Gonzaga Players THEATRE April 15th— 17th Celebrating 14 Years of Gonzaga Players Theatre

The Glass Menagerie By: Tennessee Williams Directed by: Mr. M. Burnham & Mrs. N. Gabriele

Gonzaga Players THEATRE April 14th—16th Celebrating 14 Years of Gonzaga Players Theatre

Crimes of the Heart By: Beth Henley Directed by: Mr. M. Burnham & Mrs. N. Gabriele

The Cast Lenny MaGrath Katie Lehoux

Chick Boyle Caterina Meli

Meg MaGrath Sarah Aranha

Babe MaGrath Stacey Bondareva

Barnette Lloyd Ryan Scanlan-Hoven

Doc Porter Jhon Vasquez

“What I loved about the acting class was that you got to think all day

long about a person that wasn't you, and figure out why they were sad and what they wanted, what they

dreamed.” Beth Henley

Tennessee Williams

Synopsis Playwright Tennessee Williams was born on March 26, 1911, in Columbus, Mississippi. After college, he moved to New Orleans, a city that would inspire much of his writing. On March 31, 1945, his play, The Glass Menagerie, opened on Broadway and two years later A Streetcar Named Desire earned Williams his first Pulitzer Prize. Many of Williams' plays have been adapted to film starring screen greats like Marlon Brando and Elizabeth Tay-lor. Williams died in 1983. Early Years Playwright Tennessee Williams was born Thomas Lanier Williams on March 26, 1911, in Columbus, Mississippi, the second of Cor-nelius and Edwina Williams' three children. Raised predominantly by his mother, Williams had a complicated relationship with his father, a demanding salesman who preferred work instead of parenting. Williams described his childhood in Mississippi as pleasant and happy. But life changed for him when his family moved to St. Louis, Missouri. The carefree nature of his boyhood was stripped in his new urban home, and as a result Williams turned inward and started to write. His parent's marriage certainly didn't help. Often strained, the Williams home could be a tense place to live. "It was just a wrong marriage," Williams later wrote. The family situa-tion, however, did offer fuel for the playwright's art. His mother became the model for the foolish but strong Amanda Wingfield in The Glass Menagerie, while his father represented the aggressive, driving Big Daddy in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. In 1929, Williams enrolled at the University of Missouri to study journalism. But he was soon withdrawn from the school by his father, who became incensed when he learned that his son's girlfriend was also attending the university. Deeply despondent, Williams retreated home, and at his father's urging took a job as a sales clerk with a shoe company. The future playwright hated the position, and again he turned to his writing, crafting poems and stories after work. Eventually, however, the de-pression took its toll and Williams suffered a nervous breakdown. After recuperating in Memphis, Williams returned to St. Louis and where he connected with several poets studying at Washington University. In 1937 returned to college, enrolling at the University of Iowa. He graduated the following year. Advertisement — Continue reading below

“Life is all memory, except for the one present moment that goes by you so quickly you hardly catch it going.”

Tennessee Williams

Biography

Commercial Success When he was 28, Williams moved to New Orleans, where he changed his name (he landed on Tennessee because his father hailed from there) and revamped his lifestyle, soaking up the city life that would inspire his work, most notably the later play, A Streetcar Named De-sire. He proved to be a prolific writer and one of his plays, earned him $100 from the Group Theater writing contest. More importantly, it landed him an agent, Audrey Wood, who would become his friend and adviser. In 1940 Williams' play, Battle of Angels, debuted in Boston. It quickly flopped, but the hard-working Williams revised it and brought it back as Orpheus Descending, which later was made into the movie, The Fugitive Kind, starring Marlon Brando and Anna Magnani. Other work followed, including a gig writing scripts for MGM. But Williams' mind was never far from the stage. On March 31, 1945, a play he'd been working for some years, The Glass Menagerie, opened on Broadway. Critics and audiences alike lauded the play, about a declassed Southern family living in a tenement, forever changing Williams' life and fortunes. Two years later, A Streetcar Named Desire, opened, surpassing his previous success and cementing his status as one of the country's best playwrights. The play also earned Williams a Drama Critics' Award and his first Pulitzer Prize. His subsequent work brought more praise. The hits from this period included Camino Real, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and Sweet Bird of Youth. Later Years The 1960s were a difficult time for Williams. His work received poor reviews and increas-ingly the playwright turned to alcohol and drugs as coping mechanisms. In 1969 his broth-er hospitalized him. Upon his release, Williams got right back to work. He churned out several new plays as well as Memoirs in 1975, which told the story of his life and his afflictions. But he never fully escaped his demons. Surrounded by bottles of wine and pills, Williams died in a New York City hotel room on Feb-ruary 25, 1983.

http://www.biography.com/people/tennessee-williams-9532952

“Enthusiasm is the most important thing in life. “ Tennessee Williams

Stage Crew Directors Mr. M. Burnham Mrs. N. Gabriele Costume Designer Mrs. J. Gomes Stage/Prop Manager Mr. J. Eagles Construction Mr. M. Burnham Mr. C. Hamilton Programme Design Mr. J. Eagles Programme Cover Artwork Reine Tejares Audio Crew Anis Piragasanathar Stage Crew Alyssia Messier Alexia Argiropulos

A special thanks to the Gonzaga Prefects as our Theatre Ushers for this week’s performances. We would also like to thank JAG for being our

intermission concession providers.

