Openstage Theatre Presents THE GLASS MENAGERIE 1/9/2010

A nostalgic, heart-achingly poignant play unlike anything else Playwright Tennessee Williams was to write, The Glass Menagerie changed the landscape of the American theater and introduced the world to one of its greatest playwrights.

Williams' best-known work is a stunningly honest and vulnerable autobiographical piece, as told through the gauzy memories of ToM. Williams spent a lifetime perfecting this timeless treasure, featuring four of the most powerful and resonant characters ever realized on stage.

Amanda, the determined, suffocating mother, is a misplaced southern belle, whose life disappointments fuel her desire to create a different life for her children. Crippled by shyness, daughter Laura retreats into a private world populated with delicate glass creatures and old phonograph records. Son Tom is Williams' stand-in, a frustrated writer trapped between his sense of family obligation and a romantic passion for adventure and freedom. The much-anticipated gentleman caller Jim is a former high school success story struggling to live up to his past.

"The theme in many ways is about how a harsh world alienates people, even from those they love," said OpenStage Director Peter Anthony. "Although The Glass Menagerie is set in the depression of the 1930s, it bears a strong relation to our current economic times and the many families who are struggling. As with Williams' characters, hard times have displaced many Americans from bountiful youths into a harsh world."

In his production notes, Playwright Williams invites directors to "employ unconventional techniques" in recreating his "memory play," a direction Anthony has taken to heart.

"We're working on many levels with the concept of memory being pliable in both time and space," said Anthony. "There are no walls, and the fire escape hangs in mid air. As a result, nothing is realistic from the moment Tom begins his opening monologue."

Yet Anthony still sees The Glass Menagerie as a very human play that examines how family can love each other but can't connect.

"It's a play that should touch the hearts and humanity of audiences," said Anthony. "The delicacy and lyricism is unlike anything else in the American theater. I think that's why it remains one of the most frequently produced plays of the past century."

The Glass Menagerie features the talents of OpenStage veteran actors Denise Burson Freestone as Amanda, Tomas Herrera as Tom and Soleil Collette Lean as Laura, and introduces newcomer AnDrew Miller in his OpenStage debut.

Performances of The Glass Menagerie are at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday nights from Jan. 9 to Jan. 30, with Sunday matinées at 2 p.m. on Jan. 17 and Jan. 24. Performances are at the Lincoln Center, 417 W. Magnolia in Fort Collins. A free performance for students and educators, funded by The Thornton Family Foundation, will be presented on Thursday, Jan. 7, at 7:30 p.m. To make reservations for the student/educator performance, contact OpenStage Theatre at (970) 484-5237.

Individual tickets are $20 adults, $15 seniors and students and groups of 10 or more. Matinee tickets are $13 per person. Tickets for FAB Friday, sponsored by Boulder Beer, on Jan. 15, are $12 and include a free beer at intermission. Tickets are available from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m., Tuesdays through Saturdays, through the Lincoln Center box office at (970) 221-6730 and online at www.LCTIX.com.

Childcare will be available for the Friday, Jan. 15, performance through Young People's Learning Center, 209 E. Plum St. Call Young People's Learning Center at 970-482-1212 for childcare reservations.

A play guide containing information on the play and the playwright is available online at www.openstage.com. Click on The Glass Menagerie on the home page and then on the Play Guide icon at the top of the show page.

Audiences are invited to meet the cast of The Glass Menagerie following every performance. Free covered parking is available exclusively for OpenStage audiences at Lincoln Office Center, 419 Canyon Ave.

Major funding for The Glass Menagerie is provided by OpenMind for OpenStage, Keller Williams Realty and KUNC-fm.

Currently celebrating its thirty-seventh season, OpenStage Theatre's 2009-2010 season is supported by Witt Gross of Coldwell Banker and Shaw and Associates, CPA, and by grants from the Colorado Council on the Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts and the City of Fort Collins Fort Fund.

For more information, visit OpenStage's website at www.openstage.com or call 970-484-5237. Founded in 1973, OpenStage Theatre is a recipient of the Governor's Award for Excellence in the Arts and a member of Theatre Communications Group, the national organization for not-for-profit professional theatres.

A not-for-profit organization, OpenStage Theatre relies heavily on the support of sponsors and patrons who help make each season a success. With assistance from corporations, foundations and the general public, OpenStage has been able to maintain high quality productions for 37 years. For information on sponsorship and charitable gifts and how you can support OpenStage Theatre, call (970) 484-5237.

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