A Streetcar Named Desire

Play

Writers: Tennessee Williams

Overview

Show Information

Category
Play
Number of Acts
2
First Produced
1947
Genres
Drama
Settings
Unit/Single Set
Time & Place
new orleans, 1940s
Cast Size
medium
Orchestra Size
None
Dancing
None
Licensor
Ideal for
College/University, Diverse Cast, Mature Audiences, Professional Theatre, Regional Theatre, Star Vehicle Female, Star Vehicle Male
Casting Notes

Includes adult, late teen, young adult characters

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.

Lead Characters


A Streetcar Named Desire guide sections