Giving Tree Announces Donation Recipient/New Season

Marion - "The Corridor’s newest performing arts venue and production company announces the newest beneficiary for ticket profits. The cast of Arsenic and Old Lace, opening March 6th, chose to donate a portion of upcoming ticket profits for all nine performances to local human services non-profit organizations Hospice of Mercy, and The Dennis & Donna Oldorf Hospice House of Mercy.

The Dennis and Donna Oldorf Hospice House of Mercy is the first and only facility of its kind in the Corridor. Hospice of Mercy has provided compassionate, professional end-of-life care to thousands of families in our community. The donations Giving Tree will make to these non-profit organizations will be used to...
Support programs for Hospice of Mercy which includes hospice care in private homes, hospitals and nursing facilities
Support groups and bereavement counseling
Services not covered by insurance or Medicare
Patient care for those without ability to pay

Menagerie's Delicate Power, and a Giving of Trees

By K Michael Moore
Photos by Len Struttmann

L-R: Spina, Schneider, Rezabek, Shedeck

Marion - The Glass Menagerie is often regarded as Tennessee Williams’s masterwork, filled with depth and broken, redeemable, challenging characters. In brief (as brief as possible!), the 1930’s: the Wingfield family, long abandoned but haunted by the unnamed Mr. Wingfield, struggles along on the income of an unsettled and dreaming Tom (David Schneider), who is also the Narrator of the piece. His older sister, Laura (Hannah Spina), destructively shy and with a crippled leg, has no prospects to make her own way in the world, little to no ambition past her record player and her glass figurines, and no likelihood to obtain a husband to provide for her. Their mother, Amanda (Traci Rezabek), is an aging southern belle who married the wrong man and lives largely in her own memory and her own vision of her children. Tom dreams of escaping the prison of the family flat, of adventure, but remains to keep his mother and sister from being destitute. Laura dreams of her glass figurines, of a boy she adored in high school. Amanda dreams of what she once was – or thought she was – and that her children would aspire to marriage and happiness, but she fails to understand what would make them happy. Needless to say, such a mix in a tiny St. Louis apartment leads to strife. Enter Tom’s friend, “The Gentleman Caller,” Jim O’Connor, played by Kyle Shedek, invited to dinner by Tom but at Amanda’s insistence in an effort to marry Laura off. Jim has no idea of Amanda’s intentions and doesn’t even know Tom has a sister.

Giving Tree’s inaugural production of Menagerie is a solid show, and shows the promise of future endeavors. It is not without its flaws, but it is a wonderful show. One of the show’s greatest accomplishments is that not one of the characters is flat or one-dimensional. As Director Heather Akers points out in her Director’s Note, it is all too easy with a script such as this to paint the characters too thin. Tom can easily become a selfish, alcoholic bum with no respect; Laura a willingly invalid spinster, afraid to face the world; and Amanda a manipulative harpy with a dash of insanity. At no time does the Giving Tree troupe allow this to happen. And that’s the true power of the production – Giving Tree shows us these infinitely human characters without either apology or excuse, but with simple understanding.

Giving Tree Theater Chooses First Donation Recipient

Marion - The Corridor’s newest performing arts venue and production company has chosen the human services non-profit organization Foundation 2 as the recipient of a portion of ticket profits for all nine performances of The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams.

Foundation 2 is a human services non-profit agency that offers crisis prevention and intervention programs to people of all ages. With services that include a 24-hour crisis hotline, a youth shelter, independent living options for youth, individual and family counseling, support groups, outreach programs and an after hours food pantry, Giving Tree Theater is humbled and happy to support this vital organization.

The production, directed by Heather Akers, will mark Giving Tree Theater’s first show, opening January 30, 2015 at 8:00pm, and will perform every Friday and Saturday (8:00pm), and Sunday (2:00pm) through February 15, 2015. The Glass Menagerie is Tennessee Williams’ beautiful poetic masterpiece, anchored by the aging southern belle Amanda Wingfield, who hopes for her son Tom to fulfill her dreams of finding the perfect “gentleman caller” for her shy and damaged daughter Laura. This character-driven story possesses some of the most beautiful imagery and dialogue in classic American stage plays. (PG, Family Drama) The production stars local actors Traci Rezabek as Amanda Wingfield, Hannah Spina as Laura Wingfield, David Schneider as Tom Wingfield, and Kyle Shedeck as Jim, the gentleman caller.

Giving Tree Theater LLC is committed to sharing profits with local human services organizations, as we shine a refreshed spotlight on truly great stories. In addition to The Glass Menagerie, Giving Tree Theater is set to produce Arsenic and Old Lace, The Miracle Worker, and Barefoot in the Park through May 2015, with additional details and titles to be announced soon. Additional information about auditions, ticket availability, and Giving Tree Theater can be found at www.facebook.com/givingtreetheater or www.givingtreetheater.com.


Source: Giving Tree Theater Press Release