Tennessee Williams’ first successful play and part of the bedrock of his impressive portfolio, The Glass Menagerie is a four-character family drama (five if you consider the absentee father) that follows Amanda Wingfield and her children, Laura and Tom. With autobiographical undertones, the memory play is filled with longing and heartache, and deals with themes like abandonment and family obligation, as well as unpursued opportunities that hang around the family’s collective neck like a noose. From October 10-25, the Gulfshore Playhouse will bring this heavy drama to the Norris Center stage.
The first full production of the 2015-16 season, The Glass Menagerie is also a first for the playhouse: a co-production with the Weston Playhouse Theatre Company in Weston, Vermont. Gulfshore’s Founder and Producing Artistic Director Kristen Coury, spent part of the summer in Vermont directing the play, and has now brought the cast and set back with her to Naples. The thought-provoking drama is a great follow-up to the season opener—the third annual New Works Festival, held in late September—building on the excitement of what’s sure to be a great season.
“I think this is going to be the most well-balanced season ever,” Coury said. “In terms of huge comedies, classics, new, really new thought-provoking works, I really feel like we got the exact perfect balance of it all.”
Part of Gulfshore’s Synergy Series, theatergoers have a bevvy of opportunities to go beyond the script with Coury, the actors, and the playhouse’s production crew. Pre-show discussions will be held on October 11, 14, and 25; the Script Club will meet on October 13; an Actor and Director Talk-Back will be held on October 15; and a panel discussion will be held on October 18.
- There will be two preview performances, October 8 and 9, and cost $30. The Glass Menagerie will be on stage from October 10-25. Tickets start at $45. For more information, visit gulfshoreplayhouse.org.
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