Difference between revisions of "The Glass Menagerie"
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| − | + | ''[[The Glass Menagerie]]'' is a four-character play by Tennessee Williams (1911-1983)[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tennessee_Williams] | |
| + | |||
| + | == The original text == | ||
| + | |||
| + | The play premiered in Chicago 1944, catapulting Williams from obscurity to fame. It was then performed on Broadway at the Playhouse Theatre in March 1945 under the direction of Eddie Dowling. | ||
| + | |||
| + | The play has strong 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 of ''The Gentleman Caller''. | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==Translations and adaptations== | ||
| + | |||
| + | Translated into [[Afrikaans]] by [[Fred le Roux]] as '''''[[Die Glasspeelgoed]]''''' ("glass toys"). | ||
| + | |||
| + | Translated into [[Afrikaans]] as '''''[[Speelgoed van Glas]]''''' ("toys of glass") by [[W.K. Grobler]]. | ||
== Performance history in South Africa == | == Performance history in South Africa == | ||
| − | 1949: First produced in South Africa at the [[Little Theatre]] by [[Leonard Schach]], featuring [[Rosalie van der Gucht]], [[Jobie Stewart]], [[Rosemary Kirkcaldy]], and [[Colin Romoff]]. [[Nigel Hawthorne]] was the stage manager. | + | 1949: First produced in South Africa in English at the [[Little Theatre]] by [[Leonard Schach]], featuring [[Rosalie van der Gucht]], [[Jobie Stewart]], [[Rosemary Jean Kirkcaldy]], and [[Colin Romoff]]. [[Nigel Hawthorne]] was the stage manager. |
| − | 1949: Six months later [[Leonard | + | 1949: Six months later [[Leonard Schach]] produced the same play on a national tour under the [[National Theatre Organisation]] banner, using [[Nita Economides]] (Laura), [[Anna Romain Hoffman]] (Amanda), [[Will Jamieson]], [[Frank Wise]]. Decor by [[Cecil Pym]]. |
| + | |||
| + | 1966: On 11 and 12 November the [[Bellvillese Afrikaanse Toneelvereniging]] ([[B.A.T.]]) staged a production of the [[Afrikaans]] translation ''[[Speelgoed van Glas]]'' on the occasion of the society's 15th anniversary, in the [[Civic Centre]] in Bellville, directed by [[Iris Roux]], with [[Mees Xteen]] (Tom), [[Marie van Heerden]] (Amanda), [[Sariana Augustyn]] (Laura) and [[Casper Venter]] (Jim). Decor by [[Joop van Ryswyk]]. | ||
| + | |||
| + | 1967: ''[[Speelgoed van Glas]]'' was presented by [[SATS]] at the [[Bloemfontein Civic Theatre]], 20-22 April, under the direction of [[Jo Gevers]] starring himself as Jim O'Connor with [[Schalk Jacobsz]] (Tom Wingfield), [[Mariechen Naudé]] (Amanda Wingfield) and [[Annatjie Vorster]] (Laura Wingfield). Designed by [[Jo Gevers]]. | ||
| + | |||
| + | 1971: Staged by [[Volksteater Pretoria]], directed by [[Mario Schiess]], with [[Willie Boshoff]] (Tom), [[Enone van den Bergh]] (Amanda), [[Stephanie van Niekerk]] (Laura) and [[Roeloff van den Bergh]] (Jim). | ||
Many great productions over the years, often done by University drama departments. | Many great productions over the years, often done by University drama departments. | ||
| − | + | 1974: [[Space Theatre|The Space]] (Cape Town) directed by [[Bill Tanner]], with [[Yvonne Bryceland]] (Amanda Wingfield), [[Hilary Glasson]] (Laura Wingfield), [[Wilson Dunster]] (Jim O'Connor), [[Bill Flynn]]) (Tom Wingfield). Stage manager [[Totti Ebrahim]]. | |
