Steel Magnolias” is just the beginning for Kargic, who will present a production of “The Secret Garden,” featuring a cast of local children, the weekend after “Steel Magnolias.” Once she wraps up the children’s production, she’ll begin putting together the cast for a fall performance of “Ann of Green Gables.”

Looking a little further down the road, Kargic, who is also a violin teacher for the Huntsville Symphony Orchestra, said she would like to establish a permanent performing arts and rehearsal space in Athens. She believes the community is hungry for more performing arts opportunities and there is plenty of local talent out there to choose from.

Show times for “Steel Magnolias” are 6 p.m. July 26, 27 and 28 and 2 p.m. July 29. Tickets are $10 and can be purchases at https://footlights.booktix.com or at the door. For more information about the theater go to www.footlightstheater.weebly.com.