Beth Henley Beth Henley, in full Elizabeth Becker Henley (born May 8, 1952, Jackson, Miss., U.S.), American play-wright of regional dramas set in provincial Southern towns, the best known of which, Crimes of the Heart (1982; filmed 1986), was awarded a Pulitzer Prize in 1981.

Henley, a graduate of Southern Methodist University, University Park, Texas (B.F.A., 1974), turned from acting to writing as a career because she felt that the theatre offered few good contemporary roles for Southern women. Her first play, the one-act Am I Blue, was produced while she was still an undergrad-uate. Crimes of the Heart, her first full-length play, was produced in Louisville, Kentucky, in 1979 and in New York City in 1980.

Henley’s later plays include the two-act The Miss Firecracker Contest (1979; filmed as Miss Firecrack-er, 1989), in which a small-town young woman of dubious reputation attempts to gain respect by win-ning a beauty contest; The Wake of Jamey Foster

(1983); The Lucky Spot (1986); Abundance (1991); and Control Freaks (1992). Henley also wrote television scripts and screenplays.

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/261254/Beth-Henley

Amanda Kristina Vukelic Laura Nicole Smieja Tom Michael Di Lella Jim Jason Francone

The Cast

Stage Crew

Directors Mr. M. Burnham Mrs. N. Gabriele Costume Designer Mrs. J. Gomes Stage/Prop Manager Mr. J. Eagles Construction Mr. M. Burnham Mr. C. Hamilton Programme Design Mr. J. Eagles Programme Cover Artwork Reine Tejares Audio Crew Anis Piragasanathar Stage Crew Alyssia Messier Alexia Argiropulos

A special thanks to the Gonzaga Prefects as our Theatre Ushers for this week’s performances. We would also like to thank JAG

for being our intermission concession providers.

Ryan Scanlan-Hoven Grade 12

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Jhon Vasquez Grade 12

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Katie Lehoux Grade 11

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Sarah Aranha Grade 11

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Michael Di Lella Grade 12

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Nicole Smieja Grade 12

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Jason Francone Grade 12

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Kristina Vukelic Grade 11

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Caterina Meli Grade 9

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Stacey Bondareva Grade 10

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Gonzaga Players Past Productions

The Crucible 2005-2006 Biloxi Blues 2006-2007 The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man- 2006-2007 in-the Moon Marigolds Death at the Mansion 2006-2007 Bloody Reunion 2006-2007 Halloween Havoc 2007-2008 Death at Dark Lake 2007-2008 Death Metal Mayhem 2007-2008 A Midsummer Night’s Dream 2007-2008 Curse of the Burmese Idol 2008-2009 A Streetcar Named Desire 2008-2009 Antigone (Sophocles & Jean Anouilh) 2009-2010 Whiskey Stop 2009-2010 Real World: Gone’Zaga 2009-2010 Harvey 2010-2011 It’s not a rash...I’m a Zombie! 2010-2011 Macbeth 2011-2012 Well I'll be Gotterdammerunged... A Tale of Vikings and Monsters 2011-2012 A Doll’s House 2012-2013 Our Town 2012-2013 The Importance of Being Earnest 2013-2014 No Exit 2013-2014

Join the Gonzaga Players! Your life will change forever.

Graduating Gonzaga Players

Jose Bordas Michael Di Lella Jason Francone

Ryan Scanlan-Hoven Tommy Siuda Nicole Smieja Jhon Vasquez

“Acting requires a creative and compassionate attitude. It must aim to lift life up to a higher level of meaning

and not tear it down or demean it. The actor's search is a generous quest for that larger meaning. That's why acting is

never to be done passively.” Stella Adler

Scene Membership Card

Scene Membership Card and Scene Scotiabank Card

Scene Membership Card and Scene Visa Card

Scotiabank: Proud Supporter of the Gonzaga Players Congratulations to the members of the Gonzaga

Players who competed in the 2015 Sears Drama Festival at Cawthra Park S.S.

Sears Drama Festival

Louis and Dave By: Norm Foster

Louis Jose Bordas Dave Daniel Chin

http://www.scotiabank.ca

YOU ARE RICHER THAN YOU THINK

Attention all Gonzaga Students

Bring your Scotiabank Scene card to any

of the Gonzaga Player Performances and receive 10 House

Points.

YOU ARE RICHER THAN YOU THINK

Help support Gonzaga’s student leader charity - Hats off 2 Kidz!