Grand Theatre presents The Glass Menagerie on the McManus Stage

By Tennessee Williams
Directed by Megan Watson

Performed in an intimate setting, in the round, on the McManus Stage April 3 to 14, 2018

LONDON, ON, March 27, 2018 – The Grand Theatre is thrilled to produce Tennessee Williams’ THE GLASS MENAGERIE on the McManus Stage. The production, directed by the Grand’s Artistic Associate Megan Watson, stars Sarah Orenstein as Amanda Wingfield, Stephen Jackman-Torkoff as Tom Wingfield, Alexander Crowther as Jim O’Connor, and Amy Keating as Laura Wingfield. Nick Blais is the production designer and Christopher Stanton is the music and sound designer.

“THE GLASS MENAGERIE is considered one of the best plays in the English language canon because we cannot easily define why it commands our attention, why Tom’s struggle gets lodged in our hearts,” said Watson. “It’s why I’ve always wanted to direct this play. Working with Production Designer Nick Blais, we decided to set this production in the round, on our McManus Stage. Audiences will be sitting a few feet from the actors, surrounded by the words of this incredible and moving play.”

THE GLASS MENAGERIE was Tennessee Williams’ first successful play. It premiered on Broadway on March 31, 1945 as the Second World War was drawing to a close and at a time when Americans were hungry for fresh artistic perspectives. Winning the New York Drama Critics Circle Award, and playing to sold-out houses, THE GLASS MENAGERIE catapulted Williams from obscurity to fame and signaled his future as one of the greatest playwrights in American theatre.

The play reveals the tragic story of the Wingfield family in 1945 St. Louis. Amanda Wingfield is a single mother; her husband abandoned the family years before. She is no longer living the life she dreamed of as a young Southern belle. Her son Tom works in a warehouse, setting aside his own ambitions to support his family. Her daughter Laura is achingly shy. The three of them live in a small apartment and are haunted by fantasies, pent-up rage, and the absence of Amanda’s husband. Amanda’s only hope is for a suitor for Laura to bring glory back to the family.

“One of the great offerings of the Grand is this wonderful space, the McManus Stage,” said the Grand’s Artistic Director Dennis Garnhum. “In striking contrast to the opulent Spriet Stage upstairs, the McManus is a highly transform­able theatre designed for intimate experiences: perfect for a theatre classic like THE GLASS MENAGERIE.”

THE GLASS MENAGERIE is on at the Grand Theatre McManus Stage from April 3 to 14, 2018; opening night is April 4. Tickets are $40 (includes HST and CIF – prices subject to change) and are available at grandtheatre.com, by phone at 519-672-8800, or at the Box Office, 471 Richmond Street. 

The Grand Theatre gratefully acknowledges the support of the 2017/18 Season Sponsor BMO Financial Group.

About the Grand Theatre:
Under the leadership of Artistic Director Dennis Garnhum and Executive Director Deb Harvey, the Grand is a leading cultural hub proudly located in the heart of downtown London, Ontario. The Grand offers diverse, relevant, and original stories from around the globe through collaborations with national and international performing arts organizations and is committed to developing, producing, and premiering original homegrown stories through COMPASS New Play Development Program. The Grand supports educational programming and youth mentorship through The High School Project, the only program of its kind in North America, and 100 Schools, a community initiative that brings professional theatre to London-area schools no cost. A not-for-profit regional theatre, the Grand produces and presents professional theatre on two stages: the Spriet Stage (839 seats) and the McManus Stage (144 seats). The Grand’s season runs from September to May.

MEDIA CALL

When:  Tuesday, April 3 at 1:30 pm (cameras, please arrive at 1:15 to set up)
Where:  Grand Theatre McManus Stage
What:  THE GLASS MENAGERIE photo, video, and interview opportunity for media

For more information, contact:
Kate Rapson, Communications Manager | krapson [at] grandtheatre.com (krapson[at]grandtheatre[dot]com) | 519-672-9030 ext. 247

CAST

PRODUCTION TEAM

BIOS

Alexander Crowther Jim O’Connor
For the Grand Theatre: Debut. Theatre Credits (selected): Macbeth: Walking Shadows (Shakespeare in the Ruff); 52 Pick-Up (Toronto Fringe); Lady Julie (Apuka Theatre). Film & TV Credits (selected): Georgetown (Dir. Christoph Waltz); American Hangman (Dir. Wilson Coneybeare); The Girlfriend Experience (Starz). Other: Graduate MFA program, American Conservatory Theater; Graduate BFA Program, University of Windsor.

