Detroit Mercy Theatre Company to present 'The Glass Menagerie'

January 21, 2025

Josiah Martelle as Tom and Karen Kron Dickson '94 as Amanda in Detroit Mercy Theatre Company's The Glass Menagerie.Detroit Mercy Theatre Company (DMTC) presents Tennessee Williams’ classic American play The Glass Menagerie Feb. 7-16 at the Marlene Boll Theatre inside Detroit’s Boll Family YMCA.

Set in St. Louis during the 1930s, the play follows the struggles of the Wingfield family as they navigate dreams, desires, and the delicate balance between reality and illusion. Amanda, a faded Southern belle, yearns for her past glory as she cares for her restless son Tom and fragile daughter Laura. Amanda pushes Tom to find a suitor for Laura, leading to the arrival of Jim, a gentleman caller, whose visit has unexpected consequences for the family. The company has produced this play twice before, most recently in 2007.

“I am so excited to be directing The Glass Menagerie with Detroit Mercy Theatre Company,” said guest director Joe Bailey who is artistic director of The Ringwald Theatre in Ferndale and a noted Detroit-based theatre artist. “Rediscovering the brilliance of this classic play with the University students has been a dream come true. Tennessee Williams' beautifully fragile play is a gift we don't get to experience all that often and I am looking forward to sharing our work with everyone when the show opens in February."

“As a graduate of the University, it is an honor to be able to return as a working professional and share the ‘boards’ with these talented students,” said Karen Kron Dickson ’94. “Coming back home brings me full circle and I have found the process to be very gratifying. Amanda is a deeply complicated woman caught in between two worlds, that of her rich and vibrant past and the cold reality of her present. We watch her fantasy world unravel as she is challenged by having to face the struggles of both her children.”

The Glass Menagerie runs six performances Feb. 7-16 at The Marlene Boll Theatre inside the Boll Family YMCA at 1401 Broadway in Detroit. Purchase tickets online at www.DetroitMercyArts.com or by calling the ticket office at 313-993-3270.