Oak Park Festival Theatre Presents THE GLASS MENAGERIE, Previews 10/6

The Glass Menagerie holds in its shadowed fragility the stamina of success." - So reads legendary theatre critic Claudia Cassidy's first sentence from the "most famous review in Chicago theater history" in the Chicago Tribune on December 27, 1944. How prescient she was. Almost 70 years and thousands of productions after its premiere at Chicago's Civic Theatre, this beloved American classic by Tennessee Williams continues to mesmerize, still weaving its spell for actors, directors and audiences alike.

It will do so again beginning October 6 when Oak Park Festival Theatre unveils its loving production of one of the greatest plays in the American canon at the Madison Street Theatre, 1010 W. Madison Street, Oak Park, IL. Previewing October 6-8, The Glass Menagerie will run October 9 through November 13. Performances are at 8:00 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and at 5:00 p.m. on Sundays. Members of the press are invited to attend on Sunday, October 9 at 8:00 p.m. Please note special performance time for opening night only.

Fresh from his triumphant stewardship of this summer's masterful interpretation of Shakespeare's Henry V, Kevin Theis again brings his keen directorial sense to this heartbreaking portrait of the fractured Wingfield family.

"At a moment in their lives when possibility and hope seem just around the next corner, the Wingfield family's doomed matriarch Amanda and her children Tom and Laura strive to make their fragile dreams come true. World war is about to engulf the country, and the Wingfields are struggling to survive in an economic climate that disturbingly resembles our own," Theis observes. "As relevant and revolutionary now as in 1944, this quintessentially haunting 'memory play' delicately illumines the insidious effects of self-delusion, as well as the gut-wrenching internal conflict of a loving brother whose personal survival and promise of becoming a great writer is possible only through a necessary act of abandonment."

Long-time Chicago director, actor, and teacher Belinda Bremner, whose splendid performance as the Chorus expertly guided Henry V audiences through the political intrigues and war-torn fields of England and France, again returns to the Festival Theatre stage as the haunted Amanda.

Appearing in his Festival Theatre debut, Chicago favorite Christian Gray plays Williams' semiautobiographical role of Tom, whose profound love for his disabled sister and mounting frustration with being the sole support of his troubled family prevents him from pursuing his own dream and destiny as a successful poet.

Assuming the role of the disabled, painfully shy, and maternally smothered Laura Wingfield, whose only reality is her treasured collection of delicately crafted miniature glass animals, Zoe Palko returns to OPFT after her appearance in 2010's Love's Labour's Lost. Also appearing on the Festival Theatre stage for the first time and rounding out this outstanding ensemble is Luke Couzens as Jim, the Gentleman Caller, who at Tom's behest unknowingly agrees to visit and then unwittingly rocks the fragility of Laura's crystalline world before he, too, flees from expectations he clearly did not anticipate.

The set is designed by Michael Lasswell, with lighting by Aimee Hanyzewski, and costumes by Lindsay Schmeling. Robert W. Behr stage manages.

Special Lecture by Richard Christiansen on September 18th

Mindful of Ms. Cassidy's enormous contribution to the American theatre when she almost singlehandedly rescued The Glass Menagerie from oblivion prior to its Broadway opening, Festival Theatre will present a lecture by her distinguished successor in the Chicago Tribune's drama critic's chair. Chicago Tribune Chief Critic Emeritus and raconteur Richard Christiansen will tell the tale of this glorious but little known moment in Chicago and American theatre history when he appears on Sunday, September 18 at 4p.m. in Gottlieb Hall at West Suburban Temple Har Zion, 1040 N. Harlem Avenue in River Forest. An Oak Park & River Forest High School honored graduate, and acclaimed author of A Theater of Our Own: A History and Memoir of 1,001 Nights in Chicago, the definitive history of Chicago theatre, Mr. Christiansen was the inaugural recipient of Oak Park Festival Theatre's Arden Award. Members of the cast of the Festival Theatre production will perform a short scene from the play and Mr. Christiansen will take questions. Copies of Mr. Christiansen's book will be available for purchase and signing. Refreshments will follow the event. This event is free, but reservations are required. To attend, please call or e-mail OPFT's box office at 708-445-4440 or Tickets@OakParkFestival.com.

Francesca's Fiore Offers Special Dinner/Theatre Package

Francesca's Fiore, 7407 W. Madison St., Forest Park, is offering a dinner and theatre package exclusively for OPFT's Glass Menagerie patrons. For $50 per person, Francesca's will provide a 3-course Italian dinner and a ticket to the play. Patrons who have already purchased theatre tickets can receive the dinner special by mentioning the "Glass Menagerie Prix Fixe" menu at the restaurant. The restaurant is located just six blocks west of the Madison Street Theatre. Restaurant valet parking is available on Fridays and Saturdays.

Friday performances to benefit OPALGA

Oak Park Festival Theatre will donate $5 from each $25 ticket purchased for Friday performances to the Oak Park Area Lesbian and Gay Association on behalf of each patron who mentions the organization. Since its establishment in 1989, OPALGA has been one of the largest community-based, multi-purpose lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered membership organizations in Illinois. In commemoration of the difficulties playwright Williams faced during his lifetime as a gay man in mid-20th century America, OPFT is pleased to support a local organization that might have benefitted him.

The Glass Menagerie runs October 6 through November 13 at the Madison Street Theatre, 1010 W. Madison in Oak Park. Performances are Thursday through Saturday at 8:00 p.m. and Sunday at 5:00 p.m. Please note: Opening night on Sunday, October 9 is at 8:00 p.m. Please see OakParkFestival.com for the complete show schedule and to purchase tickets.

Ticket prices are $25 for adults and $20 for students and seniors. All preview tickets are $15. On Sundays, October 16, 23, 30, and November 6, students and seniors pay only $15 with ID. Tickets also may be purchased by calling the box office at 708-445-4440 or by e-mailing Tickets@OakParkFestival.com.

Subscriptions to OPFT's year-round, four-play 2011-12 season are also available. Opening in March at the Madison Street Theatre will be the Olivier award winning Irish comedy Stones in His Pockets by Marie Jones, staged by director David Mink and featuring film and TV star Alan Ruck and OPFT Artistic Director Jack Hickey. OPFT will return to its traditional outdoor setting in Austin Gardens next summer with two magnificent political dramas: Lawrence and Lee's Inherit the Wind, directed by Steve Pickering and featuring Jack Hickey as Henry Drummond; and Shakespeare's Richard III, directed by Belinda Bremner and featuring Kevin Theis as Richard.

Oak Park Festival Theatre-Oak Park's only Equity theatre and the Midwest's oldest professional theatre performing the classics outdoors-is currently celebrating its 38th year of theatrical excellence and is embarking on its second year-round season producing outstanding productions of the plays of William Shakespeare and other classical authors, as well as important contemporary plays by some of the world's greatest playwrights. More information on Oak Park Festival Theatre is available at OakParkFestival.com or by calling 708-445-4440.