The Glass Menagerie

The Glass Menagerie a four-character play by Tennessee Williams (1911-1983) which premiered in Chicago 1944 and catapulted Williams from obscurity to fame. 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.

Performance history in South Africa

First produced in South Africa at the Little Theatre in 1949 by Leonard Schach, featuring Rosalie van der Gucht, Jobie Stewart, Rosemary Kirkcaldy and Colin Romoff. Six months later Schach produced the same play under the NTO banner, using Nita Economides, Anna Romain Hoffman, **, **, and **.

In November 1966 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).

Many great productions over the years, e.g at The Space (Cape Town) (197*, directed by Bill Tanner, with i.a. Yvonne Bryceland, Wilson Dunster, Bill Flynn), ***. Presented by the Baxter Theatre in 1989, starring Brenda Wood, Stephen Jennings, Michelle Scott and Geoffrey Hyland. Directed by Fred Abrahamse, design by Brian Collins.

Translations and adaptations

Hugely popular with student companies, it has also been translated into Afrikaans as Speelgoed van Glas by W.K. Grobler (W.H. Grobler?) and was produced by PACT?* in 19** with **. PACOFS 1984, directed by Schalk Jacobsz with Joey de Koker and Christo Potgieter.