"I've wanted to do Menagerie in Longstreet since I first came to USC," said Jim O’Connor, department chair and artistic director. "It's such an intimate and fragile play. I think the theater-in-the-round is just the right space for a very special production."

The Glass Menagerie tells the story of a family longing to escape the burdens of the past and present. The play is told from the perspective of Tom Wingfield, who is torn between his dreams and his duty to his family. Tom’s mother, Amanda, is an aging Southern belle, abandoned by her husband and living completely for her children. Tom's unmarried sister, Laura, is fragile and terribly shy. She retreats into her world of glass animals and phonograph records.

MFA directing student Jerry Winters will direct the production. The company is led by acting professor Sarah Barker as Amanda. Barker has had lead roles in USC's recent productions of Hay Fever and Look Homeward, Angel. Rounding out the cast are second-year MFA acting candidates Kay Allmand as Laura, Brian Schilb, and Steven Fenley.

Performances are 8 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 3 p.m. on Sundays. Because of advance demand, there also will be 3 p.m. matinees on Oct. 26 and Nov. 1. Admission is $14 for the general public, $12 for seniors, and $10 for students. To purchase, call the box office at 7-2551.

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