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The Evergreen Players Present “The Glass Menagerie”

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The Evergreen Players ran their final production of the year, “The Glass Menagerie” by Tennessee Williams, from April 11-14. The memory play, guest directed by Sam Little, revolved around the Wingfield family in World War II era St. Louis.

Amanda Wingfield (Caitlin Dwinnell ’20), was a former Southern Belle who was concerned that her daughter, Laura (Jamie Ditzel ’22) would never find a gentleman caller to take her away in marriage.

The play was narrated by Laura’s younger brother Tom Wingfield (Michael Devereaux ’22), who thought back to the time when he brought his friend, Jim O’Connor (Zack Caruolo ’22) home for dinner to meet Laura.

The play explored issues of reality, gender, and disability, as well as familial duty. Laura built a world of imagination in her collection of glass figurines where she could escape from her mother’s overbearing comments and critiques.

From left: Michael Devereaux ’22, Zach Caruolo ’22, Caitlin Dwinnell ’20

“There is a lot of discussion surrounding the question of ‘Is Amanda a good or bad mother?’ To me, the answer is both,” Dwinnell said. “She has both positive and selfish motivations that carry her throughout the play.”

Dwinnell had to consider this perspective while preparing for the role. She wanted to keep in mind how a character’s motives and experiences form their development and on-stage persona.

“I always do a lot of research when preparing for roles, but this character, as complex as she is, took a lot of work,” she said. “I also make a playlist of songs that I think relate to the character. I listen to the playlist as much as possible just to give myself the opportunity to think about the character in everyday life. Some star songs on Amanda Wingfield’s playlist include: ‘Days and Days’ from “FUN HOME” and ‘As Long as He Needs Me’ from “Oliver.””

Caitlin Curtin ‘19 got a lot out of the performance. She especially liked how the message of the play can be applied to the Loyola community.

“‘The Glass Menagerie’ profiles just a small moment in the life of a family who had been dealt much more than its fair share of hardships,” she said. “This glimpse into a situation different to my own reminded me that there is quite often more going on inside a person’s head than can be seen.”

Curtin came out to the performance to support the work and dedication of the Evergreen Players.

“I am always shocked by the intricacies of all aspects of a production by the Evergreen Players,” she said. “The way that we can thank them for their passion and commitment is by attending the shows and immersing ourselves into the art that they work so hard to produce.”

Dwinnell commented on the benefits of performing in the Black Box Theatre.

“I always say that I love working in the Black Box because it is such an intimate space. It’s completely immersive,” she said. “The audience is sitting right there in your living room, and they’re forced to just really breathe in with the characters.”

Feature Image: Courtesy of Perk Hull.

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The Evergreen Players Present “The Glass Menagerie”