People's Light & Theatre Company presents THE GLASS MENAGERIE, written by Tennessee Williams, from February 13 - March 22, 2008, on the Main Stage. Ken Marini directs. People's Light & Theatre is located at 39 Conestoga Road, Malvern. For tickets call 610.644.3500 or visit www.peopleslight.org.

Described as an "American classic," THE GLASS MENAGERIE introduced Tennessee Williams as one of the preeminent playwrights of the 20th century. In the play, we meet the unforgettable Wingfield family, living in a St. Louis tenement in the 1930s. As told through the memory of Tom Wingfield, we see his aging mother and former belle, Amanda Wingfield, desperately try to lure her painfully shy daughter out of a world of glass figurines and illusion. Tom, longing to be free of his family responsibilities, escapes into nights of endless movies and alcohol.

The cast includes three members of the People's Light & Theatre Company's Resident Ensemble. Two-time Barrymore Award nominee, Marcia Saunders, stars as Amanda Wingfield. Elizabeth Webster Duke is the daughter, Laura. The brother, Tom Wingfield, is played by Kevin Bergen. Guest artist Darren Michael Hengst is Jim, the "gentleman caller."

THE GLASS MENAGERIE previews on Wednesday, February 13th and Thursday, February 14th at 7:30pm. The show opens on Friday, February 15th at 8pm and runs through March 22, 2008. Tickets are now on sale and cost $29 - $48, with special discounts available for students, seniors, and groups of 10 or more. Audiences are encouraged to join the artists after each Thursday night performance to discuss the production.

Subscriptions to the 2007/2008 Season are still available at a significant savings. Remaining shows in the 6-Play Series include: The Glass Menagerie (February 13 - March 22, 2008), I Have Before Me a Remarkable Document Given to Me by a Young Lady From Rwanda (May 28 - June 22, 2008), and Sherlock Holmes & The Case of the Jersey Lily (June 18 - July 13, 2008). The remaining show in the TARGET Family Discovery Series is Getting Near to Baby (March 27 - April 20, 2008). For information, tickets, and subscriptions, please call the box office at 610.644.3500 or visit www.peopleslight.org.

Special performances and discounts, in addition to discount meal packages and talk-backs with the artists are available for groups of 10 or more. For more information or to purchase group tickets, call 610.647.1900, ext. 134 or email group@peopleslight.org.

"GLASS HOUSES" PACKAGE

People's Light & Theatre Company invites audiences to enjoy the "GLASS HOUSES" PACKAGE funded by the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation. The package includes discounted tickets to see Tennessee Williams' THE GLASS MENAGERIE at People's Light, as well as discounts and incentives to visit other Chester County attractions. Package price dates are February 13 - March 22, 2008.

To encourage visitors to stay overnight in Chester County and enjoy other attractions in the region, discounts offered include: 10% off at Folly Hill Vineyards and the Kennett House, 15% off at Pennsbury Inn, a reduced rate of $119 for a one-bedroom suite at Homewood Suites in Malvern, 10% off a purchase at Simon Pearce, or a complimentary tour and wine tasting at the Chaddsford Winery. With mention of the package, one may also receive a free dessert at Places! Bistro or receive 10% off lunch or dinner at Simon Pearce on the Brandywine.

For a full list of participants and other details visit www.peopleslight.org.

KEY BIOS

Tennessee Williams (Playwright) was born Thomas Lanier Williams on March 26, 1911, in Columbus, Mississippi. His professional writing career began in ¬¬1927 when he won $5.00 and publication in Smart Set for an essay, "Can a Good Wife be a Good Sport." In 1928 Weird Tales paid $35.00 for "The Vengeance of Nitocris." Williams attended three universities before graduating from the University of Iowa in 1938. Shortly afterwards, he left his family and moved to New Orleans. He changed his name from Tom to Tennessee, in honor of his grandfather, a native of that state. His first New York production, Battle of Angels (1940), failed catastrophically, but the legendary Audrey Wood befriended him and became his agent. With her encouragement he took the country (and the world) by storm in 1945 with his "memory play," The Glass Menagerie. Williams won two Pulitzer Prizes (A Streetcar Named Desire, 1948; Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, 1955), four New York Critic's Circle Awards (The Night of the Iguana, 1961; Cat on a Hot Tin Roof; A Streetcar Named Desire; The Glass Menagerie), and one Tony Award for Best Play (The Rose Tattoo, 1951).

