The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams directed by Eleanor Crowderé

CastAmanda Wingfield ....................................................................................................... Rachel Eugsteré

Tom Wingfield .................................................................................................................. Tim Oberholzer

Jim O'Connor ............................................................................................................................ Cory Thibert

Laura Wingfield ................................................................................................................... Sarah Waisvisz

Production TeamStage Manager ............................................................................................. Jane Vanstone Osborné

Set and Lighting Design ............................................................................................ David Magladry

Sound Design .............................................................................................................. Robert Krukowski

Costumes provided by ................................................................................................ HepKat Vintage

Public Relations Assistance ................................................................................................ Alexis Scott

Running time: approximately two hours with one 15-minute intermission

éAppears by permission of Canadian Actors' Equity Association.

THE GLASS MENAGERIE is presented by special arrangement with Samuel French, Inc.

on behalf of the University of the South, Sewanee, Tennessee.

This is a Canadian Actors’ Equity Association production under the Artists’ Collective Policy.

The video and/or audio recording of this performance by any means whatsoever are strictly prohibited.

presents

For The Gladstone

Season Coordinator .........................................................................................................David Whiteley

Volunteer Coordinator ........................................................................................................Elfreida Bock

Box Office Managers .................................................................Tim Oberholzer, Betsy Johnson

Resident Technical Director ..................................................................................... David Magladry

Graphic Design .................................................................................................................. David Bromley

Webmaster ...................................................................................................................................Fiona Currie

Social Marketing ........................................................................................................................ #LikeAVoss

Special Thanks

Tom Pidgeon, Ottawa Little Theatre, Dee Dee Butters, Paula Piilonen,

The Canadian Museum of Nature, Phoenix Players, Orleans Young Players,

Anna Lewis, Jackie Lyons, Gary Stein, Monica Rosenthal, Andrew Alexander,

Steve Martin, Plosive Productions, Fiona Currie, David Whiteley, Dave

Dawson, Robin Guy, Susanne Zorzella, Bernd Esche, Charlynn Lafontaine

of F.Studio Flameworked Glass, Melody Jewitt of Flo Glassblowing, Lori

Mellor and the Preston Street BIA, and last but certainly not least… all our

front of house volunteers!

Season Sponsors: City of Ottawa Preston St. BIA

Eleanor Crowder—DirectorEleanor Crowder is a writer, director and actor. Favourite roles include Mother Courage for James Richardson, the Shrew for Peter Hinton and eight seasons as the Dragon for Salamander Theatre.

Most of her work tours, playing schools, community halls, ruins and glorious found spaces. Her devising and writing runs from first impulse (Family Stories with Kate Grier, coming to a kitchen table near you) to grand scale (The Chinese Bowl, Murder at the Avalon, GLEEbe, the Musical and Family in a Box). Her most recent plays, Momma’s Boy and Windfall Jelly pit daily life against choric forms.

For Bear & Co., Eleanor has directed 'Tis Pity She's a Whore, and an all male The Taming of the Shrew. She appeared as twin Dukes in As You Like It, as Daphne in Momma's Boy, and as Mary in Age of Arousal.

Director's MessageWelcome to a continuing experiment.

In 1945, Tennessee Williams brought his audience a play which needed their indulgence. He asked their willingness to let sensation drive logic, in a theatre whose form echoed his experience of life. Here was art minus expected structure. His theatre borrowed from the movies as much as from memory, with events gaining elasticity and focus in the replay. He was uncertain about the response.

Seventy years later, his experiment is a classic. Theatre stripped to its elements became the basic vocabulary of the next generation. This story takes its place with Orwell and Steinbeck on high school reading lists. It has become a title so familiar that it’s a surprise to realise we’ve never seen it staged. Which brings you to our experiment.

In the prologue, our narrator Tom Wingfield speaks of a time when America’s vast middle class has its fingers pressed down on the fiery Braille of a dissolving economy. He brings us experience seared into his being, returning to ambush him as he lives his adult life. Williams presses our fingers down on the blinkered truth of a family branded by its past.

In 2014, faith in the Century of Progress eludes us as much as it does Tom. We too teeter on the verge of bombardments. Where does the experiment strike you? Is this a recognisable sentimental journey? Or an indictment of the worst excesses of affection? Can we escape the imprint of family? Or will we replay dysfunction in myriad variations? We look forward to your input. If you can, join us in the lobby after the show for a drink, and share your take on how two more generations of world experience frames your response to the play.

