Hebden Bridge Little Theatre set to perform The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams

This production, directed by Mike Bellenie, has some major differences from the 1944 premier which kickstarted the career of one of the foremost 20th Century American dramatists.

Bellenie uses physical theatre in the style of Frantic Assembly, involving a lot of dance-like movement. He’s also gone against the grain by dividing the part of Tom into a younger and older character.

Both changes help accentuate the central theme of this partly autobiographical “memory” play, which is different members of the fatherless Wingfield family wanting to escape the dull ritual of a life spent in a shoe-box apartment in St. Louis, Missouri.

Amanda, Tom’s mother, resents him for his inability to grow up, whilst Tom resents her for the need for him to do a menial job at a shoe warehouse to support his family – when he would far rather be writing poetry. His sister Laura meanwhile lives in a fantasy world in which she is confidant to a collection of glass animals.

Mike Bellenie said: “Having an older Tom helps make it obvious it’s a memory play and that it’s his memory of what happened.

"And introducing the physicality creates an interesting way of Tom delivering the monologues. In one monologue the older and younger Tom even intertwine.

“The technical team have had a really important role as a lot of the movement is accompanied by soundtracks and enhanced lighting moments as each of the characters tries to escape their own reality.”

Hannah Head, who plays Amanda, said “I love Tennessee Williams’s plays, and I feel that the Frantic Assembly approach of this production means the lyrical nature of the language lends itself beautifully to the process.

"As the characters move around the stage with an undercurrent of emotive music, we hope our audiences will be truly absorbed in their story.”

Performances of The Glass Menagerie are on Monday to Saturday, October 2 to 7, at 7.30pm.

For more information on the show and to buy tickets visit www.hblt.co.uk