Ross Valley Players Will Continue its 90th Season with THE GLASS MENAGERIE

Ross Valley Players continues its 90th Season with The Glass Menagerie, Tennessee Williams' classic play set in the 1930s about a family's financial and emotional struggles amid conflicting aspirations. The play will run from March 6 to April 5, 2020 at the Ross Valley Players: Barn Theatre.

Synopsis:

The Glass Menagerie pits a son's desperate aspirations for a better and different life against his mother's wistful nostalgia for her storied past and his sister's debilitating shyness. Narrated by the son, Tom Wingfield who yearns to shed the yoke of his financial and filial responsibilities for a life far away. His sister, Laura, struggles to survive within his mother Amanda's shadow of former antebellum popularity.

Play history: Tennessee Williams based his first successful play, The Glass Menagerie, on biographical elements and characters and on his short story "Portrait of a Girl in Glasses." Though The Glass Menagerie premiered in 1944 in Chicago, it moved to Broadway in 1945 propelled by two Chicago critics' enthusiasm. In that same year, it won the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award, which launched Williams' career as a preeminent American playwright. The play's poignant and painful story caught Hollywood's interest and radio and television producers. Adaptations of the play enjoyed international success in Iran and India.

Quote from the director: "I have always wanted to direct The Glass Menagerie, it's one of my favorite plays. I feel like my passion and my primary responsibility as a director are one: to open windows for the audience to see the beauty and dignity of all of the characters in the play."

David Abrams Bio:

David Abrams, the founding artistic director of Birdbath Theatres, is thrilled to direct with Ross Valley Players for the first time. His favorite North Bay roles include: Evan in The Aliens, Jean in Rhinoceros and Richard II with Birdbath Theatres. David recently directed Chekhov's, Uncle Vanya with Birdbath and received a nomination for best direction by Theatre Bay Area. David teaches drama at several schools and programs around the Bay Area including The Oakland School for the Arts. David received his master's degree in acting from The American Repertory Theatre at Harvard University.

Characters Actors

Amanda Wingfield Tamar Kohn

Tom Wingfield Greg Crane

Laura Wingfield Carolyn Arnold

Jim O'Connor Jesse Lumb

About Ross Valley Players:

Celebrating its 90th year, Ross Valley Players, a non-profit arts organization, is the oldest continually operating community theater on the West Coast. Created in 1930 to escape the hardships of the Depression, Ross Valley Players has introduced live theater to tens of thousands of Marin residents over the years. Each year, RVP presents a regular season of six full productions, running for 30 weeks. RVP offers special events and short-term productions outside the regular season. Plays include recent Broadway material, popular plays, classic theater, and a selection of works by well-known playwrights from around the world. RVP features all genres: comedy, drama, mysteries, and musicals. Their Ross Alternative Works (RAW) program presents short run, minimal set productions of original scripts by Bay Area playwrights.

WHAT:

Ross Valley Players presents The Glass Menagerie

WHEN:

March 6 - April 5, 2020

Performances are Thursdays (7:30pm), Fridays & Saturdays (8pm) and Sundays (2pm)

Special Nights:

Thursday, March 5 (7:30pm) - Preview Night

Friday, March 6 (8:00pm) - Opening Night and Season Subscriber's Reception (6:30pm) Pre-show cocktail hour with hors d'oeuvres and wine. Q&A with director

Saturday, March 7 - Buzz At The Barn - 7:00pm pre-show cocktail hour with hors d'oeuvres and sparkling wine.

Talkbacks:

Sunday March 15 and March 22- Discuss the show with the director and actors immediately following the matinee performance.

Sunday, April 5 (2pm) - Closing Matinee

WHERE:

Ross Valley Players: Barn Theatre - 30 Sir Francis Drake Blvd, Ross, CA 94957.
(415) 456-9555 ext. 1

TICKETS:

Fridays, Saturdays & Sundays: $29 ($17 under 25)

Thursdays: $24 GA ($14 under 25)

Preview Night - Thursday, March 5- $15

To order tickets, call 415-456-9555, ext. 1 or visit https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/4315813

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