THE GLASS MENAGERIE Comes to Bag&Baggage Productions

 Bag&Baggage Productions will open its 21st season with The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams, directed by Nik Whitcomb from Sept. 5 to 21 at The Vault Theater & Event Space. 

B&B is exploring The Glass Menagerie for the second time since its 2010 production of this classic memory play in the Venetian Theater. Whitcomb’s upcoming rendition is set in 1950s New York instead of the play’s original setting of 1930s St. Louis, Mo. The upcoming production will explore indigenous identity and passing, evolving perceptions of gender roles and complex representations of disability.

Though Whitcomb has a clear, strong direction, the play itself remains largely as is. Initial edits to the script came under one page long. As he jokingly quipped during the play’s first read, “I tried to not break the DNA of the play.”

In fact, a strong source of inspiration for Whitcomb’s approach comes from Tennessee Williams himself. While on a cruise, Whitcomb visited Key West, Fla. and heard about a Tennessee Williams exhibit. Upon visiting the exhibit at the Key West Museum of Art & History, he was surprised to find out that Williams was also a painter and his paintings were the focus of the exhibit. Unlike the moody tone of his plays, Williams’ artwork was bright and expressive which changed Whitcomb’s perception of the playwright.

“That's where the idea of how do we tell this memory play in a way that's not stark and gloomy, but colorful and maybe inspired by his own work (began),” Whitcomb said.

Williams artwork will appear on record sleeves in the production, under the direction of Props Designer Karen Wingard.

Much like any production of The Glass Menagerie, Whitcomb and his cast will be exploring memory, dreams and perspective. This exploration of unreality and ephemera will manifest through blurring and distortion of photos, paintings and written text on props. Lighting by designer Jim Ricks-White will also play a key role in this discovery, inspired by the refraction and color seen from light going through glass Each character will have their own lighting color scheme to indicate perspective to the audience.

Whitcomb intentionally wanted to explore these classic themes under different circumstances, which the change in setting allows.

“I also think that by taking the family and putting them very far away from home, that creates a different circumstance for Amanda,” Whitcomb said.  “Now she's not some woman who's been where she is all (her life) and just became bitter because her husband left. But instead her husband picked up their family and moved them north and then left.” 

Shifting the setting two decades later also brings into conversation  the Red Scare, Violet Scare and post-World War II attitudes on race and immigration. Those historical events are paired with a current nostalgia and idealization for the ’50s. 

Both Laura (Taya Dixon) and Tom (Samuel Campbell) are played by actors with indigenous heritage, which is being considered as part of the story. With the assistance of Dramaturg Carlos-Zenen Trujillo, historical dynamics of passing and indigenous immigration north will be included.

Additionally, setting the play in New York City on the cusp of the sexual revolution adds a new lens to explore the homoeroticism and possible gender dysphoria of Tom. Subtextual queerness such as going to the movies and receiving a rainbow kerchief from a magician will be magnified. The designer team is even exploring the hanky code which was used by queer people to signal preferences while cruising. Tom will be flagging orange, which means he is open for anything.

“The counter culture there was so strong specifically in that time,” Whitcomb said. “I  think if you are a young queer person that wants to explore … ain't nothing like being in a city.

This shift in setting also illuminates choices around depictions of disability within the production, giving more specificity to the circumstances of both Laura and Amanda (Kymberli Colbourne) as characters. Whitcomb is exploring why Laura might have left business school and why she is a homebody. As well as what it would mean for Amanda to be enduring early onset memory loss.

“I feel like there's not a lot of fairness in the American theater canning conversation around Amanda,” Whitcomb said. “… similarly, for Laura, she's not this broken China doll. There are circumstances that we're not really giving a lot of credence to, like that could make them be the way that they are.”

Though rehearsals just began, preliminary work on this production has already elicited takeaways for the cast and crew.

“We’ve learned that family is rarely simple, memories are rarely pure, and perspective changes everything,” Whitcomb wrote in his director’s note. “Sometimes all it takes is a different angle to see not just the cracks in the glass — but the way the light shines through them.

Tickets are $25 for general admission or $40 for a “Pay It Forward” ticket, which helps support live theater. Pay What You Can performances will take place on Thurs. Sept. 11 and Sat. Sept. 20. 

An ASL-interpreted performance will be offered on Sat. Sept. 13 with a d/Deaf community pre-show gathering. There will be a talk back with the cast on Sun. Sept. 14. Audio-described performances and pre-show dramaturgy lectures soon to be announced.

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