Previews: THE GLASS MENAGERIE at Carrollwood Cultural Center

In celebration of their 2022-2023 Season of Classics, on stage next at Carrollwood Cultural Center is the memory play, The Glass Menagerie, by Tennessee Williams, set in St. Louis in the 1930s, on February 17 through February 26.

Directed by David J. Valdez, the play features Judy Heck Lowry, Zach "Hippie" Griswold, Madison Pulica, and Joshua Chaykin.

David explained his vision for the production.

"I always gravitate towards pushing the envelope into a contemporary setting in inventing and reimagining plays we have preconceived notions about. I've looked at it from the perspective of a timeless time and place. Obviously, we know from it being a nearly perfect classic it is set in the Great Depression in St. Louis. I have taken away the idea that it must fit a certain time."

David aims to challenge the stereotypes of the characters.

This play is Tom's memory, what, why, and he recalls, and David has incorporated or omitted elements solely based on Tom's perspective.

"You may remember reading in school Amanda Wingfield as a monster. We aim to challenge these conventions. The Glass Menagerie is not a play that wraps itself up in a nice, tidy bow. This is no secret; however, we hope to bring fresh energy to the classic play," said David.

As part of this dysfunctional family, Judy plays Amanda, a faded Southern belle who lives in a dingy apartment with her son and disabled and debilitatingly shy daughter. She convinces her son to bring home a "gentleman caller" for his sister.

"Amanda is somewhat based on Tennessee Williams' mother, the daughter, his sister Rose, and Tom, the narrator on him, but not entirely. There are plenty of differences. This play is an American classic, transforming 20th-Century Theatre," said Judy. "Tennessee Williams was a poet, and his approach was much more interpretive and poetic. The language in this play is spectacular and rhythmic. Iconic actresses have played the mother. Amanda is one of the great roles in American theatre. She's from Ohio, but she's adopted the ways of the Southern belle."

Judy became her character by reading and getting to know Amanda, finding the things in Amanda that resonate with her personally, finding things within Amanda that she is familiar with, with those she's known, and building a backstory for her.

"My goal is always to know my character so well that I don't have to pretend anything. I can figure out what that character's thoughts are at any given moment of the play. Part of what I do is to think those thoughts, and that helps the emotions arise naturally so the performance feels inevitable. Listening and observing the other actors - just like in life - we see what people give us and respond to that. The story is very universal about a mother, a son, and a daughter all trying hard to find their lives, but they are a shattered family because the father deserted them when the children Will Little. This Southern Belle who'd been brought up in privilege, who married this man who moved her to St. Louis and abandoned her, had to figure out how to raise these little children with no discernable skills. Confronted with a problem many people face of being a single parent, she managed to do it, so I admire her."

Visually, the set for The Glass Menagerie is fragmented with hanging objects on fishing line.

"It looks like these items we are discussing or referencing are suspended in time, suspended in our minds. We also have a large frame that frames all of the movement and action on stage except for Tom, who travels outside of the frame. We are creating a delicate menagerie that we are within - this strained relationship between a mother and children, a budding relationship between a daughter and her gentleman caller. We're creating ourselves within the menagerie because we, like the glass, are very fragile," said David. "I think my most fascinating emotion attached to this process is looking at these characters in not such a stereotypical way. These characters love each other deeply, and that's where the drama unfolds - because of their deep love and affection for each other. Scaling those stereotypes back from what we think The Glass Menagerie should be has been very exciting and uncovered some moments we hadn't seen early on. I'm obviously glad that we put the team together that we did. I'm just excited to share this story with the rest of this community."

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