| + | |||
| + | 1981: Directed by [[Lucille Gillwald]] at [[Upstairs at the Market]] in 1981 starring [[Lesley Nott]], [[Wilson Dunster]], [[Ron Smerczak]] and [[Shelagh Holliday]]. | ||
| − | + | 1984: Staged by [[PACOFS]], directed by [[Schalk Jacobsz]] with [[Joey de Koker]] and [[Christo Potgieter]]. | |
1989: Presented by the [[Baxter Theatre]],opening at the Baxter Sudio 22 September, revived 20 December 1989, starring [[Brenda Wood]], [[Stephen Jennings]], [[Michelle Scott]] and [[Geoffrey Hyland]]. Directed by [[Fred Abrahamse]], design by [[Brian Collins]]. | 1989: Presented by the [[Baxter Theatre]],opening at the Baxter Sudio 22 September, revived 20 December 1989, starring [[Brenda Wood]], [[Stephen Jennings]], [[Michelle Scott]] and [[Geoffrey Hyland]]. Directed by [[Fred Abrahamse]], design by [[Brian Collins]]. | ||
| − | + | 1994: Staged at the [[Youth Theatre]], [[Johannesburg Civic Theatre]], directed by [[Karoly Pinter]], starring [[Jana Cilliers]], [[Jocelyn Broderick]], [[André Odendaal]] and [[Martin le Maitre]]. | |
| + | 2005: Performed at the [[Hexagon Theatre]] on the Pietermaritzburg campus of the [[University of KwaZulu-Natal]] from 4 to 8 October. Directed by [[Peter Mitchell]] with [[Hazel Barnes]], [[James Aitchison]], [[Justin Southey]] and [[Kiara Worth]]. Set and Lighting design by [[Peter Court]]. | ||
| − | + | 2019: Presented from 1-30 November by [[Abraham & Meyer Productions]] in [[The Arena]] at the [[Artscape Theatre Centre]], Cape Town, in celebration of the 75th anniversary of the play. Directed by [[Fred Abrahamse]], with set design by [[Fred Abrahamse]], costume design by [[Marcel Meyer]], lighting design by [[Faheem Bardien]]. The cast included [[Fiona Ramsay]], [[Matthew Baldwin]], [[Jenny Stead]] and [[Marcel Meyer]]. | |
| − | |||
| − | + | 2025: Toyota Stellenbosch [[Woordfees]] productions supported by [[NATi]] and the [[Baxter Theatre]]. Two productions - one presented in English and one in Afrikaans (as ''[[Speelgoed van Glas]]'') - by the same cast: [[Anna-Mart van der Merwe]], [[Carla Smith]], [[Ben Albertyn]] and [[Mark Elderkin]]. At the [[Baxter Theatre]]. Directed, translated and designed by [[Nico Scheepers]]. | |
| − | |||
== Sources == | == Sources == | ||
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Glass_Menagerie | http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Glass_Menagerie | ||
| − | [[ESAT Bibliography I|Inskip]], 1977. p 119, | + | http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tennessee_Williams |
| + | |||
| + | ''[[Speelgoed van Glas]]'' theatre programmes, 1966, 1967. | ||
| + | |||
| + | [[Ruphin Coudyzer]]. 2023. Annotated list of his photographs of [[Market Theatre]] productions. (Provided by Coudyzer) | ||
| + | |||
| + | https://www.artscape.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/QEC_Sep_Nov2019_Web-lr.pdf | ||
| + | |||
| + | https://artsvark.co.za/celebrating-75-years-of-the-glass-menagerie-at-artscape/ | ||
| + | |||
| + | https://www.artsmart.co.za/drama/archive/1513.html | ||
| + | |||
| + | [[ESAT Bibliography I|Inskip]], 1977. p 119. | ||
| + | |||
| + | [[ESAT Bibliography Ar-Az|Astbury]] 1979. | ||
| + | |||
| + | [[Volksteater]] theatre programme, 1971. | ||
