"The Glass Menagerie" @ SUU (CC: Feb 3-5 & 10-12)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 01/20/11
Michael French
Public Information Coordinator
College of Performing and Visual Arts
Southern Utah University
Office: 435-865-8667
Cell: 805-260-8797
michaelfrench@suu.edu


FOR CALENDAR EDITORS: THE GLASS MENAGERIE
WHAT: A mother’s unrealistic dreams for her children’s futures threaten to smother her painfully shy daughter and her aspiring writer son in Tennessee Williams’ poignant drama, The Glass Menagerie.

WHO: Southern Utah University, College of Performing and Visual Arts,
Theatre Arts and Dance Department

WHEN: Feb. 3-5 and 10-12, 2011

TIME: 7:30pm

WHERE: Auditorium Theatre, Southern Utah University, Cedar City, UT

TICKETS: (435) 586-7872, Monday-Friday, 8am-4:30pm, or www.suu.edu/arts.

PRICES: General Adult Admission: $10; Faculty & Staff: $8; Student & Youth: $5;
SUU Students: Free with valid I.D.

INFO: Phone: Arts Hotline: (435) 865-8800 or visit: www.suu.edu/arts


SUU’S COLLEGE OF PERFORMING AND VISUAL ARTS
TO PRESENT TENNESSEE WILLIAMS’ AMERICAN CLASSIC
THE GLASS MENAGERIE

Southern Utah University, Cedar City, Utah: A mother’s unrealistic dreams for her children’s futures threaten to smother her painfully shy daughter and her aspiring writer son in Tennessee Williams’ shattering drama, The Glass Menagerie. Southern Utah University’s Department of Theatre Arts and Dance presents the American classic February 3-5 and 10-12, 2011 at 7:30pm for all performances in the Auditorium Theatre in Cedar City. The production is directed by Dr. Christine Frezza.

Widely considered an autobiographical play, The Glass Menagerie centers on the fragile Wingfield household, seen through the eyes of its son, Tom. Defined by her financial struggles, lost dreams and unfulfilled desires, Amanda, a faded Southern Belle, clings to her grown children, desperately pushing them to achieve more successful lives than her own. Her daughter Laura lives a painfully shy existence, with only her collection of glass ornaments for companionship. However hope looms, when Tom brings home a gentlemen caller one spring evening.

Tennessee Williams' heartbreaking drama originally premiered in 1944 and is based on reworked material from one of Williams' short stories, "Portrait of a Girl in Glass," and his screenplay, “The Gentleman Caller.” This was Williams’ first successful play and is given new life in this production of strained familial relationships. Williams achieved critical acclaim for his thought-provoking plays of suppressed desires including The Rose Tattoo, The Night of the Iguana, A Streetcar Named Desire and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. His work is praised for its ability to address harsh realities in a straightforward way. Controversial and memorable, Williams was awarded four Drama Critic Circle Awards, two Pulitzer Prizes and the Presidential Medal of Freedom during his lifetime.



Undertaking the drama’s demanding roles, the cast features Kristen Henley as Laura, Brian James as Tom, Wendy Penrod as Amanda, and McKay Tripp as Jim, the gentleman caller. The cast is under the direction of Dr. Christine Frezza, whose has previously directed Twelfth Night, Lysistrata, and Our Town for the SUU Department of Theatre Arts and Dance. This production is brought to life onstage by the all student design team, which includes Costume Designer McKenzie Denison, Scenic Designer Nerissa Cannon, Lighting Designer Bryan Sommer, Sound Designer Nick Pinegar, Hair and Make-Up Designer Kim Kerr, and Prop Mistress Amanda McMall. Amy Norton serves as Stage Manager.

A mixture of the poignant and poetic, heart-breaking and humorous, do not miss the opportunity to experience a genuine American classic work for the stage. Ticket prices are: $10 General Admission; $8 SUU Faculty and Staff, $5 Youth and free for SUU students with a valid ID. For tickets, call the ticket office at (435) 586-7872, Monday-Friday, 8am-4:30pm, or order online at www.suu.edu/arts. For more information, please visit www.suu.edu/arts or call the Arts Hotline at (435) 865-8800.

The Theatre Arts and Dance Series continues with Stephen Schwartz’s spirited musical, Godspell; and Journeys: Faculty-Choreographed Dance Concert.

ABOUT THE COLLEGE
The Southern Utah University College of Performing and Visual Arts is comprised of nationally accredited departments of Art and Design, Music, Theatre Arts and Dance, as well as a graduate program in Arts Administration. The College offers 16 different degree areas, including liberal arts Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees; professional Bachelor of Music and Bachelor of Fine Arts in art and theatre degrees; and a Master of Fine Arts in Arts Administration degree. More than 60 full- and part-time faculty and staff are engaged in teaching and mentoring over 550 majors in the College. Over 1100 students enroll each year in over 195 arts classes on the SUU campus. The College presents 100 performances, lectures, presentations, and exhibitions each year. The College’s affiliate organizations include the Braithwaite Fine Arts Gallery, American Folk Ballet, Utah Shakespearean Festival, the performance group Acclamation, and the SUU Ballroom Dance Company. For more information about the College of Performing and Visual Arts, contact the Office of the Dean at (435) 865-8561, or by e-mail at cpvamktg@suu.edu.