The Glass Menagerie…
From Script to Play
Written by Tennessee Williams
Presented by Kayla S., Hannah
K., Dakotah M., and Rachel D.
Thesis of Article
• “From Story to Play” by Lester A.
Beaurline
• “But the later revisions show Williams’ real
talents as a playwright, none of which he
inherits from Lawrence; his breadth of
sympathy, his sense of humor, his brilliant
dialogue, and his talent for building highly
charged dramatic scenes.
Central Questions:
• Is it necessary to have the legends from
the script included in the actual
production?
• Do these legends enhance or hinder the
plot in the written version?
Purpose of the Legends
• The legends are a way to show the
character’s emotions and inner monologue
usually in a written story.
• They also can help set the tone for the
setting, an example is on page 1631. The
words “Ou Sont Les Neiges” meaning
“Where it Snows” appears on the screen.
This is purely to set the attitude of the
stage and introduce the characters.
Legends in Acting
• In a dramatic production legends aren’t used as
much for several key reasons:
– Distract from the audience, example page 1638 the
legend says “After the Fiasco”. This is unnecessary
because the audience can follow the actors to
understand the scene is now moving on in another
direction.
– In the article “From Story to Play” by Beaurline it is
described as “if the screen device has ever been
tried, it distracted the audience from the actors”.
Legends in Acting Cont.
– The legends show inner emotions, but it is an
actors job to portray these feeling through
their acting and monologues.
– Example in the play is “Laura”, this simple
phrase on the legend on page 1645. This is
expressing Tom’s thoughts. This is unnessary
in a play because the audience should be
able to depict Tom’s feelings through his tone,
speech, and movements.
The Disadvantages
• In the article “From Story to Play” the
authors share that “at any rate, Williams
says he does not regret the omission of
the screen device”.
• As mentioned before, they can be
distracting, confusing, and it takes away
part of the actors job.
Examples of Disadvantages
• In the story…
• In the play…
 Page 1646, “plans
and provisions”. This
statement just
distracts the reader
from the scene, and
doesn’t draw an
emotional connection
to the audience.
 Page 1649, “Image
on scene: Caller With
Bouquet”. This is
already know
because of the acting,
and would hinder the
relationship between
the characters and
spectators.
Practical Uses for Legends
There are some practical uses for legends in both stories
and plays though.
• In a story it can…
• In a play it can…
 Portray an emotional
appeal to the reader
 Clarify scenes and
add dramatic flare
 Show inner feelings of  Help separate past
the characters
from presence
 Adds content to the
script
Examples for Practical Uses
• Story:
• Play:
 Page 1637: “Blue
Roses” this adds to
the emotional appeal
of the scene by
having Laura
remember her high
school nickname.
 Page 1641: “The
Glass Menagerie” in
the music legend.
This serves as
symbol of Tom
breaking away from
Laura allow with the
glass.
Video
• Page 1639, “Legend on
Screen: ‘You think I’m in
Love with Continential
Shoemakers?’”.
• Represents actors depicting
emotions that the legend
covered in the script.
• http://www.youtube.com/wat
ch?v=GFeQbEUjHVk&featur
e=related
Conclusion
• Are the legends necessary to the play?
– We think they hinder the performance and
should not be added.
– The actors can handle the emotional appeal,
and if left in the screen would distract the
audience.
– There are positive and negative aspects to
this question, but we agree with the two
authors of “From Story to Play”, as well as
William’s himself that the play can be
adequately presented without the legends.