The Elizabethtown College Theatre Department has tackled many award-winning plays in the past, and this season is no different. The Pulitzer Prize-winning play “A Streetcar Named Desire” by Tennessee Williams opened on the Tempest Theatre stage to a packed house on Nov. 1.
The play, directed by associate professor of theatre and director of theatre and dance Michael Swanson, revolves around the female protagonist, Blanche DuBois, played by sophomore Taylor Luckenbill, after DuBois loses her familial plantation in the South and is forced to move in with her sister, Stella, and Stella’s unpleasant husband, Stanley Kowalski, played by junior Michael Wawrzynek. Taking place in an unkempt New Orleans apartment in the French Quarter, the plot explodes with controversial drama when personalities clash and relationships evolve with unexpected results.
Junior communications major Colin Jones, who plays the character of Mitch, elaborated on the characters and their interactions with one another: “The relationships between the characters really define the play; even with the characters who appear in one or two scenes, you can get a very real sense of the connections they have with the other characters. These are characters and relationships that everyone can relate to, whether they’d like to admit it or not.”
Jones elaborated on the characters in the play and the intense feel of the play itself, commenting that “Streetcar is a voyage into the depths of the human soul” and that “it explores our darkest desires and what happens when we follow our desires.”
Jones is also very complementary of the cast and crew, especially the “tech girls” working behind the scenes “in record time.” Jones said, “The tech crew are the unsung heroes of this production. The sheer number of technical cues and scene changes are staggering, but everyone in the show pours everything [that] they have into this show to create the best show possible.”
Set designer and senior theatre major Keller Robinson also commented on behalf of the technical crew. “One thing I can honestly say is [that] the entire cast and crew has worked really hard on this show,” Robinson said. “Having been at rehearsals recently, I would say this is a fantastic show and, whether you know the famous ‘Stella!’ line or not, this is something everyone should get a chance to see.”
Ushers from the play’s opening weekend, sophomores Lauren Cull and Brett Williams, praised the actors of “Streetcar” and their connections with their characters; they also offered their personal opinions, remarking that the play’s turnout was strong. Williams commented that it “was about 91 percent full.”
“It was so much fun to see my friends take on characters that have intense personal backgrounds,” Cull said. “All the actors made the characters come to life.”
“The play was very entertaining, but the story was not my cup of tea,” Williams said. “Despite it being contrary to my tastes, I may find myself returning to observe small details that passed me by the first time.”
“The actors have worked so hard and have never stopped discovering new things about the show and their characters along the way,” said senior stage manager Katie Pebley. “This show is fantastic, and I’m very proud of everyone who has been involved in it.”
Pebley, who is not a theatre major or minor, was unaware that she could take on the position of stage manager, but said that she is glad that the “program is so accepting of people who are interested, regardless of [their] major.”
“When I was asked to do it, I didn’t have any idea of all the work that goes into it,” said Pebley. “It’s fascinating to watch the show evolve as it has since auditions.”
Cast members of the play include first-year students Jade Bartlett, Becky Boia, Lizbeth Cooper, Danielle Hossann, Josh Ruszala, Nathaniel Marlow and Thomis White, as well as sophomores Luckenbill and Wendy Moulton, juniors Jones and Wawrzynek and seniors Laura Grube, Sierra Hoover and Kyle Kovatch.
Tennessee Williams’ play, “A Streetcar Named Desire,” will be open to audiences at Tempest Theatre until Nov. 11.