Speakeysie News Desk

ATLANTA (May 2025) – Theatrical Outfit (TO) is excited to launch Season 49 with Tennessee Williams’ deeply southern classic – THE GLASS MENAGERIE (October 29 – November 23, 2026). This groundbreaking work returns to ATL with an electric new vision that redefines the “classics” genre. A bold vision for a bold city … this is the HEART OF ATLANTA.

Tonight is one of those nights you remember forever. Tonight, someone special is coming to dinner. Tonight, there will be a dance. Tonight, you might fall in love. Tonight, everything could change. This is Tennessee Williams’ (A Streetcar Named Desire) THE GLASS MENAGERIE, the semi-autobiographical work about how the past can become a prison, and how dreams can set us free. This American masterpiece returns to Atlanta with a bold new vision designed to highlight the lasting power that happens when great writing meets stunning performance.

“I first saw this play as a teenager in Northern Ireland at an amateur theatre, with my mum playing the role of Amanda Wingfield,” says Matt Torney, Artistic Director. “I was utterly captivated by the rich poetry of the writing, and for years could remember lines and moments from the play (especially the line where Tom threatens to blow up the house with dynamite and send his mum flying into the sky over blue mountain!) The play broke my heart, but also dazzled with its cleverness and creativity. I think I saw Death of a Salesman that same year, and those two productions kindled my deep love for American theatre, and have a lot to do with my journey across the ocean to make theatre here.”

Leading the bold THE GLASS MENAGERIE revival is Atlanta and Broadway’s Terry Burrell (TO’s Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill) as “The Mother.” Burrell will be joined by other TO favorites that includes Devon Hales (TO’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolfe?) as “The Daughter,” Stephen Ruffin (TO’s Tiny Beautiful Things) as “The Son,” and Matt Mercurio (TO’s The Wolf at the End of the Block) as “The Gentleman Caller.” Under the direction of Matt Torney and the dramaturgy of Addae Moon, the design team includes Scenic Design by Isabel and Moriah Curley-Clay, Costume Design by April Andrew Carswell, Wig Design by Antoinette Black, Lighting Design by Ben Rawson, Composition & Sound Design by Kendall Simpson, and Properties Design by Caroline Cook, under the stage management of Lexi McKay.

Torney continues: “Returning to THE GLASS MENAGERIE as an adult is a bittersweet and beautiful experience.  Like no other writer, Williams captures themes of loss and longing; of dreams unfulfilled, and the tender connections between human souls. The characters in the play are all caught between worlds.  Trapped in the harsh reality of the industrialized Midwest, Amanda longs for the nostalgic comfort of her girlhood in Mississippi. A stifled artist, Tom longs to get out and see the world, and escape the burden of his responsibilities.  Laura is trapped in a body that is failing her, unable to engage with the world, and her prospective lover, Jim, can’t make peace with his fading youth. And yet the play bursts with love, and the potential for it. This is what makes the writing so moving, and why The Glass Menagerie has captured the hearts and imaginations of audiences for so many generations.”

 

Theatrical Outfit is thrilled to welcome audiences to the Balzer Theater at Herren’s (84 Luckie St. NW, Atlanta, GA 30303) for another dynamic season of telling stories that spark conversation. Packages for the 2025 – 2026 Season and single tickets for THE GLASS MENAGERIE (October 29 – November 23, 2026) are on sale NOW. We invite you to visit theatricaloutfit.org or call 678-528-1500 for more information.