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THE GLASS MENAGERIE - Audition NoticeA Play by Tennessee Williams
Directed by Clinton Nitschke
An Amateur Production By Arrangement with ORiGiNTM Theatrical, on behalf of Samuel French Ltd – A Concord Theatricals Company.
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"Little articles of it, ornaments mostly. Most of them are little animals made out of glass, the tiniest little animals in the world. Mother calls them the glass menagerie! Here's an example of one, if you'd like to see it! This is one of the oldest, it's nearly thirteen. Oh, be careful – if you breathe, it breaks!"
A drama of great tenderness, charm and beauty, The Glass Menagerie is one of the most famous plays of the modern theatre.
Amanda Wingfield is a faded, tragic remnant of Southern gentility who lives in poverty in a dingy St. Louis apartment with her son, Tom, and her daughter, Laura. Amanda strives to give meaning and direction to her life and the lives of her children, though her methods are ineffective and irritating. Tom is driven nearly to distraction by his mother's nagging and seeks escape in alcohol and the world of the movies. Laura also lives in her illusions. She is crippled, and this defect, intensified by her mother's anxiety to see her married, has driven her more and more into herself.
The crux of the action comes when Tom invites a young man of his acquaintance to take dinner with the family. Jim, the caller, is a nice ordinary young fellow who is at once pounced upon by Amanda as a possible husband for Laura. In spite of her crude and obvious efforts to entrap the young man, he and Laura manage to get along very nicely, and momentarily Laura is lifted out of herself into a new world. But this crashes when, toward the end, Jim explains that he is already engaged.
The world of illusion that Amanda and Laura have striven to create in order to make life bearable collapses about them. Tom, too, at the end of his tether, at last leaves home.
SEASON: December 4, 5, 6, 7 2024 (7:30pm)
PERFORMANCE VENUE: Little Theatre, the University of Adelaide
REHEARSALS: Rehearsals will begin mid-August, typically on Wednesday nights (6:00pm-9:00pm) and Saturdays (10:00am-3:00pm), depending on availability. Full rehearsal schedule TBC with director and cast, however cast MUST have availability for full days December 2nd and 3rd.
? ROLES ?
AMANDA WINGFIELD (f): the mother. A little woman of great but confused vitality clinging frantically to another time and place. Her characterisation must be carefully created, not copied from type. She is not paranoiac, but her life is paranoia. There is much to admire in Amanda, and as much to love and pity as there is to laugh at. Certainly she has endurance and a kind of heroism, and though her foolishness makes her unwittingly cruel at times, there is a tenderness in her slight person.
LAURA WINGFIELD (f): her daughter. Amanda, having failed to establish contact with reality, continues to live vitally in her illusions, but Laura's situation is even graver. A childhood illness has left her crippled, one leg slightly shorter than the other, and held in a brace. This defect need not be more than suggested on the stage. Stemming from this, Laura's separation increases till she is like a piece of her own glass collection, too exquisitely fragile to move from the shelf.
TOM WINGFIELD (m): her son. And the narrator of the play. A poet with a job in a warehouse. His nature is not remorseless, but to escape from a trap he has to act without pity.
JIM O'CONNOR (m): the gentleman caller. A nice, ordinary, young man.
? ABOUT THE AUDITION ?
Individual auditions will last fifteen minutes. Everyone will have the opportunity to read a monologue as either AMANDA WINGFIELD, TOM WINGFIELD, or JIM O'CONNOR. These monologues will be performed in front of the director and the rest of the audition panel. You are expected to be familiar with these monologues, but it is not compulsory to memorise them. Please attempt the appropriate accent.
You will also be given duologue scenes to perform with an audition panelist on the day. Be prepared to be given a new scene to read for other roles, even if you did not earlier indicate a preference for them.
All audition materials will be sent to your email by the 22nd of July. If you book an audition after this date, the materials will be sent to you as soon as possible.
? IMPORTANT IMFORMATION ?
* This production is on a volunteer basis, as with all Theatre Guild productions.
* Actors are welcome to audition for Theatre Guild Student Society productions provided that they are currently enrolled in a tertiary institution OR have graduated this year or in Semester 2 of the 2023 academic year. Exceptions may be allowed, but please let us know in your audition form if this is not the case.
* UATG is committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion. We encourage performers of all races and ethnicities, gender identities, and abilities to audition. However, please be aware that the Little Theatre is not fully equipped for those with a physical disability. The foyer and auditorium are accessible via ground floor entrance, but the stage and backstage areas are unfortunately not equipped for wheelchair access.
* Please be aware that everyone involved in a University of Adelaide Theatre Guild production is required to become a member of the Guild. Auditions are open to everyone, but any roles will only be confirmed once you have become a member. Membership can be purchased via: www.trybooking.com/CHVWL.
For any additional enquiries about The Glass Menagerie auditions, email us at [email protected].
?Find out more and to book an audition slot: https://www.trybooking.com/CPVKL
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Napier 205, The University of Adelaide (North Terrace Campus), 199 North Ter, Adelaide SA 5000, Australia,Adelaide, South Australia
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