Playwright Lydia Bushfield has entertained Southern audiences for years having penned such plays as Yule Y’all, I’ll Be Seeing You and The Bop She Bops and now it’s Gadsden’s turn to sample a bit of her Southern sass when her play QUEENS OF HEART , as directed by Joy Tilley Perryman, makes it’s Alabama debut. The show takes centerstage at The Local Scene at 118 (118 Chestnut Street, Gadsden, AL 35901) with performances October 17-25. Produced by Gadsden’s own Joy’s Jubilations, this heart-filled comedy follows a group of Southern women who gather weekly for game night to swap stories, share secrets, and deal with life’s ups and downs—one hand at a time.
Among the cast, Perryman plays the ever-honest, but often brutally truthful Rose Kincaid, a role she’s familiar with, having first played her during the show’s World Premiere back in 2003. For the show’s Alabama premiere, Perryman is joined by an exceptional cast of local and regional talent. Alongside Perryman, the show also features Kathleen Jensen as the wise and wry Doris Ducacus, Katie Campbell as newcomer Alice Anderson, Angie Smith Townsel as sweet and sincere Betty Linwell, Jean Leah Atkins as the big-hearted Faith Middleton, and Courtney Linam as the spirited Emily Patterson.
As the queens were fine-tuning their performances…and their game faces…we recently sat down with Perryman, Jensen, Campbell and Linam for JHPEntertainment’s latest Rapid Fire 20Q to talk poker nights, Southern charm, and the real-life friendships on- and off-stage that make this show shine.
RAPID FIRE 20Q WITH CAST MEMBERS OF JOY’s JUBILATIONS’ QUEENS OF HEART
RAPID FIRE WITH QUEENS OF HEART’s DORIS, KATHLEEN JENSEN
JHPENTERTAINMENT: When Joy Tilley Perryman reached out to me about the possibility of doing a Rapid Fire 20Q with cast members of QUEENS OF HEART, I was excited to see a couple of familiar names, yours included, the two of us having chatted back in 2023 when you appeared in a production of Sordid Lives at The Ritz in Gadsden. What can you tell me about Doris Ducacus, your role in QUEENS OF HEART?
KATHLEEN JENSEN: Doris is Smart Alec of the group. She is also very insightful, devoted to her daughter and very much in love with her husband, Harry.
JHPENTERTAINMENT: According to the character breakdown in the script, Doris is meeker and milder than Rose, making them a good balance. So, I gotta know…as scene partners, who’s really keeping the scales steady on stage and who’s the one tipping them over?
KATHLEEN JENSEN: Like you say Rose and Doris are a good balance much like Joy and myself. We lift each other up.
JHPENTERTAINMENT: There’s a quote in that other play about a group of southern friends…as Dolly Parton’s Truvy says in Steel Magnolias, “Laughter through tears is my favorite emotion”. That could easily be one of Doris’ lines as she brings up a bit of a secret to her girlfriends. As an actress, how do you prepare yourself to switch from the more lighthearted moments to the more serious ones?
KATHLEEN JENSEN: It’s kind of like life therefore I try to draw from real life experiences. You have to find a similar experience to capture the feeling.
JHPENTERTAINMENT: Right off the bat playwright Lydia Bushfield sets the overall humorous tone of the show with Doris’ line “She’s been nipped and tucked more times than a good pleated drape” Do you have a favorite in the show, whether one you get to deliver, or one you wish was Doris’?
KATHLEEN JENSEN: “If that woman pulls her skin any tighter, she will have to pierce her nipples to wear earrings.” Doris is always ragging on Shania.
JHPENTERTAINMENT: A large portion of the play takes place around a game table. If you and a group of friends were to get together for game night, what game would you insist on playing?
KATHLEEN JENSEN: Spades, I am a champion, spades player!
RAPID FIRE WITH QUEENS OF HEART’s ALICE, KATIE CAMPBELL
JHPENTERTAINMENT: I understand this is your theatre debut. When did you first realize you might want to try your hand at acting?
KATIE CAMPBELL: I have always had the idea in the back of my mind. I have the heart of an entertainer for sure. But my daughter is who pushed me to try it. She is fearless and talented, and I want to make her proud.
JHPENTERTAINMENT: I think my favorite of Alice’s lines is “Bein’ a southern woman is all about keepin’ up appearances. God forbid that one of us should admit that we are havin’ a bad day.” Playwright Lydia Bushfield hit the nail on the head with that one, don’t you think?