[[ESAT Bibliography Bat-Bet|Behrens]], 1978. | [[ESAT Bibliography Bat-Bet|Behrens]], 1978. | ||
| − | PACOFS Drama 25 Years, 1963-1988 | + | [[PACOFS]] Drama 25 Years, 1963-1988. |
| + | |||
| + | [[Baxter Theatre]] pamphlet, October-November 1989. | ||
| + | |||
| + | [[ESAT Bibliography Tra-Tz|Tucker]], 1997. p.535 (1994 production). | ||
| − | + | Typed text of [[Fred le Roux]]'s [[Afrikaans]] translation found in the Drama Department archives of [[Stellenbosch University]]. Now held in the [[ESAT repository]] at the [[Africa Open Institute for Music, Research and Innovation]], with offices at Pieter Okkers House, 7 Joubert Street, Stellenbosch, South Africa. | |
| + | [[The Baxter]], what's on Jan - April 2025. | ||
| − | + | https://baxter.uct.ac.za/events/glass-menagerie | |
== Return to == | == Return to == | ||
| − | Return to [[ | + | Return to [[South_African_Films]] |
| + | |||
| + | Return to [[PLAYS I: Original SA plays]] | ||
| + | |||
| + | Return to [[PLAYS II: Foreign plays]] | ||
| + | |||
| + | Return to [[PLAYS III: Collections]] | ||
| − | Return to [[ | + | Return to [[PLAYS IV: Pageants and public performances]] |
| + | |||
| + | Return to [[South_African_Festivals|South African Festivals and Competitions]] | ||
| + | |||
| + | Return to [[South_African_Radio/Plays|South African Radio Plays and Serials]] | ||
| + | |||
| + | Return to [[South_African_Television/Plays|South African Television Plays and Series]] | ||
Return to [[The ESAT Entries]] | Return to [[The ESAT Entries]] | ||
| + | |||
| + | Return to [[Main Page]] | ||
Latest revision as of 15:34, 29 July 2025
The Glass Menagerie is a four-character play by Tennessee Williams (1911-1983)[1]
Contents
The original text
The play premiered in Chicago 1944, catapulting Williams from obscurity to fame. It was then performed on Broadway at the Playhouse Theatre in March 1945 under the direction of Eddie Dowling.
The play has strong 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 of The Gentleman Caller.
Translations and adaptations
Translated into Afrikaans by Fred le Roux as Die Glasspeelgoed ("glass toys").
Translated into Afrikaans as Speelgoed van Glas ("toys of glass") by W.K. Grobler.
Performance history in South Africa
1949: First produced in South Africa in English at the Little Theatre by Leonard Schach, featuring Rosalie van der Gucht, Jobie Stewart, Rosemary Jean Kirkcaldy, and Colin Romoff. Nigel Hawthorne was the stage manager.
1949: Six months later Leonard Schach produced the same play on a national tour under the National Theatre Organisation banner, using Nita Economides (Laura), Anna Romain Hoffman (Amanda), Will Jamieson, Frank Wise. Decor by Cecil Pym.
1966: On 11 and 12 November the Bellvillese Afrikaanse Toneelvereniging (B.A.T.) staged a production of the Afrikaans translation Speelgoed van Glas on the occasion of the society's 15th anniversary, in the Civic Centre in Bellville, directed by Iris Roux, with Mees Xteen (Tom), Marie van Heerden (Amanda), Sariana Augustyn (Laura) and Casper Venter (Jim). Decor by Joop van Ryswyk.
1967: Speelgoed van Glas was presented by SATS at the Bloemfontein Civic Theatre, 20-22 April, under the direction of Jo Gevers starring himself as Jim O'Connor with Schalk Jacobsz (Tom Wingfield), Mariechen Naudé (Amanda Wingfield) and Annatjie Vorster (Laura Wingfield). Designed by Jo Gevers.
