My Glass Menagerie

In the 70s I was part of a little theater group in South Florida. I didn't do any acting. In this venue we presented well known plays, then divided the audience into groups to discuss what they'd just seen. I led some of the discussion groups.

I became friends with a man who was the theater critic for the Miami Herald at the time. He was part of this group as well. Always an avid reader, I was fascinated with the southern writers. I was especially interested in their handle on human nature and their ability to delve into it and write about it.

But I was puzzled with how these writers knew so much about us and how we mess up our lives and, yet, their own lives seemed to be pretty messed up most of the time.

My friend, the theater critic, said to me one evening, "Just because they understand and can write about what it means to be whole and healthy doesn't mean they can do it." That stuck with me.

We did Tennessee Williams, "The Glass Menagerie." This was Williams heavily autobiographical story about a dysfunctional family - an overbearing mother, a jaded son (Williams) and a lonely daughter with serious emotional issues.

My friend suggested that I try out for the part of the daughter. I told him I wasn't an actress and couldn't possibly get the part. He said, "Maybe you can't act but I think you're a lot like this person. Just be yourself."

I didn't try out for the part but I thought long and hard about what he was telling me.