Cast And Creatives Announced for THE GLASS MENAGERIE

The cast for Femi Elufowoju jr's production of The Glass Menagerie is confirmed as Michael Abubakar as Tom Wingfield, Lesley Ewen as Amanda Wingfield, Charlie Maher as Jim O'Connor and, in her debut performance, Naima Swaleh as Laura Wingfield.

Summer, 1937. Austerity turns up the pressure on the people of St Louis, for none more so than its African American community. Crowded amongst the tenements, Amanda Wingfield demands that her two children will lead a better life.

Femi Elufowoju jr returns to the Arcola following the success of his production The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's Wives, for which he won the Off West-End Theatre Award 2019 for Best Director. The production premiered in June 2018 to universal acclaim and became the Arcola's best-selling show. Immediately prior to The Glass Menagerie, Femi directs Hoard at Arcola, a new play by Bim Adewunmi set in the heart of Dalston.

Femi Elufowoju jr (Director): "When I first saw The Glass Menagerie, I was struck by its desperate melancholy, but - despite its bleakness - I also found it very funny, especially in moments when the matriarch pays excessive attention to her grown up children. She reminded me of my mother and her parental instincts towards me and my siblings!

The play seems so pertinent to our current times - demonstrating the universality of the human condition when governed by economic limitations and a harsh impoverished climate. I pursue work which speaks to an all-inclusive audiences and am excited to emancipate the text from traditionally-imposed expectations and explore the world of a play with universal resonance for every creed, race and religion in our country and the world at large today."

Mehmet Ergen (Artistic Director, Arcola): "In our ever-changing world, one of the great classic texts about The Great Depression, The Glass Menagerie still resonates with audiences today. Following the success of The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's Wives, we're thrilled to welcome back Femi Elufowoju jr to stage his interpretation of this major work."

The creative team is Femi Elufowoju jr (director) with Rebecca Brower (Production Designer), Arnim Friess (Lighting Designer/AV Design), Yvonne Gilbert (Sound Design), Kemi Durosinmi (Movement Designer), Nadine Rennie CDG (casting), and Joel Trill (Dialect/Voice).