"You know it don't take much intelligence to get yourself into a nailed-up coffin, Laura. But who in hell ever got himself out of one without removing one nail?" - Tom

The Glass Menagerie
By Tennessee Williams

Te Whaea, MTA Garage Space: 5-8 OCTOBER, 8.00pm "You know it don't take much intelligence to get yourself into a nailed-up coffin, Laura. But who in hell ever got himself out of one without removing one nail?" - Tom

The Glass Menagerie
By Tennessee Williams

Te Whaea, MTA Garage Space: 5-8 OCTOBER, 8.00pmThe Glass Menagerie: a dark, haunting and ghostly experience as we enter the mind of Tom Wingfield. This Tennessee Williams masterpiece is directed by Willem Wassenaar as the major production for his MTA degree.

"I think the Glass Menagerie is the ultimate modern tragedy" says Wassenaar, "its tragedy being not so much around the corner as simply there the whole time in plain sight. The play delves into a world of escapism and our human tendency to avoid reality. We want to live a big life with big feelings and emotions, living out our wildest dreams, but that sometimes comes with a great cost. And how can we deal with that price?"

Set in America's Great Depression in which the disappointed and disillusioned middle class saw their dreams dissolve before its eyes, The Glass Menagerie is the most autobiographical piece of Tennessee Williams. Protagonist Tom feels trapped by the duty he owes to his family - stuck in a dead end job, having to support his dependent, demanding single mother and his shy, crippled sister while at the same time wanting to be free to live his own life. The small Saint Louis apartment literally imprisons the past, present and future of the individual members of the Wingfield household. Can a gentleman caller set them free?

All the events in the play are presented from the point of view of Tom, reflecting on his decision to find in motion what was lost in space. This Glass Menagerie emphasizes the language of memory. The surreal and illogical nature of Toms memory distorts the past, making The Glass Menagerie an unconventional and dreamlike journey.The Glass Menagerie

By Tennessee Williams
Directed by Willem Wassenaar
Designed by Laura Nicholls

5-8 OCTOBER, 8.00pm
Te Whaea, MTA Garage Space:
11 Hutchinson St, Newtown
BOOKINGS: 04 381 9253
www.tewhaea.org.nz