Independent Players' 'The Glass Menagerie' an emotional journey for director, cast

Mark Steensland of Elgin had always wanted to direct Tennessee Williams' classic drama "The Glass Menagerie," but he needed to make sure he had the right actors to bring the characters to life.

"I was going to direct it last year but I couldn't get the cast that I wanted," he said. "This year I got a wonderful cast."

That cast will take the stage this weekend when Independent Players presents the show at 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 4, at the Elgin Art Showcase, 164 Division St., eighth floor, Elgin. The show continues Fridays and Saturdays through May 19; tickets are $10-15.

Steensland's primary reason for wanting to direct "The Glass Menagerie" is wrapped in a well-loved memory.

"It opened in 1944 in Chicago before it went to Broadway and it's become a legendary production because it starred the legendary actress Laura Taylor," he said. "Even today, the people who have seen her say it was one of the most remarkable performances they've ever seen."

"My parents, in 1945, spent their honeymoon in Chicago," he continued. "They saw that performance and they loved it, and my mother always spoke of it in the most glowing terms. So, I've always wanted to direct it through the years."

This memory play, which premiered in 1944, has strongly autobiographical elements, featuring characters based on Williams himself, his histrionic mother and his mentally fragile sister Rose. In writing the play, Williams drew on an earlier short story, as well as a screenplay he had written under the title "The Gentleman Caller." The play premiered in Chicago in 1944. Local critics championed it, helping build enthusiasm which eventually drew audiences, which convinced its producers to move the play to Broadway where it won the New York Drama Critics Circle Award of 1945.

It is a drama of great tenderness, charm and beauty, which became his first successful play; it catapulted Williams from obscurity to fame, and he went on to become one of America's most highly regarded playwrights.

The play centers on a small family: Amanda, a single mother; her son Tom and daughter Laura, a shy young woman with a disability, who collects glass animals rather than participating in life. Amanda is desperate to secure a future for Laura. When Jim O'Connor, an old acquaintance of Tom and Laura comes to visit, hope is sparked.

"All of us feel very fortunate to be in this production," said Angela Douglass of Algonquin, who plays Laura. "Many actors and actresses would love to be in 'The Glass Menagerie.'"

Although the play is on many actors' bucket lists, it can be a difficult challenge, especially when it comes to dialogue.

"Tennessee Williams is always challenging," said Steensland. "It's hard work."

"The line load is huge," said Diane McFarlin of Sugar Grove, who plays Amanda. "Tennessee Williams is a stickler on language. Where it would be easy to paraphrase a thought or something, you have to use language that is true to what it should be."

The abundance of lines isn't the only challenge where McFarlin is concerned. "She (Amanda) is so energetic and always moving, so when you put yourself in that character, you're exhausted," McFarlin added. "The challenge for me is to keep myself healthy and stamina is important."

Many find her character abrasive and difficult to root for, but McFarlin has a tender spot for Amanda.

"Amanda is an incredibly powerful, vulnerable mother," she said. "I'm a mom so I call upon some of my motherly instincts."

"She had a privileged upbringing and because of circumstance and the guy she chose as her husband - he's taken off - she has to raise two children on her own. She only wants the best for them. She can be crass and not empathetic, but at her core she wants the best for her children."

Douglass also goes home a bit depleted but for different reasons.

"It's not as big a role as the mother or the brother because Laura is a very emotional, shy character, so it's sort of exhausting emotionally to become her every night. During the process of rehearsal each week, I go home tired, emotionally and physically," she said.

Where McFarlin derives inspiration for her role from motherhood, Douglass feels Laura is much like everyone else, foibles and all.

"I can draw on my own experiences to play her, we've all had our anxieties and our fears in life," said Douglass. "People can relate to the family. It has its own struggles and its own dysfunction. They may not be the same ones, but I think people can relate to seeing a family dynamic unfolding on stage."

Aside from the action onstage, Steensland is happy to present the same music that debuted during the first edition of the play.

"We are using the original music," he said. "It was composed for the original production and it's not always used anymore."

Although not inappropriate, the subject matter would be more accessible to adults than kids according to Douglass.

"I think adults may get more out of it, but, I think 12 and up or high school kids can appreciate it," she said. I think the only time I watched it, I was in high school and I liked it."

Other actors in the production include Gabor Mark of Barrington and Justin Schalle of Elgin. For tickets or details, call (847) 697-7374 or visit www.independentplayers.org.

If you go

<span class="fact box text bold">What:</span> Independent Players presents Tennessee Williams' "The Glass Menagerie"

<span class="fact box text bold">When:</span> 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, May 4-5, 11-12 and 18-19

<span class="fact box text bold">Where:</span> Elgin Art Showcase, 164 Division St., eighth floor, Elgin

<span class="fact box text bold">Tickets: </span>$15, $12 for seniors 65 and older, $10 for students ages 14-21. Tickets are available online at <a href="http://www.independentplayers.org">www.independentplayers.org</a> or at the door (cash or check only).

<span class="fact box text bold">Phone reservations:</span> (847) 697-7374.