To round out their 2025 incredible main-stage season, State Theatre Company is presenting Tennessee Williams’s classic play The Glass Menagerie.
In a small apartment in 1930s St Louis, Amanda Wingfield and her two children, Tom and Laura, spin singular and separate dreams. When a gentleman caller visits, Amanda’s alternative motives come into play. The Glass Menagerie, Tennessee Williams’ semi-autobiographical evocation of loneliness and lost love, is one of his most powerful and moving plays: an unforgettable American classic.
This incredible cast features Adelaide’s very own Kathryn (Kitty) Adams as as the daughter, Laura Wingfield.
Kitty’s career spans TV, film, theatre, puppetry and physical devising. Her screen credits include The Clearing on Disney+ and A24’s Bring Her Back. She most recently appeared with State Theatre Company South Australia and Sydney Theatre Company in The Dictionary of Lost Words. Other State Theatre Company South Australia credits include Antigone, Welcome to Your New Life and Single Asian Female.
Kitty spoke to Glam Adelaide about The Glass Menagerie, her life working in theatre and what it is about being on stage that she loves.
“I think part of it is the challenge of it and finding the truth in every character that you play. It’s also in the connection of the other people that you’re playing with on stage. I really love the deep connection that you can get with a group of people performing in one space all together. Obviously the audience plays a big part in that and different kinds of theatre play different roles as well. When I do children’s theatre, that interaction with the audience is so much more visceral because kids react so viscerally in real time. I think at the core of it for me is connection and collaboration and with the audience, with the people that are on stage and also the people operating it and that you’re kind of creating a moment in time that is gone.”
The performing arts has always been a big part of Kitty’s life and she shared with Glam Adelaide what drew her to pursue a career in the industry.
“I was really quite shy as a kid. My music teacher at high school Kristin Stefanoff and drama teacher Rachel Coghlan really encouraged me to discover the arts. I came through as more of a musician and a singer and was quite shy on stage. I was quite scared of being on stage and wanted to hide behind the piano, but I conquered that stuff, being encouraged by teachers and mentors. That discovery was slow but it wasn’t instantaneous. A lot of artists I know knew from a young age that they wanted to be on stage, whereas for me it seemed kind of scary but really interesting. When I was 17 or 18 I made the decision to focus on acting. I was at a stage where I could either go to the Elder Conservatorium for classical voice or I could go to drama school for acting and it was actually my music and drama teachers who encouraged me to go and give acting a go. I’ve followed that path ever since and haven’t looked back.”
Earlier this year, Kitty was part of the return season of the brilliant The Dictionary of Lost Words with State Theatre Company South Australia.
“It’s really special to be part of a show that has that long life. It’s really rare in straight theatre to have a show that tours so much around the country. So being able to come on board and take on a character that has that longevity was really great because the longer season works the muscles in a different way. You’re working with these people for a longer amount of time, and there’s an ability to uncover and discover the character on a deeper level throughout. So in that respect, I was able to discover new things all throughout the season, which was really special, which I hadn’t really been able to do before.”
The Glass Menagerie is a very moving and powerful piece of theatre. We asked Kitty what drew her to be part of this production.
“It’s such a classic play and it demands connection. It’s all about connection and family and obstacles – I just find that so relevant to us today. In addition to it having such a wonderful reputation and being such a well written play, the blueprint is already there for you and it’s just about coloring it in. So it’s been a really lovely process getting to know the text in more detail and figuring out our version and finding the truth of it. I haven’t done a lot of classics before, so interpreting a classic play has been a great challenge. I’ve loved the collaboration as well; it’s been amazing.”
Kitty is joined by three other incredible cast members in The Glass Menagerie: Ksenja Logos as Amanda Wingfield, Laurence Boxhall as Tom Wingfield and Jono Darby as the mystery guest. This production is directed by Shannon Rush.
“It’s been great working alongside such an incredible cast. I love Ksenja Logos. I had the privilege of working with her on Dictionary of Lost Words as well, and she just brings a wealth of experience and is such a generous actor in the room. And Jono Darby and Laurence Boxhall are so great at collaborating and working together, and we’re in such a cohesive room. With Shannon Rush at the helm, it’s in safe hands. I’m in awe of Shannon and everything that she does. She is a massive role model for me and has the most incredible ability to bring people together and to find the best parts of them. Every single production is so very different in the rehearsal room, but I think we’ve been able to find joy and have laughs on the way, even though sometimes the content can be quite deep and tough.”
The Glass Menagerie is currently playing to rave reviews at The Odeon Theatre, Norwood.
“There are so many things that make up a production. The set is beautiful – it’ll be really exciting for audiences to see. I think the way that we’ve taken Tennessee’s concept about the dream play element has been handled with such great care. We’re honoring the text, but giving it a fresh approach. I’m hoping people will be really excited by our interpretation of Tennessee’s work.”
The Glass Menagerie
Presented by State Theatre Company South Australia
Odeon Theatre, Norwood
15 November – 7 December 2025
https://statetheatrecompany.com.au/shows/the-glass-menagerie/
Read our 5-star review of The Glass Menagerie HERE
Photo credit: Matt Byrne