CastRachel Eugster—Amanda WingfieldRachel’s most recent Gladstone turns include appearing as Alice (Bear & Co.’s Age of Arousal), as music director for Bear’s The Taming of the Shrew, and as a Gladstone Sister in Plosive’s A Miracle on 34th Street. In other hats, she is a member of Dragon’s Tea Trio with cellist Joan Harrison and guitarist Andrew Mah, and the author of The Pocket Mommy (Random House), which won Canadian Toy Testing Council and Canadian Children’s Book Centre awards. A lyric soprano, Rachel holds a Masters of Music (Applied Voice) from the Peabody Conservatory and an honors BA (Music and Theater) from Marlboro College.

Tim Oberholzer—Tom WingfieldTim is an Ottawa-based actor, theatre creator and producer. Recent credits include Hedwig and the Angry Inch (Vanity Project Productions) for which he recently received a Capital Critics Circle Nomination for Best Actor, Age of Arousal, (Bear & Co.), Ethan Claymore (Same Day Theatre) and Dial M for Mountie (Eddie May Murder Mysteries). Tim was also a nominee for the 2013 Emerging Artist Award from Ottawa’s professional theatre awards, the Prix Rideau Awards. Tim can be seen next as Frank N. Furter in Vanity Project Productions The Rocky Horror Show at The Gladstone, April 1-4. Hope to see you there!

Cory Thibert—Jim O'ConnorCory Thibert is the co-artistic director of the independent theatre company May Can Theatre. Within this company he has co-created and performed in such plays as Happiness™, Wolves > Boys and It's about our Goldfish. You may have seen him act in recent plays: Death of a Salesman, Edmond, Princess Ivona, or (if you are a child) The Last Drop. When not performing on stage Cory Thibert is making films with his film production company Wolf Pelt Productions. Cory is very excited for the opportunity to work on such a great show with such great people.

Sarah Waisvisz—Laura WingfieldSarah Waisvisz is a performer, director and playwright. Recent performance and creation credits include Zopyra Theatre's collectively-created Six: At Home (winner of two Rideau Awards for Outstanding New Creation and Outstanding Fringe Production) and 9th Hour Theatre Company's My Name is Asher Lev. A former performing company member of The Ottawa Stilt Union (BEOWULF; This is a Very Old Story), Sarah is the Artistic Associate for Counterpoint Players and the co-creator, with Bronwyn Steinberg, of OCCUPY ME. She is currently developing two new plays including a one-act solo show entitled Monstrous.

Production TeamJane Vanstone Osborn—Stage ManagerJane has worked across Canada. Most recently with Women Who Shout at the Stars (Ottawa Fringe Festival and Toronto’s SummerWorks). Some highlights include the Capital Critics Circle Award winning shows And Slowly Beauty (NAC/Belfry) and A Christmas Carol (NAC), along with a Prix Rideau Award for Stage Management on The Turn of the Screw, working with the Shaw Festival, NAC, GCTC, and Thousand Islands Playhouse. She has also stage managed school tours, puppets, operas, and theatre with the visually impaired. She would like to thank her Mom, who taught her to expect the best of people, and how to type.

Robert Krukowski—Sound DesignRobert is excited to be working with Bear & Co. on its production of The Glass Menagerie. Since childhood Robert has had an enthusiasm for a wide range of music, periodically studying the piano, which eventually led him to the world of sound design. Previously, he has worked on productions for Ottawa Little Theatre, as well as Fringe and Fresh Meat theatre festivals. Robert is happy to have the opportunity to work at The Gladstone and would like to thank his family, friends, and OLT, for their ongoing support and encouragement.

David Magladry—Set and Lighting DesignDavid Magladry is a professional Lighting and Set Designer working in theatre, television, museum exhibitions and special events. Clients include the Great Canadian Theatre Company, SevenThirty Productions, Plosive Productions, Bear & Co., Thousand Islands Playhouse, University of Ottawa and Algonquin College Theatre Departments, the Canadian Museum of Civilization, the Canadian War Museum, CBC, BBC and Rogers Television. He is also the Resident Set and Lighting Designer for the Classic Theatre Festival in Perth, Ontario.

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