EPAC Polishes GLASS MENAGERIE For Sept 2013 Run

The fragile glass figurines decorating the otherwise shabby Wingate family apartment in "The Glass Menagerie" are virtual mirrors of its occupants: Laura, an emotionally and physically hobbled young woman without romantic or occupational prospects. Amanda, the stranded single mom whose genteel affectations veil her quiet desperation.

And Tom, Laura's devoted older brother, trapped into Man of the House status by his father's abandonment while aching to flee and pursue his dream of becoming a writer-just like his real-life alter-ego, Tennessee Williams, the author of this celebrated, landmark play.

Williams' delicately balanced "memory play" lacks the violent and sensual dynamics of his later works, A Streetcar Named Desire, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and Night of the Iguana, but the aching poetic angst of his Glass Menagerie makes it, for many, his most memorable achievement.

Rich Repkoe, the director of the Ephrata Performing Arts Center's forthcoming Sept. 5-21 production of this stage classic, agrees.

"I'm attracted by its simplicity and its humanistic qualities," said Repkoe, who previously directed EPAC's much-lauded Of Mice and Men. "The chance to deconstruct this already brilliantly abstract piece is exciting and an immense challenge. And a large part of that excitement is the amazing collaborative process of working with my ideal cast."

Tim Riggs adds to his impressive EPAC resume (including Hamlet, Frozen and the Repkoe-directed Of Mice and Men) as Tom.

Megan Baum, Riggs' fiancée, who co-starred opposite him in sensually-charged roles in Mice/Men and Hamlet, plays Laura.

Karyn Reppert, whose EPAC legacy ranges from the bombastic Mama Rose of Gypsy to the volatile Witch in Into the Woods, essays the exquisitely subtler role of Amanda.

Brian Viera, the macho monster-slayer of EPAC's Evil Dead and roller disco dim-bulb in Xanadu, also plumbs new depths as The Gentleman Caller whom Tom is cajoled into recruiting as a potential suitor for Laura.

The minimalistic set for this production is designed by Jordan Jonata, with light design by Richard Wolf Spencer, costumes by Veronica Craig, and props by Karey Getz. Beth Lewis is production/stage manager. Steve Schelling is technical director.

Tickets are $15-$27.50. Show times at the Sharadin Bigler Theatre are 7:30 p.m. Wednesday-Thursday, and 8 p.m. Friday-Saturday; Sept. 5-21, with a 2 p.m. matinee Saturday, Sept. 21, for which any tickets unsold by 1:30 p.m. go on sale for a pay-what-you-will donation. To reserve seats, visit ephrataperformingartscenter.com or call (717) 733-7966, Ext. 1.

Pictured: Megan Baum and Timothy Riggs

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