Lit&Perf IA

      The play Glass Menagerie is written by Tennessee Williams, This play was produced by Eddie Dowling and Louis J. Singer at the Play House Theatre in New York, on March 31, 1945. Laurette Taylor acted Amanda, Eddie Dowling acted Tom, Julie Haydon acted Laura and Anthony Ross acted Jim. Glass Menagerie is a very famous play. The story is about the tragic life of family Wingfield. Tom has his own dream---Write poem, but he has to earn money to support the family, so he works in a warehouse. He always arguing with his mom---Amanda, he thinks Amanda is so annoy. He doesn't want to stay with his mom and sister anymore. He left his family just like his father. This play is talking about the tragic life of the lower class.

      In the opening of the play Tom standing on the fire escape, and lights a cigarette, then Tom is begging to introduce the play. Let a character to introduce the background information of the play, then Tom just enter the scene naturally. It is a unique way to open the play. In the end of the play, after Tom leaves the house, the scene return to the beginning Tom is still standing on the fire escape and he thinking about Laura and Amanda, at last he leaves. I think the ending echo the beginning of the text. Two paragraph use the same way to act. Both paragraph is the monologue of Tom. I think the author wants Tom to express his emotions and opinions of his family. 

      In Act one scene two it is about the conversation between Laura and Amanda. At first Laura is typing and she finds out that her mom Amanda comes home. The conversation start with Laura, She greeted her mother " Hello, Mother, I was just.." " I know. You were just practicing your typing, I suppose "Amanda said. " yes" Laura reply. " Deception, deception, deception!" Amanda said angrily. From here Amanda shows her anger. She thinks Laura lying to her. Laura didn't tell Amanda she left the business college. The conflict in this scene is that Amanda tell the truth to Laura that she went to the business college, no one in the college know Laura. Laura feels embarrassed. Amanda is very worried about Laura, she thinks Laura can't gain knowledge anymore. Amanda worried no one will like Laura, she afraid Laura won't have gentlemen callers. "Even after you'd started catching that cold?" From this sentence we can notice that Amanda is very angry, she can't understand where will Laura go during the cold winter. "It was the lesser of two evils, Mother. I couldn't go back. I threw up on the floor!" Laura is optimistic, she thinks leave the college is the better choice. During the argument Amanda don't understand why her daughter leaves the college. Laura thinks she did lots of interesting things after she leaves the college. Laura says to her mom that "I went in the art museum and the birds-houses at the Zoo. I visited the penguins every day! Sometimes I did without lunch and went to the movies. Lately I've been spending most of my afternoons in the Jewel-box, that big glass house where they raise the tropical flowers." Laura talks about many interesting things she did. I think she will enjoy her life more. She will have more time to relax, to experience the life. I think the theme of this scene is about the action of the kids in the lower class family is limited by their parents. But they have right to choose their own lifestyle.
In the play I act Laura. In order to go inside the character I keep reading this scene. I want to know what does the character thinking when they saying their lines. I use the techniques of Uta Hagen, I asked myself nine questions, in order to know more about the character and understand the relationship between Laura and Amanda. During the practicing I have trouble with memorizing the sentences and to show the emotion of my character, so I always found my teammates to help me and practice with me. In the play in order to let the audience to know my emotion I added some body language. When I say:" "I went in the art museum and the birds-houses at the Zoo... raise the tropical flowers." I will stand up and looks like I'm very happy to memorized the scene when Laura was staying in the Jewelry house. I will show Laura is very relax and enjoy to spend time in the museum, birds house and jewelry house. At first after I realized I have to wear dress during the acting I felt very embarrassed, it's my first time to act a female character. I search this play online and trying to look how did actor Julie Haydon act Laura well. In this play Laura is a taciturn girl. In the family she barely talk. I should always sitting on my chair and be silent.
After I read this play, I gained knowledge from this play. it tells me what is the lower class family be like, and what is their lifestyle. It teaches me how I can improve my performance, when I say a sentence, what kind of body language can I add. What i should do when others is speaking.