The Indiana Repertory Theatre (IRT) is reimagining a profound classic this spring with “The Glass Menagerie.”
Directed by James Still, “The Glass Menagerie” by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Tennessee Williams is showing on the Janet Allen State March 11-April 16.
“One of the many astonishing things about the play is that so many of the elements in its story that have made it a ‘classic’ are the same elements that make it shockingly contemporary and relevant,” Still said in a statement. “Our production is a fresh and rigorous embrace of past and present and offers IRT audiences a chance to rediscover a play that continues to fascinate, endure and reinvent the complexities of stories about the American family.”
“The Glass Menagerie” tells the story of Amanda, a faded southern belle, and her two children as they cling to new ways to hold onto hope and escape from their cramped apartment. Through the play, Williams “probes the depths of inescapable memory” by reminiscing on his own family with bittersweet tenderness, according to a press release.
Initially produced in Chicago in the 1940s, “The Glass Menagerie” was championed by critics, won the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award as Best American Play, before running on Broadway for nearly two years. The show has since received global acclaim and seven Broadway revivals.
Most productions of the play place an emphasis on Laura’s physical disability. However, Still worked with IRT Access Consultant Talleri McRae to broaden this approach in the IRT’s production, according to a press release.
“This production intentionally explores wider definitions of disability and difference and asks the following question: How are all the characters — their bodies and minds — disabled … by their environment? By their loved ones? By themselves? By the expectations placed on them?” McRae said in a statement. “Tennessee Williams’ sensitive, insightful, timeless play invites us all to consider disability and difference then and now.”
Throughout the run of “The Glass Menagerie,” the IRT will host supplemental programming, including Artist conversations and a free community conversation with Still and McRae at 5 p.m. on March 15.
“The Glass Menagerie” is onstage at the IRT March 11-April 6. The show is approximately two hours and 20 minutes, with a 15-intermission. Tickets start at $25. For more information, visit irtlive.com.
Contact Arts & Culture Reporter Chloe McGowan at 317-762-7848. Follow her on X @chloe_mcgowanxx.
Chloe McGowan is the Arts & Culture Reporter for the Indianapolis Recorder Newspaper. Originally from Columbus, OH, Chloe graduated with a degree in journalism from The Ohio State University. She is a former IndyStar Pulliam Fellow, and her previous work includes freelancing for Indy Maven, Assistant Arts & Life Editor for The Lantern, and editorial assistant at CityScene Media Group. Chloe enjoys covering all things arts and culture — from local music, visual art, dance, theater and film, as well as minority-owned businesses. In her free time, Chloe enjoys reading, cooking and keeping her plants alive.
