The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams
Directed by Samantha Van Der Merwe
April 18th - May 16th 2026
Thursday - Saturday Evenings at 7:30pm
Sundays at 5pm
Running time: 2 Hours 15 mins (with one intermission)
A faded remnant of Southern gentility, Amanda Wingfield lives in poverty in a dingy St. Louis apartment with her son Tom and daughter Laura. Focused on securing their future but shattered by her husband’s abandonment, Amanda collides with her children’s dreams and ambitions. While Tom feels trapped by his life – seeking escape through alcohol and the movies – Amanda pressures her sensitive, physically handicapped daughter Laura to find a husband, crushing their relationship and Laura’s fragile self-esteem. As attentions turn to securing a suitor for Laura, Tom invites his acquaintance Jim to dinner, and the fine thread that connects dignity to desperation is pulled taut as their mother sees a possibility for her daughter. A drama of great tenderness, charm and beauty, The Glass Menagerie is one of the most famous plays of the modern theatre.
April 18th - May 16th 2026
Thursday - Saturday Evenings at 7:30pm
Sundays at 5pm
Running time: 2 Hours 15 mins (with one intermission)
A faded remnant of Southern gentility, Amanda Wingfield lives in poverty in a dingy St. Louis apartment with her son Tom and daughter Laura. Focused on securing their future but shattered by her husband’s abandonment, Amanda collides with her children’s dreams and ambitions. While Tom feels trapped by his life – seeking escape through alcohol and the movies – Amanda pressures her sensitive, physically handicapped daughter Laura to find a husband, crushing their relationship and Laura’s fragile self-esteem. As attentions turn to securing a suitor for Laura, Tom invites his acquaintance Jim to dinner, and the fine thread that connects dignity to desperation is pulled taut as their mother sees a possibility for her daughter. A drama of great tenderness, charm and beauty, The Glass Menagerie is one of the most famous plays of the modern theatre.
What people are saying
"Spellbinding", "Superb" "Beautiful", "Gorgeous"
"...what amazing writing it is, and I was so struck by how you made it into a true dream play, the aching beauty of the light through glass, and those floating images, the floating veils like memory... it felt like the poetry of it was thoroughly there as well as the human truth, which made for a great experience."
"The performances here are exceptional."
"The need to satirize the play, which launched Williams' career, arises, I think, because the deep sadness that runs through it can be just too hard to bear. The current production, directed by Samantha Van De Merwe, asks us to look that sadness square in the eye, own it, and perhaps even defy it.It succeeds beautifully." -Krista Carver, Broadway World
Read the full review HERE
"a graceful gift of a show that’s so quietly beautiful, watching it is like sitting in a rose garden where the individual blossoms slowly unfold as you breathe in their subtle scent." -Linda Ferguson, Oregon Artswatch
Read the full review HERE
"Any production of Glass Menagerie lives or dies on how much you believe you’re watching an actual family. Many things about Menagerie work well, but the chemistry between Hynes, Porter, and Rios feels like a magic trick." -Holly Hazelwood, Portland Mercury
Read the full review HERE
“Van Der Merwe has developed a loyal following in Portland as a design-minded director with a particular talent for conceptual devised productions. But her knack for creating rich theatrical settings pays dividends in scripted classics, too.” -Marty Hughley, Oregon Artswatch
"Well, if it’s going to be a Tennessee Williams play, it’s going to be about declining Southern gentility splattering extravagantly into full-blown decay. And if it’s going to be produced at Shaking the Tree and directed by Samantha Van Der Merwe, we’re more than likely going to see visuals we’d never expect." -Suzette Smith, Portland Mercury
"...what amazing writing it is, and I was so struck by how you made it into a true dream play, the aching beauty of the light through glass, and those floating images, the floating veils like memory... it felt like the poetry of it was thoroughly there as well as the human truth, which made for a great experience."
"The performances here are exceptional."
