In honor of the 100th birthday of legendary playwright Tennessee Williams, the Averitt STARS will present one of his best known works “The Glass Menagerie” inside the Emma Kelly Theater.
Performances will be held Friday, Feb. 24 and Saturday, Feb. 25 at 7:30 p.m. as well as a matinee on Sunday, Feb. 26 at 2 p.m.
Set in 1937 St. Louis, this American classic is loosely based on the playwright’s own life and is the story of a family’s struggles to find happiness amid the realities of the Great Depression. 
The Glass Menagerie debuted in Chicago in 1944 where it became an instant success, forcing the play to be relocated to New York City. The play ran for 563 performances before leaving Broadway.
Directed by Mical Whitaker, the cast includes Andrew Akins, Zulema Ibarra, Dalton Titshaw and Carol Thompson, who plays the lead character Amanda Wingfield. Whitaker and Thompson were most recently seen on the Emma Kelly stage in the highly acclaimed “Driving Miss Daisy.”
Costumes inspired by other iconic characters from Williams’ plays will be on display in the lobby of the Emma Kelly Theater on opening night. The display of the costumes was arranged by Georgia Southern Theatre professor, Dr. Sarah McCarroll and Georgia Southern student Katherine Veach.
If you would like to learn more about Tennessee Williams, the public is invited to a scholarly high tea with Del Presley, author of “The Glass Menagerie - An American Memory” on Tuesday at 4 p.m. Dr. Presley has done extensive research on the southern author and the masterpiece that will be performed on the Emma Kelly Theater stage later in the week. The high tea will take place at the Historic Statesboro Inn. Admission is $15. If you attend the tea, you will receive $5 off a ticket to The Glass Menagerie.
Tickets are $13 for adults and $10 for youth ages 12 and under. For further information, call (912) 212-2787 or visit averittcenterforthearts.org. The Averitt STARS is a community theater group that presents three performances a year in the Emma Kelly Theater.