Ken Marini (Director) A co-founder of PLTC, Ken has directed over 30 productions, including Six Characters in Search of an Author, Humble Boy, The Man from Nebraska, The Problem and How We Talk in South Boston for 30Fest, Around the World in 80 Days, Born Yesterday, A Delicate Balance, Dimly Perceived Threats to the System, Sacco and Vanzetti: A Vaudeville, and Sign of the Lizard. Other PLTC credits include The Life of Galileo and an internationally acclaimed production of Louis Lippa's adaptation of Theodore Dreiser's Sister Carrie. He was the Artistic Director of the Cheltenham Center for the Arts for six seasons, directing Kindertransport, The Glass Menagerie and many others. Other credits include How His Bride Came To Abraham at Playwrights' Theatre of New Jersey, When Real Life Begins at Chain Lightning Theatre, Richard III for the National Shakespeare Company, Amadeus, Sleuth and Romeo & Juliet for Hedgerow Theatre, Pete 'n Keely at Act II Playhouse and All's Well That Ends Well for the Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival. He has directed A View from the Bridge in Russia and Psycho Drama in Edinburgh.

Kevin Bergen (Tom Wingfield) is a Barrymore Award nominated actor and a member of the Resident Ensemble of Artists at People's Light & Theatre Company. Kevin first came to People's Light nine years ago to perform in As You Like It. Since then he has appeared in over twenty productions; most recently in Six Characters in Search of an Author, Twelfth Night, Man From Nebraska, and Fabulation, or the Re-education of Undine. Other regional credits include: The Wilma Theatre, Arden Theatre Company, Bristol Riverside Theatre, InterAct Theatre Company, The Studio Theatre, Commonwealth Shakespeare, and North Carolina Shakespeare Festival. He has toured the US with Shenandoah Shakespeare and abroad with American Repertory Theatre. Kevin has acted Off- and Off-Off-Broadway and appeared in independent films, and on The Guiding Light. He is a graduate of the American Repertory Theatre Institute for Advanced Theatre Training at Harvard.

Elizabeth Webster Duke (Laura Wingfield) was last seen as Maria in Twelfth Night. As a member of the Resident Ensemble of Artists at PLTC, she has performed in over thirty productions. Some of her roles at People's Light include Catherine in A View from the Bridge, and Gladys in The Skin of Our Teeth. Liz has performed with The Kennedy Center, Ford's Theatre, The Wilma Theatre, The Walnut Street Theatre, InterAct Theatre Company, The Eureka Theatre Company, The Bay Theatre and the Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival. She holds an MFA from the Academy for Classical Acting at the Shakespeare Theatre and teaches acting at Swarthmore College and George Washington University. She is a three-time finalist for Philadelphia's F. Otto Haas Emerging Theatre Artist Award.

Darren Michael Hengst (Jim O'Connor) is making his People's Light debut. He is an actor, teacher, and fight director in the Philadelphia region. Darren appeared in the Barrymore Award winning musical Winesburg, Ohio at the Arden Theatre, as well as the Barrymore Award winning play Of Mice and Men at the Walnut Street Theatre. He received his M.F.A. from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, where he starred in the first production of Tennessee Williams' lost play, Stairs to the Roof, since 1947. He is a member of the Actors' Equity Association and The Society of American Fight Directors. He resides in Philadelphia with his wife Jackie, their son, Austan, and daughter, Skyler, where they are owners and operators of www.greenpadliving.com.

Marcia Saunders (Amanda Wingfield) has been a member of the PLTC acting company for 32 years and was seen recently in Six Characters in Search of an Author, Anne of Green Gables, The Man From Nebraska (for which she received an Outstanding Lead Actress Barrymore nomination), The Crucible, and The O'Connor Girls. Previous PLTC credits include Claire in A Delicate Balance - receiving a 2004 Barrymore Award as Outstanding Supporting Actress, The Memory of Water, Macbeth, and Once in a Lifetime. A Barrymore nominee for her roles in A View from the Bridge, A Flea in Her Ear, Hard Times, Molly's Delicious, and My Mother Said I Never Should, Marcia was the recipient of two Emmy Awards for her narration of Teacher TV on the Discovery Channel. Seen recently as Gertrude in The Underpants at the Two River Theatre Company and as Louella Parsons in the Wilma Theatre's Shakespeare in Hollywood, Marcia has worked with The Arden, The Philadelphia Theatre Company, the Lantern Theater Company, The Walnut Street Theatre, and the Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival.