TP_041317

24 | April 13, 2017 | The tinley junction Life & Arts
tinleyjunction.com
Community Theater to take on ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’
Brittany Kapa, Assistant Editor
“A Streetcar Named Desire” is
one of those plays that director
Daniel DeWalt has been wanting
to tackle for a while now, and he
will finally see that opportunity
come to fruition.
Amid making last minute changes
to the cast and adapting the play
to fit a smaller stage, DeWalt has
had his fair share of complications
prior to opening night. However,
those complications come with the
territory and have not phased the
veteran director.
“A theme that I come back to a
lot has to do with injustice, bullying
and things like that,” DeWalt
said about the plays he choose to
direct. “We have that in this particular
play. I feel that it’s a great
play for the community and the
actors we work with.”
“A Streetcar Named Desire”
will be hosted by Tinley Park-Park
District and DeWalt’s Covered
Bridge Theater. The presentation
will open to the public on Saturday,
April 22 at the Tinley Park
Performing Arts Center.
“[Tennessee Williams] was a
great playwright, but he micromanages
within his script,” De-
Walt said about the struggles of
adapting the play for the space
within the performing arts center.
Williams’ famous play was
adapted to the screen in 1951, but
DeWalt said his version will vary
from both the original play and the
screen version.
“I wanted to give [my actors]
an opportunity to perform in roles
that challenge them physically
and emotionally,” he said. “I felt
‘Streetcar’ would fill that.”
Actress Sarah Denton plays
Blanche DuBois. Denton said she
is a complicated character and has
had a tough time understanding
DuBois. DuBois transforms into a
wayward spirit after her husband
dies and she loses her plantation
to debt collectors. In the story,
DuBois visits her sister, Stella,
in New Orleans, and the drama
unfolds. As Denton steps into Du-
Bois’ mindset she began to think
of her character’s sudden loss and
how to visually convey that pain,
‘A Streetcar Named Desire’
When: 7 p.m. on Saturday,
April 22 and 29; 3 p.m. on
Sunday, April 23 and 30
Where: Tinley Park Performing
Arts Center, 16801 80th Ave.
For more information, visit
TinleyParkDistrict.org.
that desperation to the audience.
“[DeWalt] is helping me understand
that,” Denton said. “When
you think about it, Blanche’s character
is kind of pathetic. She will
just do anything for somebody to
love her – for her not to be alone.
[DeWalt] keeps stressing that a lot.”
What’s challenging for Denton,
29, is that her bubbly personality
clashes with DuBois.
“It’s really difficult because
I can not compare my life to
Blanche’s in any way, shape or
form,” she said. “I’m really trying
to focus and think about how I
would feel if I were in her shoes.”
DuBois married at a young age,
and the story takes another turn
when she finds out her husband
was a gay man. Denton falls into
a habit of analyzing DuBois’ relationship.
“I like doing it though because
I like playing a character that is
completely unlike me,” Denton
added.
Denton noted she previously
studied at Second City Theater in
Chicago and, up until now, she has
primarily done comedies. This is
Denton’s first dramatic role, and it
is one she is excited for.
“My last class at Second City
we studied Tennessee Williams, so
I was able to walk into this with a
really good idea of Tennessee Williams’
personality,” Denton said.
“That helps a lot because Tennessee
Williams was crazy.”
Originally written in 1947, Williams
was known to create stories,
themes and characters that pushed
the envelope. “A Streetcar Named
Desire” is also loosely based on
Williams’ personal life.
“One thing that I like about Tennessee
Williams is that he doesn’t
try and teach you a lesson or provide
a moral to the story,” said actor
Sam Tocci, who plays Stanley
During a dress rehearsal held April 6, Eamon Tierney (left) practices a scene with Andrea Fleming for the
production of “A Streetcar Named Desire.” Photos by Brittany Kapa/22nd Century Media
The cast of “A Streetcar Named Desire” poses for a photo at a recent dress rehearsal.
Kowalski. “This is just a glimpse
into these people’s lives. We’re
just telling the story.”
Tocci explained Kowalski is an
angry character, and it was his job
to fully understand his emotions,
intentions and interactions with
others characters in the story.
“Especially for community theater,
we look for things that have
more of an adult theme,” DeWalt
said. “People will recognize ‘A
Streetcar Named Desire’ because
it’s one of the top plays from the
last century.”