‘The Glass Menagerie’ slays
THEATER STUDENTS STAGE 1944 PLAY THAT MADE TENESSEE WILLIAMS FAMOUS
BY VICTORIA TINKER
Amanda and her children,
Tom and Laura, live in
| a small beehive-like
" apartment in St. Louis
that faces an alley
and is entered by a fire
escape. The year is 1930,
and this is Tom’s memoiy.
“ The Glass M enagerie,” w ritten by
Tennessee W illiam s, opened Thursday,
Nov. 10 at Clackamas Community College
in the Niemeyer Center. The play is directed
by James Eikrem, scenic and lighting design
is by Christopher Whitten, and costume
design was by Alva Bradford.
“ It’ s a m em ory play, and in most
memories, nothing’ s too square,” said
Whitten.
The set of “ The Glass Menagerie” was
created so that it can change just as quickly
as the memories do.
There are two different scenes—the
front living space of the apartment and
the alley way with the fire escape. Instead
of changing sets everytime the memory
(flanges, Whitten decided to make the alley
way part of the stage right curtain.
Whitten designed the screens so that the
wallpaper can change easily. It’ s projected
through the back of the screen so it doesn’ t
show on the actors.
In this play, we see some new faces and
some old faces. Nancy Nye, a community
member who plays Amanda in “ The Glass
Menagerie,” starred in “ Uriftetown” last
spring.
“ M y favorite part about the play is the
language. It’s a really lyrical play,” said
Nye.
I found this to be true. The language
was unique.
“ Oh! I baptized m yself a little ,” said
Amanda. The character was sitting on the
couch trying to have a casual conversation
when she spilled some of her drink oh her
shirt. It’s quirky, funny things like this that
you’ll get the chance to appreciate too in
this wonderful play.
Rachel Polley, who plays Laura, has been
in two other plays, but said that this is her
first big production.
There’ s quite a bit of time that Laura
was on stage without any lines. She was
just there and I started to notice her more,
Wondering what she was thinking of as she
stood there without a word to say, perfectly
in character.
Polley said, “ U sually when th a t’ s
happening, I’ m listening to the other
character. Instead of just being there and
waiting for your line, you have to actually
listen* to what the other character is saying
and react to it;”
The director said there’s more to come.
“ It’s a classic,” said Eikrem. “ The whole
season is built, on classics of American
theater.”
Fall term starts off with a small play,
which switches to a larger play during
winter term, then finishes with a big
musical spring term.
According to Eikrem, we can look forward
to more genuine, non-cynical plays like
“ The Glass Menagerie” throughout the
2016-2017 school year.
“ It ’s a m em ory play,
a n d in m ost memories,
nothing’s too square,”
- Christopher Whitten
Although this play has a sm all cast
including a mother, Amanda, her children,
Tom and Laura and one scene w ith a
gentleman caller, these four actors rule
the stage.
This play is in te n se , fu n n y and
heartbreakiftg. It’ s better than going to
the movies.
“ The audience fo r liv e th eater
performances is the final character in any
play,” said Eikrem. “ If we don’t have the
audience out there watching these plays,
there’s really no reason to be doing them.”
The last chance to see “ The Glass
Menagerie” is Sun. Nov. 20. Tickets are
$11 for adults, $9 for seniors and $5 for
students.
Above: Billy McLendon begins the play as the narrator, explaining the story while
smoking a cigarette.
Below: Nancy Nye, left, and Rachel Polley embrace in a scene.
Clackamas print NOVEMBER 16,2016 thedaiam asprintcom S