First-of-its-kind production starring blind woman set to debut in Greater Cincinnati

PRODUCTION IS SET TO DEBUT RIGHT HERE IN GREATER CINCINNATI. AMERICAN LEGION LEGACIES USING AMERICAN LEGACY THEATER IN THOMAS MORE UNIVERSITY ARE BRINGING TENNESSEE WILLIAMS, THE GLASS MENAGERIE BACK TO STAGE. BUT THIS TIME THEY’RE MAKING THE AWARD WINNING PLAY MORE INCLUSIVE. THE PRODUCTION STARS ANNIE DAVIS, WHO IS BLIND AND BREAKING THE STIGMA OF WHAT PEOPLE LIVING WITH DISABILITIES CAN DO. AND TODAY, WE ARE JOINED BY ANNIE AND DIRECTED OUR GREG. GREG HERE AND FROM THOMAS MURRAY UNIVERSITY ON THE SHOW CRASHING. YES, I GOT IT. GREAT. THANK YOU. SOMETIMES. SO THAT’S SO GREAT. I APPRECIATE IT. AND MATTHEW ALSO JOINING US WITH AMERICAN LEGACY THEATER. GUYS, THANKS SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE WITH US TODAY, FOR HAVING US THERE. WHAT AN HONOR TO HAVE. YOU KNOW, FIRST OF ALL, JUST TALK TO US. FOR PEOPLE THAT ARE NOT FAMILIAR ABOUT THE GLASS MENAGERIE. GIVE US SOME INSIGHT AND BACKGROUND INTO THIS PLAY. WELL, THE PLAY WAS FIRST WRITTEN IN THE LATE 1940S WITH TENNESSEE WILLIAMS. IT WAS HIS FIRST BIG HIT. STRONG CHARACTERS, STRONG, STRONG DIALOG, VERY BEAUTIFUL DIALOG. AND THERE’S BEEN OVER THREE FILM PRODUCTIONS OF THE SHOW, AND IT’S A SHOW THAT’S STILL BEING DONE TODAY ALL OVER THE WORLD, ALL OVER THE COUNTRY. PEOPLE LOVE THE STORY. PEOPLE LOVE THE CHARACTERS. THEY’RE FLAWED BUT EXTREMELY INTERESTING AND THEY’RE STRIVING TO BE THE BEST HUMAN BEINGS THEY CAN. AND SOMETIMES DON’T ALWAYS WORK OUT THAT WAY. THAT’S LIFE RIGHT NOW. ANNIE, YOU PLAY THE MAIN CHARACTER IN AMANDA IS A SINGLE MOM, AND DOING HER BEST, BUT SHE’S BLINDED BY HER OWN LIFE THAT SHE CREATES CONFLICTS WITH HER KIDS. HOW DOES THIS CORRELATE TO YOU BEING THE LEAD STAR AND PLAYING HER IN THIS CHARACTER? WELL, IT’S INTERESTING. ALTHOUGH TENNESSEE WILLIAMS DOESN’T DIRECTLY STATE THAT AMANDA IS BLIND. IT’S ONE OF THOSE CHARACTERS THAT CAN LEND ITSELF TO A BLIND PERSON PLAYING IT JUST AND KNOW THERE ARE CERTAIN ASPECTS OF WHO I AM AND WHAT I DO THAT I CAN BRING INTO TO THE PLAY. AND HOW DID YOU WHAT DID YOU HAVE TO GO? THAT PLACE THAT ACTORS HAVE TO GO TO TO KIND OF GET THIS ROLE DOWN PAT AND GET IT, YOU KNOW, INTO YOUR SOUL? WHERE DID I HAVE TO GET WELL? SO THE ONE THING I DO HAVE TO SAY, IT’S EXTREMELY REFRESHING TO WORK WITH A THEATER GROUP WHO IS SO WILLING TO BE CREATIVE AND THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX AND SEE IT AS AN OPPORTUNITY RATHER THAN A CHALLENGE. AND SO HAVING SAID THAT, WHAT’S WHAT’S REALLY COOL IS THAT I CAN USE MY CANE IN A VERY DIFFERENT WAYS. LIKE THERE’S SEVERAL CANE DROPS THAT YOU WOULD SEE AS A LIKE DROP. WELL, THERE’S A CANE, LIKE WHEN AMANDA GETS INTO A FIGHT WITH TOM EWELL. I HAVE THAT SOUGHT OUT BOY AND, WELL, THIS SOUNDS LIKE SOMETHING THAT PEOPLE DON’T WANT TO MISS. AND YOU GUYS ARE ALSO USING THIS AS A WAY TO KIND OF GET OFF CAMPUS AND GET MORE INVOLVED WITH THE COMMUNITY. TALK TO US ABOUT THIS UNIVERSITY. WE’RE OVER IN CRESTVIEW HILLS AND WE WANT TO DO THIS BRANCH OUT, LET PEOPLE KNOW ABOUT OUR STUDENTS. OUR OUR, OUR, OUR, OUR, OUR BRAND, OUR SCHOOL, AND ALSO TO GET INTO ANOTHER COMMUNITY AND AND SHARE OUR ART WITH THE COMMUNITY AND VICE VERSA IN IT’S A GOOD THING FOR EVERYBODY THAT THERE’S A SYNERGY GOING ON BETWEEN US AND AN AREA THAT WE’RE NOT NORMALLY IN. AND WE APPRECIATE THAT VERY MUCH. ABSOLUTELY. AND ALSO, MATTHEW, OF COURSE, YOUR PARTNERSHIP HERE WITH THE AMERICAN LEGACY THEATER. WHAT IS THIS ALL ABOUT? WHAT’S THE PARTNERSHIP ABOUT AND WHAT WILL IT BRING TO THE COMMUNITY? YEAH, WELL, IT’S IT’S MULTIFACETED IN MANY WAYS, RIGHT, BECAUSE OUR WORK AT THE END OF THE DAY IS TRYING TO CREATE A MORE EQUITABLE TOMORROW THROUGH ACCESSIBLE THEATER. SO WE’RE NOMADIC BY STRATEGY, RIGHT? SO WHEN GREG SAID WE WANTED TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO GET INTO THE COMMUNITY, NATURALLY HE CAME TO US AND SAID THIS THIS COULD BE A GOOD FIT. BUT, YOU KNOW, THE PARTNERSHIP IS SHARED VOICES, SHARED ARTISTRY. I MEAN, SHIFTING PERSPECTIVE, BECAUSE AT THE END OF THE DAY, THAT’S WHAT THEATER IS ALL ABOUT. AND KIND OF THAT FORM OF BUILDING EMPATHY AND, YOU KNOW, THERE WERE SIMPLE THINGS, YOU KNOW, WE’RE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO MAKE THE WORK MORE ACCESSIBLE FROM A PERSPECTIVE OF, YOU KNOW, ARE WE ON BUS LINES? YOU KNOW, ARE WE IN A COMMUNITY WHERE, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE WHO MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE ACCESS TO VEHICLES CAN MORE READILY WALK UP AND SHOW UP? AND HONESTLY, AS WE WORKED WITH ANNIE, SHE SAID, YOU KNOW, BEING ON BUS LINES IS GREAT, BUT HONESTLY, CROSSING THE RIVER FOR HER PARTICULARLY WAS ADDITIONAL CHALLENGES JUST FROM THE ACCESS POINTS THAT SHE WAS USING. SO WE WERE HAPPY TO COME OVER TO THIS SIDE OF THE RIVER AND BRING OUR PEOPLE OR OUR STUDENTS OR STAFF AND OUR ENERGIES AND OUR CREATIVITY TO THIS SIDE OF THE RIVER TO MAKE IT EASIER FOR GETTING INVOLVED AND IT’S SO WELL WORTH IT. AND I LOVE HOW YOU GUYS ARE MAKING IT. IT ACCESSIBLE. YOU KNOW, SO MANY TIMES YOU CAN LIVE IN A COMMUNITY AND NOT TAKE FULL ADVANTAGE OF THE RESOURCES BECAUSE IT’S NOT ACCESSIBLE, IS NOT MAYBE INCLUSIVE. AND YOU GUYS ARE DOING ALL OF THAT WITH THIS PLAY IN THIS PARTNERSHIP. AND WE’D BE REMISS TO NOT ACKNOWLEDGE ANOTHER ONE OF OUR PARTNERS. SO THIS PLACE IS HAPPENING AT THE ARCO, WHICH IS AN OLD MASONIC TEMPLE WITH PRICE HILL. WELL, AND ACTUALLY ON SUNDAY, JUNE 4TH, THAT’S AN ARTS AT ARCO DAY WHERE THAT’S GOING TO BE FREE AND OPEN TO EVERYBODY AND ANYBODY. SO THAT’S, THAT’S JUST ON TOP OF THE SUPPORT THAT AMERICAN LEGACY THEATER TRADITIONALLY GIVES TO PEOPLE LIVING IT TO SOME OF OUR POVERTY LEVEL. SO WELL, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR WHAT YOU’RE DOING. THANKS FOR BEING HERE WITH US AND SHARING THAT WITH US HERE TODAY. AND THE GLASS MENAGERIE STARRING ANNIE DAVIS, OPENS JUNE SECOND AT 730. IT WILL BE HELD, AS MATTHEW SAID, AT THE ARCO BUILDING AT 3301 PRICE AVENUE IN CINCINNATI, D. YOU CAN BUY TICKETS ONLINE AT AMERICAN LEGACY THEATER DOT ORG OR YOU CAN JUST SCAN THIS QR CODE RIGHT HERE ON OUR SCREEN. AND THAT WILL TAKE YOU TO T

First-of-its-kind production starring blind woman set to debut in Greater Cincinnati

Updated: 4:25 PM EDT May 26, 2023

A new, first of its’ kind production is set to debut right here in Greater Cincinnati.American Legacy Theatre and Thomas More University are bringing Tennessee Williams’ “The Glass Menagerie” back to stage, but this time they are making the award-winning play more inclusive.The production stars Annie Davis, who is blind and breaking the stigma of what people living with disabilities can do.On Friday, Davis joined WLWT, along with director Greg Procaccino from Thomas More and co-producer Matthew Gellin with American Legacy Theatre, to discuss the production.See the full interview from WLWT’s 4 p.m. show in the video player above.

CRESTVIEW HILLS, Ky. —

A new, first of its’ kind production is set to debut right here in Greater Cincinnati.

American Legacy Theatre and Thomas More University are bringing Tennessee Williams’ “The Glass Menagerie” back to stage, but this time they are making the award-winning play more inclusive.

The production stars Annie Davis, who is blind and breaking the stigma of what people living with disabilities can do.

On Friday, Davis joined WLWT, along with director Greg Procaccino from Thomas More and co-producer Matthew Gellin with American Legacy Theatre, to discuss the production.

See the full interview from WLWT’s 4 p.m. show in the video player above.