I always enjoy rehearsing with an ensemble of adventurous actors. I find equal pleasure creating the world of a production collaborating with skillful designers. And when you are working on a masterpiece like A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams, the work becomes even more meaningful and artistically satisfying.
My research for the 1999 Production of Streetcar at the University of Virginia Department of Drama began with some inspiration from the writer and from the director of the original Broadway production, Elia Kazan.
This is a message from the dark interior. This little pathetic, confused bit of light
and culture put out a cry. It is snuffed out by the crude forces of violence,
insensibility and vulgarity which exist in our South – and this cry is the play.
…Elia Kazan
Our illusions are all we have, any of us. That’s what “Streetcar” is about. Some
people, maybe most people, can live by illusions, and the cruelest thing is the
world is to deprive them of those illusions, which is what Stanley does to Blanche.
…Tennessee Williams
Our scenic designer was Bill Clarke. We began our collaboration with some images to shape our thinking about the environment. We decided to keep the play in the time frame that Tennessee gave us and in New Orleans.
Some images, including Vincent van Gogh’s The Night Cafe which offered us the mood and atmosphere we were hoping to achieve.
Several early rough sketches from Bill Clarke as our ideas emerged
Bill’s white model
Our costume designer was my faculty colleague, Kathryn Rohe. Kathryn’s early rough images of the costumes greatly inspired me. They capture the essence and energy of each character.
A few production photos by Michael Bailey
