Show Synopsis
Explosive, passionate, and heartrending, A Streetcar Named Desire is modern American theatre at its best. When fading Southern belle Blanche DuBois arrives on the doorstep of her sister Stella’s apartment building in New Orleans, she is unwittingly entering a lion’s den. Wounded by romantic abuses, loss, and dangerous mistakes, Blanche prefers her world kept in dim, flattering light, fuzzy at the edges. She is shocked by Stella’s
simple existence, her new low-class habits, and most of all, her crude, simple husband, Stanley. Stanley is fierce and unpredictable, moving from violence to softness in an instant, and he and Blanche begin a cruel, sadistic dance where the only possible end is pain. With his signature poetic prose, muggy Southern Gothic setting, and psychological insight, Tennessee Williams’ mighty play, and his troubled, eccentric heroine, unravel before our very eyes.
Character Breakdown
Blanche DeBois-(Female-Lead) Blanche is Stella’s older sister. Formerly a high school English teacher in her hometown of Laurel, Mississippi, Blanche was forced to leave her post after the discovery of her affair with a seventeen-year-old student. She has also recently lost her childhood home, Belle Reve, and is completely financially destitute. Her final hope is to take refuge with her sister in New Orleans.
Blanche is intelligent, loquacious, and charming. Despite her hard knocks, she makes an effort to retain the mannerisms, attitude, and tastes of a true Southern belle.
Stella Kowalski-(Female-Lead) Blanche’s younger sister, and Stanley’s wife. Despite having the same aristocratic background as Blanche, Stella is quieter and less pretentious — she left home in her teens and went to New Orleans, where she met Stanley. Although she has embraced a simpler life than Blanche, she remains slightly more refined and delicate than the rough-and-tumble crowd with which she associates.
Stella’s relationship with Stanley is highly physical — both in the bedroom and in terms of the domestic violence she encounters all too frequently.
Stanley Kowalski-(Male-Lead) Stella’s lower-class husband, of Polish descent. He previously fought in World War II, but is now an auto-body salesman. Stanley has a powerful and fiery vitality — he is protective of his friends, passionate with his wife, and intensely cruel to Blanche.
Harold “Mitch” Mitchell– (Male-Supporting) Stanley’s buddy. The two met in the army and remain close friends at the auto-body shop and in poker games. Mitch is single, partly because he cares for and lives with his ailing mother. He is slightly awkward, easily thrown off-guard, and too shy when it comes to meeting women.
Eunice Hubbell– (Female-Supporting) Stella and Stanley’s upstairs neighbor and landlord, and wife to Steve. Eunice is sturdy, crude, and can keep up with the boys at the bar.
Steve Hubbell-(Male-Featured) Stella and Stanley’s upstairs neighbor and husband to Eunice. Like Stanley, Steve is a member of the poker group and a heavy drinker.
Young Collector-(Male-Featured) A young man who comes to the Kowalski’s to collect payment for the newspaper. He is polite, professional, and made uncomfortable by Blanche’s overt flirtations.
Pablo Gonzales-(Male-Featured) Pablo is a poker buddy of Mitch, Steve, and Stanley. He is of Hispanic descent, and his easy acceptance in the group points to the growing diversity of New Orleans, and in particular, the Kowalski’s neighborhood.
The Strange Woman-(Female-Featured) The Strange Woman is the harsh, unsympathetic, and firm nurse who attempts to physically coerce Blanche to accompany her and the Doctor to the sanitarium. The actress playing The Strange Woman may also play other women on the street.
The Strange Man-(Male-Featured) The kind, quiet doctor who uses his gentleness to convince Blanche to accompany him to the sanitarium at the play’s end. She latches onto him, stating, “I have always depended on the kindness of strangers.”
What To Prepare
Actors are asked to prepare a 1-2 minute Tennessee Williams Monologue.
Additional Info
For Full Character Descriptions visit our website www.stageleftaz.com
