Theatre
The Glass Menagerie
In 1945, Tennessee Williams went from inconspicuous to illustrious thanks to his first hit, The Glass Menagerie.
Drawing from partially autobiographical material, The Glass Menagerie would change the course of modern theatre. It became both Williams’ first successful play and a classic production that has been adapted and readapted countless times through multiple means such as film, television, radio, and, of course, stage, including multiple Broadway revivals. The Glass Menagerie broke through the glass ceiling of theatre, perching itself as one of the most celebrated plays of all time. It established Williams’ as one of the most highly regarded playwrights in America, with the play enduring eighty years later.
Now, Melbourne Theatre Company tackle the beloved Broadway title under their SEASON 2026 bringing it directly down the M1 to Geelong audiences.
“In memory, everything seems to happen to music.”
Tennessee WilliamsThe winner of the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award for ‘Best Play’ in 1945 and recipient of the first-ever Tony Award for Best Play revival, The Glass Menagerie is a recall narrative through the memory of Tom Wingfield as he recollects living with his histrionic mother, faded Southern belle of middle age, Amanda Wingfield in her pursuit to find her mentally fragile daughter, Laura Wingfield, a suitor. The narrative is centred around a dinner where Tom invites work acquaintance Jim O'Connor for dinner, and the line between illusion and reality blurs. The family dynamics through the memory transfer tell of Tom’s yearning for freedom whilst teetering between obligation and escape. A rework of one of Williams' short stories Portrait of a Girl in Glass, The Glass Menagerie is a gripping and heartbreaking dialogue-driven drama that will leave you spellbound.
In the leading role as Amanda Wingfield is celebrated stage and screen actress Alison Whyte (Death of a Salesman, Satisfaction (2007), Breaking News (1994) and The Dressmaker (2015). Whyte captures the desperation masked as hopefulness of Wingfield in trying to control the future whilst gripping onto her past.
This adaptation profits from the poetic and poignant direction of Melbourne Theatre Company Associate Artist, Mark Wilson. Having trained at VCA (Performance Creation, Directing) and Monash (Performing Arts), with further study under Philippe Gaulier, Wilson is a Melbourne-based maker, performer, dramaturg and director who is also an International Fellow of Shakespeare’s Globe in London.
Wilson is no stranger to taking on classic adaptations, regularly directing Shakespeare through a modern lens. His radical retellings of the literary great came threefold with Unsex Me - which toured Fringe Festivals for five years - Richard II with Olivia Monticciolo, and Anti-Hamlet which earned him a nomination for writing, direction and production at the Greenroom Awards. Wilson’s works span plays and performance art with his catalogue also boasting a directorial credit for the 2021 YIRRAMBOI Festival entry Bighouse Dreaming by Declan Furber Gillick, Brian Lipson collaborations for The History of the Damnable Life and Deserved Death of Doctor John Faustus (Fringe, ACM); Alice Will Caroline’s Doors Shut (Fringe/Temperance Hall); and Triage Live Art Collective. Wilson further contributed directorially to the Melbourne Theatre Company Sydney Festival co-presentation Jacky; the premiere season earned impressive reviews with ArtsHub giving it five stars and labelling it “Incredibly special”, whilst The Guardian noted it as being “thoughtful and furious”.
With his progressive directorial stylings, and with a powerhouse lead in Alison Whyte, their adaptation of The Glass Menagerie is a sharp interpretation of a timeless masterpiece and one that will be an instant sell-out in the Geelong Arts Centre calendar. It takes over The Play House for a season of four shows from Thursday 11 June and runs until Saturday 13 June 2026.
Shatter your pre-conceptions - The Glass Menagerie is bound to blow you away!