A production of The Glass Menagerie, written by playwright Tennessee Williams, was put on in the Weber Theatre in Watson Fine Arts. Directed by Professor David Fox of the Theatre department, the performances ran through April 5-7 and 12-14.
As described on Wheaton’s website, The Glass Menagerie is a memory play in which “a young writer wrestles with the repercussions of abandoning his mother and sister. Haunting, heartbreaking, and infused with transcendent lyricism, it remains one of American theatre’s most enduring works of art.”
After hearing from Amelia Biancolo ’20, who performed as Laura Wingfield, it is evident how much effort—and love—has been put into the performance of the play. The cast had rehearsals three times a week to prepare for their six approximately two-hour-long shows. Even though they did not see each other every day, Biancolo believes that she has “never been a part of a production that felt so much like a family before.” She continued, “[W]e all became genuinely good friends. I know it sounds sappy but every part of this process has been a dream come true for me; working with David, the cast and the crew has been phenomenal.”
Madeline Green ’20, who appeared as Amanda Wingfield, the mother, shared the same sentiment, expressing that the size of the show “really allows the experience to be more collaborative and…[feel] like a team effort. I feel extremely lucky and honored to work with everyone involved.” Green continued to talk about her experience as Amanda, noting that “when memorizing I was not particularly fond of Amanda, because she just won’t stop talking! But after all of the hard work of drilling lines and monologues, the payoff is well worth it.”
Lex Radulovic ’18, the understudy of Lorenzo Condemi ’19 who acted as the young writer Tom Wingfield, also had great praise for the production. “David Fox, Clinton O’Dell and Colin McNamee have cultivated an environment that emphasizes the beautiful nature of collaboration,” Radulovic stated, and continued by complimenting how rehearsal was always “exciting and easy in nature.”
Radulovic concluded by saying that the actors were told to have fun with their characters, because they are “merely storytellers that seek to transport audiences to another world, at least for a short while, and hopefully can show a new or different perspective with the hopes that something resonates with our viewers.”