KATIE CAMPBELL: Sure, I do. We put the world on our shoulders. I would venture to say that that could be true for all women, though. We are natural caretakers.
JHPENTERTAINMENT: If you could play another character in this show, regardless of whether you ‘fit the type’ or not, who would it be and why?
KATIE CAMPBELL: Betty! I’ve been her before and I admire that type of independence in a woman.
JHPENTERTAINMENT: As Alice, you’re at the heart of one of the show’s most surprising twists. Without giving anything away, how much fun are you having playing this part?
KATIE CAMPBELL: It’s much more fun than I thought it would be! When I read the script I was a little intimidated, but our director, the one and only Joy, helped me find my voice.
JHPENTERTAINMENT: Your bio reveals that you’re a licensed massage therapist. Who among the ladies of QUEENS OF HEART would benefit most from a session with you at your day job?
KATIE CAMPBELL: That is so hard to say because after all of this is said and done, we’ll all need a good massage. I’m gonna go with Emily though. That girl sure was goin’ through it.
RAPID FIRE WITH QUEENS OF HEART’s EMILY, COURTNEY LINAM
JHPENTERTAINMENT: When I chatted with Kathleen, I mentioned that I was excited to see her name among those I’d be chatting with, having interviewed her before. The same goes for you, the two of us having chatted just last year when you were starring in Steel Magnolias at The Ritz. Now here you are as Emily in yet another tale of southern friendships. What was it about QUEENS OF HEART and the role of Emily that drew you to audition?
COURTNEY LINAM: Thank you so much for this interview—it’s always great to chat with you! I loved getting to visit with you last year during Steel Magnolias, and I’m just as grateful to reconnect again for QUEENS OF HEART.
I was immediately drawn to Emily because she’s so real. She’s fun-loving, hopeful, and just trying to get it right—even when life keeps throwing her detours. I love that QUEENS OF HEART celebrates friendship, strength, and those moments when women lift each other up.
I was also drawn to the play because I was so excited to be directed by one of the most talented people I know—Joy Tilley Perryman. She has such a gift for bringing out truth and heart in every story, and I knew that under her direction, this show would be something special.
JHPENTERTAINMENT: While reading the script to familiarize myself with the play before chatting with you and your costars, I immediately picked up on the name of the town where all the action takes place…Fate, Texas. So, just curious…do you believe in fate, free will, or a mix of the two?
COURTNEY LINAM: It’s really a mix. I think fate puts certain people and moments in our path, but free will decides what we do with them. Emily’s story shows that perfectly—she might’ve been led down the aisle by fate, but it was her own strength, and the help of her true friends, that gave her the courage to walk away from something that wasn’t right.
JHPENTERTAINMENT: On the subject of the play’s Texas setting, the script contains a note from the playwright about the Texas dialect. During the rehearsal process was there discussion on just how Texas the cast would sound? Where have you personally drawn your Texas drawl from?
COURTNEY LINAM: Oh yes, we had plenty of fun with that! The goal was to sound authentically Southern without needing subtitles. I’m more Alabama than Texas, but there’s a shared sweetness and rhythm to both accents that feels like home. I leaned into that warm, melodic tone—you know, the kind that can make a compliment or a comeback sound equally charming.
JHPENTERTAINMENT: Is there any aspect of Emily’s personality that you might adapt to your own?
COURTNEY LINAM: Her courage to finally put herself first. Emily’s been through a lot of “almost right” love stories, but she finds her voice and realizes she doesn’t have to settle. That message really stuck with me—it’s never too late to choose peace, joy, and the people who truly love you for who you are.
JHPENTERTAINMENT: Early in the play, there’s mention of Emily’s poker face. In your real life, do you have a poker face, or can folks generally tell what you’re thinking just by looking at your expression?
COURTNEY LINAM: Oh, I absolutely have a poker face—and I’m actually pretty good at poker, too! I can keep a straight face when I need to, which comes in handy both on stage and at the card table. But catch me off guard with something funny, and I’m done for—no hiding that laugh. I think that balance is what makes acting fun for me—being able to control your expression when it counts, but also knowing when to just let the real emotion show.
RAPID FIRE WITH QUEENS OF HEART’s ROSE, JOY TILLEY PERRYMAN
JHPENTERTAINMENT: You’re no stranger to Rose Kincaid, having been portrayed the role back in 2003 during the World Premiere performance of QUEENS OF HEART at Chaffin’s Barn Dinner Theatre in Nashville and now you’re spearheading the Alabama premiere. What is it about this show and the role of Rose that drew you back in?
