TUCSON, AZ – UA’s Arizona Repertory Theatre is getting ready to mount perhaps the greatest American play of the 20^th Century this November: A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams.

The story follows the life of a desperate Southern belle, Blanche DuBois, who seeks shelter at her sister’s New Orleans apartment following the loss of their ancestral home. Her brother-in-law, a blue-collar worker named Stanley, confronts her with brutality and uses sexual threat like a weapon.

As the most omnipresent work turns 70 this year, several performances and tributes have kept Williams and his powerful play relevant today.

UA Theatre professor, Hank Stratton, is directing the legendary piece and said that it is so much more than a surface power struggle; a story of vanity and lust. “It confronts race, class, status, sexual conformity, and American mythology,” Stratton said. At its heart, Stratton sees the story as a conflict between two sisters…their history, love, betrayal and the man between them, who ultimately destroys their relationship.

“The play – through its verdant, yet muscular language and peerless poetic structure – provides a ‘dark march’ toward a confrontation of a romantic America; one of gentility replaced by the heavy hand of industrial idealism, where ‘every man is king,’ said Stratton. He also said he intends to be faithful to the blueprint of Williams’ master work, while shining a streak of shadowy light on what makes the characters of A Streetcar Named Desire immediate, timeless and undeniably relevant. Stratton said, “The stagnant air of summer in the French Quarter, the shadows that conceal and reveal, and the lilting jazz from the bar down the street will frame the unrelenting tension of this elegiac mood.”

Visit here for show summary, press kit, ticket information and more.

Dates & Times:

Previews: Nov 5 at 1:30pm, Nov 6 at 7:30pm

Evenings: Nov 8-11, Nov 16-18, Dec 1-2 at 7:30pm

Matinees: Nov 12, Nov 18-19, Dec 3 at 1:30pm

Place: Tornabene Theatre on the UA campus located near the SE corner of Park Avenue and Speedway Boulevard.

Cost/Admission: Regular $28 Senior/UA Employee/Military $26, Student $15, Preview $17, Alumni discount $6 off qualifying rate | Deeper discounts apply to groups (other than students) numbering 10+. UA Student Rush 30 minutes before each performance is $10 cash only for available seats (must show CatCard).

Ticket Information: UA Fine Arts Box Office, (520) 621-1162 12p-4p | M-F | theatre.arizona.edu | tftv.arizona.edu | tickets.arizona.edu

Parking: Park Avenue Garage, located on Park Avenue just north of Speedway Blvd. Pre-paid parking is available for weekday evening performances. Saturday and Sunday there is no charge to park. If you have special needs for parking, please call UA Parking & Transportation Services at (520) 621-3550.

Media Contact: Lisa Pierce, (520) 626-2686, lisapierce@email.arizona.edu

Production Sponsor: Gootter & Associates