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Director’s Notes – Tennessee Williams’ The Glass Menagerie

It is no coincidence that many of the great plays of theatre have as their subject matter – the family.  It is almost a universal subject matter which audiences have been exposed to for centuries. The family plays a huge factor in shaping all of us; whether that shaping is good or bad, trauma free or trauma inducing.  The shades are many faceted.  Tennessee Williams brings to us in his play, The Glass Menagerie, the Wingfield family; the mother, a son and a daughter.  He also brings into this family a young man who comes over to dinner in Act Two. 

If one looks for a complexity of plot in The Glass Menagerie you won’t find it.  The arrangement of incidents of what happens are pretty simple and easy to follow.  What is complex is the nature of the characters that Mr. Williams brings to his play.  It is that complex nature that I believe is the challenge in directing the play.  I also believe it is what has made the play great and its characters so memorable since its Broadway production in March of 1945. 

In working with this talented cast of students, finding the nuances and colors inside and around the characters they are portraying has been the main focus.  The intention was deliberately made to keep the physical action of the actors clear but simple, while exploring and highlighting the spirit behind each of the characters’ internal life that results in those actions.  It is an exhausting task for this talented cast, but a very rewarding one for them as theatre artists.  It is also a very rewarding experience for our wonderful audiences who witness our performances.

As always, thanks to our great technical and front of house staff, as well as, the production’s Stage Management team.

Bruce Speas