WVU Parkersburg DP Series presents "The Glass Menagerie"

Feb. 22, 2011
Walnut Street Theatre to present Tennessee Williams' "The Glass Menagerie" March 1st as part of WVU Parkersburg's Distinguished Performance Series.

CONTACT: Dr. H.G. Young, III, coordinator of DP Series, 304-424-8248.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

National touring ensemble The Walnut Street Theatre will present Tennessee Williams' critically acclaimed "The Glass Menagerie" on Tuesday (March 1) at West Virginia University at Parkersburg.

Curtain time is 7 p.m. in the College Activities Center. The production is a part of the college's Distinguished Performance Series.

Tickets are available in the college's Business Office. Tickets are $10, adults; $5, students. WVU Parkersburg students may purchase special advance tickets. All tickets at the door are at regular price.

One of Williams' earliest successes, the timeless tale of the Wingfield family is brought to life in Walnut Street Theatre's new production. The strained relationships of Tom, Laura and Amanda play out in Williams' autobiographical play, encased in themes of the power of memory and inescapable reality for which this enduring drama is best known.

At the conclusion of Tuesday's performance, there will be a post performance discussion with the production's actors.

In conjunction with the theatrical production, WVU Parkersburg will offer several free related activities which are open to the public. At 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday (March 1), Wendy Scharfman of the Walnut Street Theatre will present "Exploration of 'The Glass Menagerie.'" It will be held in the college theatre.

On Wednesday (March 2), there will be a special panel discussion at 12:30 p.m. in the college theatre. Hosted by the college's Humanities Speakers Series, the discussion will cover "Tennessee Williams: An Artist's Life in Perspective.

Walnut Street Theatre's 2011 national tour of "The Glass Menagerie" marks the centennial of Williams' birth.

Founded in 1809, Walnut Street Theatre is the oldest continuously operating theatre in the United States. Over the past two centuries, the Walnut’s landmark theatre, located in Philadelphia, has been graced by some of America’s most legendary performers, including Ethel Barrymore, Marlon Brando, Sidney Poitier, Helen Hayes and Kathryn Hepburn. Its grand stage has housed a wide range of entertainment and national events, including circus, opera, vaudeville, lectures, music, dance, motion pictures, live theatre and even the first televised Presidential Debate between Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter.

Today the Walnut offers world-class entertainment with five-play Mainstage and Studio seasons as well as education programs. Through its theater school, touring outreach, the Adopt A School program and the family-focused Walnut Street Theatre for Kids, the Walnut’s education programs reach nearly 110,000 children and families annually.

This program is presented with financial assistance from the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation, West Virginia Division of Culture and History, Pennsylvania Performing Arts on Tour, and National Endowment for the Arts, with the approval of the West Virginia Commission on the Arts.