"The need to satirize the play, which launched Williams' career, arises, I think, because the deep sadness that runs through it can be just too hard to bear. The current production, directed by Samantha Van De Merwe, asks us to look that sadness square in the eye, own it, and perhaps even defy it.It succeeds beautifully." -Krista Carver, Broadway World
Read the full review HERE
"a graceful gift of a show that’s so quietly beautiful, watching it is like sitting in a rose garden where the individual blossoms slowly unfold as you breathe in their subtle scent." -Linda Ferguson, Oregon Artswatch
Read the full review HERE
"Any production of Glass Menagerie lives or dies on how much you believe you’re watching an actual family. Many things about Menagerie work well, but the chemistry between Hynes, Porter, and Rios feels like a magic trick." -Holly Hazelwood, Portland Mercury
Read the full review HERE
“Van Der Merwe has developed a loyal following in Portland as a design-minded director with a particular talent for conceptual devised productions. But her knack for creating rich theatrical settings pays dividends in scripted classics, too.” -Marty Hughley, Oregon Artswatch
"Well, if it’s going to be a Tennessee Williams play, it’s going to be about declining Southern gentility splattering extravagantly into full-blown decay. And if it’s going to be produced at Shaking the Tree and directed by Samantha Van Der Merwe, we’re more than likely going to see visuals we’d never expect." -Suzette Smith, Portland Mercury
Cast
Amanda Wingfield Maria Porter*
Tom Wingfield Kai Hynes
Laura Wingfield Sammy Rat Rios*
The Gentleman Caller Jon Bolden
* Member of Actors' Equity Association
Tom Wingfield Kai Hynes
Laura Wingfield Sammy Rat Rios*
The Gentleman Caller Jon Bolden
* Member of Actors' Equity Association
Creative Team
Director & Set Designer Samantha Van Der Merwe
Stage Manager Emily Hogan
Assistant Stage Manager Hayley Lamsma
Technical Director & Set Design Collaborator Nate Raphael
Lighting Designer Sam Kemp
Master Electrician Ronnie Rantis
Sound Designer Matt Wiens
Costume Designer Anya Jones
Costume Assistant Moth Noriega
Video Engineer Alan Cline
Director of Photography (film) Roberto Martinez
Intimacy Choreographer Kristen Mun-Van Noy
Stage Manager Emily Hogan
Assistant Stage Manager Hayley Lamsma
Technical Director & Set Design Collaborator Nate Raphael
Lighting Designer Sam Kemp
Master Electrician Ronnie Rantis
Sound Designer Matt Wiens
Costume Designer Anya Jones
Costume Assistant Moth Noriega
Video Engineer Alan Cline
Director of Photography (film) Roberto Martinez
Intimacy Choreographer Kristen Mun-Van Noy
“The Glass menagerie” is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. www.concordtheatricals.com
The Glass Menagerie is generously supported by our major donors; Ronni Lacroute, Jessie Jonas, Ellyn Bye, and Anonymous x 2. We'd also like to thank the foundations and organizations listed below, members of Shaking the Tree's Board, as well as many other individual supporters. To support this show, or any others in our season, please visit our DONATE page.
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Connect with Us
Shaking the Tree Theatre is located at 823 SE Grant St.
Portland, OR 97214
Oue main office is located at 2136 SE 8th Ave
Portland, OR 97214
For our theatre: Look for the Big Blue Warehouse on the corner od SE 9th and Grant and enter through the gate.
For our main office: look for the beautiful mural on the corner of SE 8th and Grant. Entrance is on SE 8th.
Shaking the Tree receives major funding from:
The James F. and Marion L. Miller Foundation, The Marie Lamfrom Charitable Foundation, The Shubert Foundation, The Portland Arts and Culture Access Fund, The Ronald W. Naito Foundation, The Rose and David Dortort Foundation, supporting organization of the California Community Foundation, The Oregon Community Foundation, The Roy and Diane Marvin Fund of Oregon Community Foundation, The Jackson Foundation,
Ronni Lacroute, Jessie Jonas, Ellyn Bye & Anonymous x2.
Shaking the Tree Theatre receives support from the Oregon Arts Commission,
a policy making and advisory body within the Oregon Business Development Department, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Shaking the Tree is supported by the Oregon Cultural Trust through the Multnomah County Cultural Coalition.
Ronni Lacroute, Jessie Jonas, Ellyn Bye & Anonymous x2.
Shaking the Tree Theatre receives support from the Oregon Arts Commission,
a policy making and advisory body within the Oregon Business Development Department, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Shaking the Tree is supported by the Oregon Cultural Trust through the Multnomah County Cultural Coalition.
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