Kristen Awe participates in "The Glass Menagerie" at Concordia University

2014 Mar 14

Emotions rise as the Concordia University, Nebraska theater department presents "The Glass Menagerie" by Tennessee Williams. Participants in the show include:

Kirsten Awe, senior, Tilden, Neb., costume design

"There is so much honesty and rawness to the characters that I feel audience members will be able to connect to each character's search for happiness and acceptance in a difficult world, as well as the overwhelming instinct to take care of others, which can sometimes be to the detriment of those involved in the relationship," Joy Johnson, theater arts instructor and director of the show, said.

Set in the 1930s, the story unfolds through the memory of Tom Wingfield, a warehouse worker and aspiring poet, as he recalls his sister, Laura, and their mother, Amanda. Tom's father abandoned the family, and his mother expresses deep concern for Laura, who walks with a limp and has low self-esteem. The mother spends much of the play looking for a suitable caller for her daughter. Laura, who has dropped out of school, spends her days admiring her collection of small glass animals. Tom introduces Laura to a friend from work, an acquaintance who soon begins to tear the family apart.