Tennessee Williams never saw an actress listening to “tonal sounds” on an iPod to get into the character of Blanch Dubois, but he probably would have approved of any method an actress used to better perform the pivotal role in “A Streetcar Named Desire.”
Haddonfield Plays and Players director Chad Hutchings praised his cast members for their intense dedication to immersing themselves into the roles of one of the most famous plays ever written.
One of the most admired plays of its time, Hutchings said it was an easy decision for the 29-year-old director to choose “A Streetcar Named Desire” for the next production of Plays and Players.
“The three key characters, they’re the show. Ian Kimble, Kristen Foreman and Kaitlyn Delengowski have done a great job. Kristen is our Blanche and Kaitlyn is Stella. Ian, of course, is Stanley,” he said. “The three of them, myself, and my stage manager, have worked together very intensely. From day one, the day they were cast, I was getting emails from them about what they could research. It meant a lot to them to make this a great production. The three of them are really a bizarre mix. They’re all very different styles of actors, all well trained. They all went to school and studied acting; it is easily the most rewarding group that I’ve ever worked with.”
Hutchings singled out Delengowski’s immersion into the role of Blanche, as she gets so deeply into the character that she has trouble leaving the aura behind after the show is over.
She’ll listen to her iPod prior to a production, Hutchings said, but will not listen to music. She’ll listen to “tonal sounds,” irregular, random tones to get into the mindset of a character who mentally disintegrates throughout the play.
The production deals with some heavy issues — such as spousal abuse and rape — which is why the local theater group is reaching out to two organizations that deal with just those problems.
Hutchings said the Side-by-Side program and Rain would both have representatives at each production to speak with audience members prior to and after the play. Literature about the two organizations will also be available at each production.
“On day one, we started to do some heavy research with the cast I’m working with. We had rape and abuse survivors come in and talk about their experiences before and after they occurred. The cast really dug in and learned a lot about this. It’s been a powerful experience. To do a great piece of theater and come away with a perspective about something you didn’t know about before is rewarding,” Hutchings said.
Check out performance of “A Streetcar Named Desire” this weekend and into next week. They will all be held at the Players and Players playhouse, 957 E. Atlantic Ave.
Tickets are $15 each.
For more information on the production, visit the Plays and Players website at www.haddonfieldplayers.com or call at 429–8139.