1971: Staged by Volksteater Pretoria, directed by Mario Schiess, with Willie Boshoff (Tom), Enone van den Bergh (Amanda), Stephanie van Niekerk (Laura) and Roeloff van den Bergh (Jim).
Many great productions over the years, often done by University drama departments.
1974: The Space (Cape Town) directed by Bill Tanner, with Yvonne Bryceland (Amanda Wingfield), Hilary Glasson (Laura Wingfield), Wilson Dunster (Jim O'Connor), Bill Flynn) (Tom Wingfield). Stage manager Totti Ebrahim.
1981: Directed by Lucille Gillwald at Upstairs at the Market in 1981 starring Lesley Nott, Wilson Dunster, Ron Smerczak and Shelagh Holliday.
1984: Staged by PACOFS, directed by Schalk Jacobsz with Joey de Koker and Christo Potgieter.
1989: Presented by the Baxter Theatre,opening at the Baxter Sudio 22 September, revived 20 December 1989, starring Brenda Wood, Stephen Jennings, Michelle Scott and Geoffrey Hyland. Directed by Fred Abrahamse, design by Brian Collins.
1994: Staged at the Youth Theatre, Johannesburg Civic Theatre, directed by Karoly Pinter, starring Jana Cilliers, Jocelyn Broderick, André Odendaal and Martin le Maitre.
2005: Performed at the Hexagon Theatre on the Pietermaritzburg campus of the University of KwaZulu-Natal from 4 to 8 October. Directed by Peter Mitchell with Hazel Barnes, James Aitchison, Justin Southey and Kiara Worth. Set and Lighting design by Peter Court.
2019: Presented from 1-30 November by Abraham & Meyer Productions in The Arena at the Artscape Theatre Centre, Cape Town, in celebration of the 75th anniversary of the play. Directed by Fred Abrahamse, with set design by Fred Abrahamse, costume design by Marcel Meyer, lighting design by Faheem Bardien. The cast included Fiona Ramsay, Matthew Baldwin, Jenny Stead and Marcel Meyer.
2025: Toyota Stellenbosch Woordfees productions supported by NATi and the Baxter Theatre. Two productions - one presented in English and one in Afrikaans (as Speelgoed van Glas) - by the same cast: Anna-Mart van der Merwe, Carla Smith, Ben Albertyn and Mark Elderkin. At the Baxter Theatre. Directed, translated and designed by Nico Scheepers.
Sources
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Glass_Menagerie
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tennessee_Williams
Speelgoed van Glas theatre programmes, 1966, 1967.
Ruphin Coudyzer. 2023. Annotated list of his photographs of Market Theatre productions. (Provided by Coudyzer)
https://www.artscape.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/QEC_Sep_Nov2019_Web-lr.pdf
https://artsvark.co.za/celebrating-75-years-of-the-glass-menagerie-at-artscape/
https://www.artsmart.co.za/drama/archive/1513.html
Inskip, 1977. p 119.
Astbury 1979.
Volksteater theatre programme, 1971.
Behrens, 1978.
PACOFS Drama 25 Years, 1963-1988.
Baxter Theatre pamphlet, October-November 1989.
Tucker, 1997. p.535 (1994 production).
Typed text of Fred le Roux's Afrikaans translation found in the Drama Department archives of Stellenbosch University. Now held in the ESAT repository at the Africa Open Institute for Music, Research and Innovation, with offices at Pieter Okkers House, 7 Joubert Street, Stellenbosch, South Africa.
The Baxter, what's on Jan - April 2025.
https://baxter.uct.ac.za/events/glass-menagerie
Return to
Return to South_African_Films
Return to PLAYS I: Original SA plays
Return to PLAYS II: Foreign plays
Return to PLAYS III: Collections
Return to PLAYS IV: Pageants and public performances
Return to South African Festivals and Competitions
Return to South African Radio Plays and Serials
Return to South African Television Plays and Series
Return to The ESAT Entries
Return to Main Page
