This summer I participated in VoxLab 2024 at Dartmouth College. I am a co-creator for the play Glass Ménage which is an exploration of mental health vis-à-vis Tennessee William’s largely autobiographical The Glass Menagerie. We used the week at VoxLab to workshop and put this play on its feet - exploring the text, using Frantic Theater methods, improvisation, clowning and vocal work to find the shape of the piece. Glass Ménage shifted from the cast as written to just three actors: one for Tom and two as Therapists who both portray the rest of the characters in the world. We did this to examine in a plastic way the implications of memory, family patterns, and the guilt and shame that can arise when doing deep, therapeutic work. Because Williams founded the notion of Plastic Theatre, we harnessed elements like lighting, sound design and staging to heighten the emotional milieu of the world beyond straight realism. VoxLab is a developmental live arts laboratory in residence at Dartmouth College.
