The Theatre School Showcase, DePaul University, presents Tennessee Williams’ THE GLASS MENAGERIE December 4 - 13, 1998 (previews 12/2 &12/3) at DePaul’s Merle Reskin Theatre, 60 E. Balbo Drive, Chicago. The play is the second production of the 1998-99 season celebrating DePaul University’s Centennial with the theme "The American Experience in the 20^th Century: Dreams Denied & Delayed, Lost & Found."

The Glass Menagerie first played in Chicago 54 years ago and went on to win the 1945 New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Play. The Theatre School’s production is directed by John Jenkins and features scenic design by John Michael Glenn, costume design by Alicia C. Vegell, lighting design by Steven Conway and sound design by Jeffrey Webb.

Tickets are $6 - $10; $5 for college students with I.D. Seniors, Corporate Partners, DePaul employees and alumni are eligible for discounts. Group rates are available for 15 or more people. Wednesday, December 9 is DePaul Night: two tickets for the price of one for high school and college students with I.D. For information and to purchase tickets, call the Box Office at (312) 922-1999. Interpreted performances and dinner packages are available.

The Glass Menagerie is regarded as one of the great plays of the American theatre and one of Tennessee Williams’ most autobiographical dramas. Amanda Wingfield — filled with pride, disappointment, perseverance and desperation — clings to her illusions and memories of past glories. Her daughter Laura is a withdrawn and unique young girl, fragile like the glass unicorn in her collection and incapable of dealing with the challenges of the outside world. Her brother Tom, overwhelmed by the challenges of his family life, escapes to the movies each night. But one evening, an unexpected gentleman caller brings a dose of reality to the family’s small tenement and briefly introduces hope, warmth, sympathy and companionship into their lives.

"Tennessee Williams is one of our most sensuous and intimate playwrights," says director John Jenkins. "He demands contact, demands intimacy. What he does spills over into the house. His plays are kind of like a heart transplant from him to us."

The Glass Menagerie runs December 4 – 13, 1998 (previews 12/2 & 12/3). Performances are Wednesdays through Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. Morning matinees are scheduled at 10 a.m. Tuesday, December 8, and Thursday, December 10. Both morning matinees and the evening performance on Thursday, December 10 will feature post-show discussions. Performances are held at the DePaul University Merle Reskin Theatre, 60 E. Balbo Drive, Chicago. Discount parking is available with coupons available from the Box Office.

INTERPRETED PERFORMANCE: The performance on Sunday, December 13 at 2 p.m. will be interpreted in American Sign Language by Sign on Stage. For information, call the Theatre Box Office or TTY: (773) 325-7975.

DINNER OFFER: The Theatre School has partnered with the Hilton Chicago and Towers to feature a special dinner offer at The Pavilion, the Mediterranean café on the lobby level of the hotel across the street from the theatre. Dinners are $20.00 for adults or $11.00 for children 12 and under and may be purchased through the Theatre Box Office.

Playwright TENNESSEE WILLIAMS (1911 – 1983) is one of this country’s foremost playwrights. His poetic dramas, filled with tension and brilliant dialogue, invariably explore society’s passions and frustrations. He won his first Pulitzer Prize for A Streetcar Named Desire (1947) and his second for Cat On a Hot Tin Roof (1954). His other plays include Summer and Smoke (1948), The Rose Tattoo (1950), Suddenly Last Summer (1958), Sweet Bird of Youth (1959), Night of the Iguana (1961) and Small Craft Warnings (1972), among many other works.

Director JOHN JENKINS is an associate professor of Acting and Movement and head of the Acting Program at The Theatre School. His directing credits at the school include Six Degrees of Separation, A Bright Room Called Day and Landscape of the Body, among others. In Minneapolis,

Mr. Jenkins co-founded the AnyPlace Theater and worked as an actor, director, and teacher with the Children’s Theater Company. He acted in Endgame and Waiting for Godot for the San Quentin Drama Workshop, both directed by Samuel Beckett. He has performed and directed in England, Germany, Switzerland and Australia and is a member of the Screen Actor’s Guild.

Further information about The Glass Menagerie and The Theatre School is available via the Internet at the school’s website, located at http://theatreschool.depaul.edu .

The Theatre School was founded as the Goodman School of Drama in 1925 and is a member of the League of Chicago Theatres, the Illinois Arts Alliance and the Illinois Alliance for Arts Education.