A story of nuanced, flawed characters

The Glass Menagerie is the play that made American playwright Tennessee Williams suddenly famous after years of obscurity.

Audiences were gripped by Tennessee’s story and cast of nuanced and flawed characters–each of whom lives in a private world of illusion to escape realities they can’t accept or relate to.

Colorado State University Theatre presents the Pulitzer Prize-winning timeless classic, October 9 through October 26, Thursdays through Saturdays, at 7:30 p.m. in the Studio Theatre at the University Center for the Arts, 1400 Remington Street.

Tickets

• $8/CSU students
• $8/youth (under 18)
• $18/public

Please note that the University Center for the Arts (UCA) ticket office hours have changed. Tickets are available at the ticket office in the UCA lobby 90 minutes prior to any UCA performance and through intermission or online.

Information about upcoming performances can be found at (970) 491-ARTS (2787). Advance or online purchase is recommended to avoid at-the-door fees.

Free ticket offers

CSU students get in free on Ticket Thursdays:

• Oct. 9
• Oct. 16
• Oct. 23

Members of the public get in free on Ticket Sundays:

•  Oct. 12
• Oct. 19
• Oct. 26

Ticket Sundays are sponsored by the City of Fort Collins Fund. Free ticket offer space is limited and tickets are available on a first-come, first-served basis online or at the Ticket Office.

Ayers lends bold new interpretation

The Glass Menagerie, directed by new CSU faculty Garrett Ayers, is drawn from Williams’ life, The play is a dream-like exploration of the universal themes of the elusiveness of truth, the necessity of forgiveness, and the power of memory. A bold, new interpretation of an American classic, this production is not to be missed.

Memory play based on William’s own experiences

Often referred to as a “memory play,” a term coined by Williams himself to describe his characters’ loose recollection of the past, the story of The Glass Menagerie opens with the narration of Tom Wingfield, played by Noah Kaplan, whose memories are ultimately based on Williams’ own thoughts and experiences.

Story of love, loyalty, disappointment

Tom works at a shoe warehouse to support his family but is frustrated by his job and aspires to be a poet. He is a complicated man. He loves literature and writes poetry, but his relationship with and treatment of his family contradicts his aspirations of being something greater than himself and his circumstances.

Tom is the story’s protagonist, and his opening narration introduces us to his mother, Amanda Wingfield, and his sister Laura.

Amanda Wingfield, played by Kate Lewis, is a faded southern belle (a quintessential character type in Williams’ plays) whose husband abandoned the family years ago. Amanda longs for her youth and wishes for her family the same comforts of her younger days. Both her love and aggravation toward her family echo the duality shared by Tom.

Laura Wingfield, played by Courtney Steinwinder, is an introverted, fragile being (symbolized by her glass figurine collection) and exudes compassion in a household marked by selfishness. Left with a limp due to a childhood illness, Laura is physically and mentally crippled with an inferiority complex that isolates her from the rest of the world.

At the behest of his mother, Tom searches for a potential suitor (referred to as a “gentlemen caller”) for Laura, and invites an acquaintance from work, Jim O’Connor, played by Ben Patten, to dinner. Laura recognizes Jim as the boy she had a crush on in high school, and is so overcome with shyness that she is unable to dine with the family. In the lead up to one of the most memorable scenes in Williams’ work, Jim and Laura finally converse and share a dance by candlelight whose flickering flame foreshadows the brief burning relationship between the two, and Tom’s ultimate departure from his family.

“I’ve always loved this piece,” said Walt Jones, co-director of theatre and dance at CSU. “Williams creates these incredible story arcs through the intense interactions of people and what they do in those situations that just draw you in to the emotion of the story.”

Closing night conversation with director, cast, creative team

There will be a Closing Night Artist Talk-Back with the director, cast, and creative team on Sunday, Oct. 26 immediately following the performance.

For more information, visit UCA.Colostate.edu.

Event contact: Carrie.Care@colostat.edu, (970)491-5891