'I don't want realism. I want magic!'

Greenwood Lake Theater presents its production of the Tennessee William’s Pulitzer-prize winning play, “A Streetcar Named Desire,” at the New Teen Center, 51 Waterstone Road, Greenwood Lake, on April 26-27, at 7 p.m. and April 28 at 2 p.m.
Running time is two hours and 30 minutes, with two short intermissions. Due to the mature themes presented in this play, this production is recommended for ages 14 and up.
Fragile Southern belle Blanche DuBois moves to New Orleans to live with her sister, Stella, and her brutish brother-in-law, Stanley Kowalski, in a dingy apartment. Temperaments clash, fireworks fly and secrets are revealed in Tennessee Williams' Pulitzer Prize-winning drama.
Blanche
“I’m very lucky to be playing this role for a second time in my career,” said Mary Virginia, co-artistic director of Greenwood Lake Theater and playing the featured role. “Blanche is complicated, layered, lost and misunderstood. She wants magic, not realism and will go to great lengths to create and maintain that façade. In deciding on our first fully produced play here at Greenwood Lake Theater, we wanted to bring an American classic to the stage, and it is a wonderful way to open our 2019 season.”
Stella
Katherine Weatherford, co-artistic director agrees.
“One of the reasons Mary and I chose this play is its story resonates just as much now as when it was written in 1947," she said. "I am thrilled to play Stella Kowalski. It is a role I have wanted to tackle for several years. She is the foil to her sister: grounded in realism where Blanche is lost in fantasy. Stella has an incredibly strong survival instinct that informs every decision she makes, and ultimately leads to her being torn between her husband and her sister.”
Stanley
“Being a part of Streetcar is exciting for a number of reasons - most importantly because of its careful and honest treatment of an uncomfortable truth of humanity,” said Brady Walsh, who plays Stanley Kowalski. “In a society where victims of sexual abuse and mental illness are just now getting the attention they deserve, Williams reminds us of a time, not too long ago I might add, when individuals of different backgrounds and mentalities were left unchecked.
" The story is so disturbingly real," Walsh added, "I'm honored to have the responsibility of sharing with audiences that these altercations are not just fantasy, not just headlines, but real, everyday people that deserve to be heard and helped. Greenwood Lake is such an open and rich community. Audiences respond so positively to the messages we explore and as GWLT develops their relationship with the community, the storytelling only continues to become stronger and more significant.”
Essentials
For complete cast listings, tickets and more information regarding this production and all of Greenwood Lake Theater’s 2019 season, including student intensive workshops, visit www.greenwoodlaketheater.org.