Stephen Jackman-Torkoff  Tom Wingfield
For the Grand Theatre: Debut. Theatre Credits (selected): Black Boys (Buddies in Bad Times); Angels in America (Arts Club); Botticelli in the Fire / Sunday in Sodom (CanStage); You Never Can Tell, Pygmalion (Shaw). Other: Graduate of the National Theatre School of Canada; poet for the Queer Songbook Orchestra.

Amy Keating Laura Wingfield
For the Grand Theatre: Debut. Theatre Credits (selected): A City (Necessary Angel); Hand to God (RMTC); Wormwood (Tarragon); I, Claudia (TiFT); TomorrowLove™, Mr. Burns: A Post-Electric Play, Passion Play, Mr. Marmalade (Outside the March); The Amish Project (GreenLight Arts); New Jerusalem (HGJT); After Miss Julie (Red One Theatre); Pacamambo (Canadian Rep); Water Under the Bridge (Carousel Players). Film & TV Credits (selected): Killjoys (Space). Other: Founding member & Artistic Associate of Outside the March, www.outsidethemarch.ca.

Sarah Orenstein Amanda Wingfield
For the Grand Theatre: The Ladies Foursome. Theatre Credits (selected): My Name is Asher Lev, The Normal Heart, God of Carnage (Studio 180); Stuff Happens (Studio 180 / Mirvish); Shakespeare in Love, Possible Worlds, Zastrozzi (Stratford); Scorched, Patience, Collected Works of Billy the Kid (Tarragon); 13 seasons at Shaw Festival including The Millionaress, Counsellor at Law, Heartbreak House. Film & TV Credits (selected): Orphan Black, Fugitive Pieces, Reign, The Calling. Other: Recipient of RBC Emerging Director 2017; Dora Award — Best Actress 1998; Ottawa Critics Circle —Best Actress Award 2004.

Megan Watson Director
For the Grand Theatre: A Christmas Carol (Associate Director); High School Projects — Shakespeare: The Mixtape, Julius Caesar; PlayWrights Cabaret 2016 & 2017; A Christmas Story (Assistant Director). Theatre Credits (selected): Director — A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Shakespeare in the Ruff); Agency (Yell Rebel); Extremophiles (Summerworks); Far Away (Toronto Fringe); Crookback: An Adaption of Richard III (Beacon Theatre); Queer Bathroom Stories (Libido); When the Rain Stops Falling, Much Ado About Nothing, (University of Alberta); Assistant Director — Salt-Water Moon (NAC); The Mill part 4 Ash (Theatrefront). Other: MFA Directing, University of Alberta; BFA Acting, Ryerson University; Artistic Associate, Grand Theatre.

Nick Blais Production Designer
For the Grand Theatre: Debut. Theatre Credits (selected): Jerusalem, TomorrowLove (Outside the March); A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Shakespeare in the Ruff); Vespers: an original ballet (Royal Winnipeg Ballet); Pomona (ARC); The Unending (Convergence Theatre); Receiver of Wreck (Tottering Biped / Pat the Dog); West Side Story (Citadel Theatre); Brantwood (Theatre Sheridan). Other: Head of Design for Outside the March, Board Member for the Associated Designers of Canada, and Resident Designer for Actors Repertory Company. Nblaisdesign.com

Christopher Stanton Music & Sound Designer
For the Grand Theatre: Debut. Other: Sound designer, performer, director, writer, and composer; stage work across Canada, and around the world; nominated for 13 Dora Mavor Moore Awards, two wins (direction 2017, performance 2011); artistic Producer of Toronto-based indie perfor­mance company ARC. onebandoflight.com and arcstage.com

Tamara Vuckovic Stage Manager
For the Grand Theatre: Debut. Theatre Credits (selected): Outside (Roseneath); Title and Deed (Tarragon); A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Shakespeare in the Ruff); La Bohème (Against the Grain); Dead Man Walking (Vancouver Opera); Pomona (ARC); Extremophiles, Little Death (The Theatre Centre); Far Away, The Trial of Judith K (Theatre Passe Muraille); A Little Too Cozy (Against the Grain); Agokwe (La Chapelle); Hairspray (LOT); Macbeth (Unit 102 Theatre); Moment (ARC); True (Criminal Theatre); Queer Bathroom Stories (Buddies in Bad Times). Other: Graduate and former staff, BFA, Ryerson University.

Cole Vincent Apprentice Stage Manager
For the Grand Theatre: Debut. Theatre Credits: Apprentice SM — Hamlet, All’s Well That Ends Well, Twelfth Night, King Lear (CanStage); Birds of A Feather (Roseneath Theatre). Stage Manager — Moll (Randolph College); Dreamgirls, Sister Act (LOT); FornesX2 (Theatre Asylum); The Living (Summerworks). Assistant SM— Curious George and the Golden Meatball, Mary Poppins (LOT). Other: BFA Theatre Production and Design, York University.