Hello everyone!

I hope you’re all having a nice and relaxing weekend! As many of you already know, the Creative Arts Department and Stage III Theater Club here at Siena College puts on a production each fall semester and last Thursday, I was able to attend the opening performance of “The Glass Menagerie.” This play, originally written by Tennessee Williams, takes place in St. Louis, Missouri and tells the story of the (very) eccentric and slightly irritating Amanda Wingfield, her shy daughter Laura, and her aspiring author son, Tom.  I had read this play in one of my high school English class, so I was able to go into the performance with a slight knowledge of the story, but I was slightly unsure of what the live version would look like.

I was pleasantly surprised to see how many people attended the performance, including several members of Siena’s alumni! I also really liked how the set was designed because although it was very simple and stayed the same throughout the entirety of the show, it was still very beautiful and perfect for the time period.  Along with the old fashioned music that was played during the performance, I honestly started imagining myself as part of that time period!

Although the cast only consisted of four members, I could immediately tell how many hours of preparation and practice had gone into this performance. Not only was the overall acting incredible, but the Southern accents that each member displayed throughout the performance was none other than perfect! The cast actually was able to work closely with a dialect coach, Paul Riccardi, for several weeks during rehearsals, who instructed them on how to perfect their Southern accents.  Their long hours of practice definitely showed because I was so impressed at the authenticity of their accents! Each member of the cast is to be commended, as well as each and every member of the crew because working with such an iconic play can be very difficult at times.  However, this performance truly did Tennessee William’s masterpiece justice and I am so glad that I was able to attend.

If you have a chance to, “The Glass Menagerie” will be performed on November 18th and 19th at the Beaudoin Theater in Foy Hall at Siena College. See the above flyer for specific details and let me know in the comments if you do attend and what you think!

Julia

Student Intern