JOY TILLEY PERRYMAN: The show is such a lovely story of female friendships and female interactions. Then throw in that is a group of Southern women and some of the best lines ever written and I have always wanted to go back and sit at rose’s table one more time. When I first contacted the playwright, my dear friend Lydia Bushfield about remounting the show, she had doubts, She thought it might be dated (she did bring it forward in time just a bit) but I assured her that the stories and the companionship these women share is timeless.
JHPENTERTAINMENT: When chatting with one of you cast mates, I noted that QUEENS OF HEART shares some similarities with another play about a group of southern women, Steel Magnolias. Do you think it’s a fair comparison? And what would you say to fans of that show to get them to check out this one?
JOY TILLEY PERRYMAN: I think it is a fair comparison and I think fans of the Magnolias will LOVE the QUEENS! If you enjoy heartfelt shows with true to life depictions of what it means to have a strong group of girlfriends, then come see the show. And bonus, Poker!
JHPENTERTAINMENT: When you and I first talked about me featuring the cast of Queens of Heart in a Rapid Fire 20Q, you mentioned that you’d secured a great venue for the performances. What can you tell me about the venue and how does it lend itself to the action of the play?
JOY TILLEY PERRYMAN: As you know, I moved back to my hometown in 2021. When I left Gadsden, AL in 1985 the downtown area was a dead place. Like most small Southern towns, when the mall came in, downtown dried up. But in the years since I have been gone, downtown Gadsden has reinvented itself! We have a thriving entertainment district and one of the best art museums in the state. And we have murals all over just like Nashville! I work my day job on Chestnut Street, one block from Broad Street and when I was thinking of finding space to do this show it hit me like a ton of beautiful bricks. The space at the top of Chestnut was vacant. It is owned by a school chum and her husband, so I called Syndee and asked if she was open to a short term rental. Built in 1930, it is a lovely brick building with a big open space and smaller rooms to use as dressing rooms. It has 2 big store windows that I have used as my marquee, so to speak. It is store front theatre, I can only fit about 45 chairs. But folks will truly feel like they are in Rose’s living room. And the best part? The store next door, that my friend Syndee owns? It is called The Stone Market and is the best wine shop around! She is going to extend her hours on Fridays and Saturdays, so folks can bring a glass of wine over to the show.
JHPENTERTAINMENT: While reading the script in preparation of chatting with you, when Rose responds to Betty revealing where a particularly uneventful date took her to dinner. Rose’s line, “He did not take you to Sonic”, could easily be a throwaway, but having seen you in a number of plays over the years, I could hear you delivering that line as I read it and it made me giggle. Without giving too much away, what’s your favorite line or scene in the play?
JOY TILLEY PERRYMAN: That is one of my favorite lines! I totally channel my MawMaw Thompson in the delivery. I take her delivery of the phrase “You don’t mean” and apply it to the Sonic line. But I do love the scene after the wedding. You will have to buy a ticket to get to see the sherbet-colored bridesmaid dress! And matching headdress. Trust me it is worth the price of admission.
JHPENTERTAINMENT: What do you hope audiences take with them after spending a little time with the ladies of QUEENS OF HEART?
JOY TILLEY PERRYMAN: I told someone recently that the role of theatre has always been to entertain and maybe sometimes to uplift and educate. But in these perilous times when there is so much hate and anger and just ugliness around every corner, I hope the audiences will come away with love. That the love these 6 women have for each other can spill out and over and in to everyone’s lives and maybe ease the sorrow for just a bit. They are not all alike, they do not share the same views or life experiences but they share a common ground in their friendship and acceptance. That is maybe not a bad lesson either.
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From laughter to life lessons, the ladies of QUEENS OF HEART prove that every hand you’re dealt can be a winning one when your friends deck is stacked with queens. Don’t miss Joy’s Jubilations’ staging of Lydia Bushfield’s QUEENS OF HEART, playing October 17–25 at The Local at 118 in downtown Gadsden, Alabama. Performances are Fridays and Saturdays October 17-25 at 7:30pm. There will also be a Sunday matinee at 2pm on October 19, Tickets are only $15. Seating is limited so CLICK HERE for tickets or more information. To keep up with the latest from Joy’s Jubilations, CLICK HERE to follow them on Facebook.
For more theatre coverage, cast interviews, and behind-the-scenes peeks from across the Southeast, like and follow JHPEntertainment to find out who I’m chatting with for my next Rapid Fire 20Q, or follow us on Facebook, Insta and X. And remember—always bet on the queens. ♠️♥️♦️♣️