Mad Cow Announces Spanish Reading of THE GLASS MENAGERIE (EL ZOO DE CRISTAL)

Mad Cow Theatre, continuing its eagerness to nurture the cultural offering for the growing Hispanic community of Central Florida, features this classic of American dramaturgy through a dramatic reading. The reading, completely in Spanish, is a translation by León Mirlas and will be directed by Eliana Stratico.

A family of three. A matriarchy. A manipulative mother and two broken children. A family made of scraps, of unfulfilled longings, of lives that they will never have. "El Zoo de Cristal" refers the story of a family that might be any family, even today, almost 80 years after its premiere.

This is the play that put Williams in the international arena, three years latercame the well-known "A Streetcar Named Desire" (1947). However, it was with "The Glass Menagerie" that he managed not only to be placed in the world literary map, but to portray with almost painful and autobiographical precision, a family from the southern United States in the 30s.

About the characters of the play, the Director comments: "Amanda is a mother trying to keep the family together at all cost. She feeds her anger in the past, staining the lives of her children and the future with darkness. Laura, the daughter, is conveniently weak for her mother's purpose. She finds solace in a world of crystal and colors to hold the dreams alive. And Tom, the son, the one who can see and write what he sees, who can fight back and leave, exactly as their father did. A son riding his life like a crystal horse, always loyal to his sister, the only bright light in his heart. "
The cast are Miguel Salas (Tom Wingfield), Giovanna Quezada (Laura Wingfield), Jerald Spear (Jim O'Connor), and Eliana Stratico (Amanda Wingfield).

"The story is inherent to the intimate world of people and for that reason it does not lose validity. It is a story by an American author but we can all relate to it, that is what makes it a classic, and doing it in Spanish is a unique opportunity to bring this material to the Hispanic community, something that is rarely done in the United States", says Stratico.

For theater people, actors and theatre goers, or those interested in the American Realism as a literary movement, this can be an interesting opportunity to review the look that a foreign director and cast can give to this American classic. "The text is so beautiful, and it captures so much, and tells so much that we could not pass up the opportunity to do it as a reading, an activity that requires less time for rehearsals, and that thanks to the richness of the words and the expressiveness of the actors, allows you to live the story fully", Stratico remarks .

The performed readings will be on Tuesday, June 5th and Wednesday, June 6that 7:30 pm at Mad Cow Theatre (54 W Church St, Orlando 32801). For more information www.madcowtheatre.com or by calling 407-297- 8788.

Tickets are $12. Tickets are available online at madcowtheatre.com or by calling the Mad Cow Theatre box office at 407-297-8788 ext. 1. All tickets are subject to a $3 facility fee.

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