First Draft

The story is named "The Glass Menagerie", but it is focusing on a person who doesn't have a direct relationship with the glasses. An ambitious young man, a conservative young girl, and a typical middle age woman are three members of the family. To be a mom and a leader of the house, Amanda puts a lot of efforts on deciding and guiding two of them in their lives. However, Tom and Laura seemingly obey their mom while each of them carries a dream. Both of them are not enjoying the jobs or marriage that Amanda suggests, but they are still making concessions to the family. The glass menagerie represents the dreams of three of them. They are beautiful but fragile. 

In the first half of the story, it can interpret from the series of events that all family members doing every day to analyze each characters' personalities and the direction of the story. In the scene7 act2, Tom finally exposes his dreams and ideas to the future to a normal friend. Jim is working in the same place with Tom, also he is a positive and facetious person. His jobs, personalities, and appearance become the prime goal of Amanda set to build the relationship with Laura. Scene 7 becomes a key scene to decide the following stories since it involves the dream of Laura and Amanda. Despite the Laura doesn't have a chance to communicate with Jim in the beginning, but the conversation between Tom and Jim build a climax to the Tom which interprets Tom's activities, jobs, ideas to the movies, and dream. In the point of Tom's view, Tom is feeling gradually inspired by his friend Jim, from the bedroom to the terrace and back to the bedroom. Tom is a silent man, and he doesn't like to show himself too much, while Jim finds something unusual in Tom's daily life. In order to know the secrets of Tom, Jim induces Tom to speak out, however, Jim doesn't show any perspective on the any of Tom's idea. When Jim wants to know why Tom doesn't work hard in the warehouse, Jim mentions Mr. Mendoza" Mr. Mendoza was speaking about you." to stimulate Tom to express his ideas to the jobs and going on to the main topic which is Tom's dream - adventure. When Tom has finished a passionate monologue and ended with an exclamatory sentence" I am about to move!" Jim is not shocked by a brand new person in front of him, and he replies to him curiously "When?" which represents his goals are digging more information from Tom. This scene reveals Tom's specific ideas to the dream and speaking skills of Jim which is a foreshadow to the coming conversation between Jim and Laura. 

Playing this scene, Tom requires the actor to focus on reacting and tuning into your own rhythm. Tom has a lot of replies. To act a silent man, it is important that control the speed of replying an answer or asking a question. Tom's replies and questions in the lines shorten to the shortest characters when he respects that person. Since Tom is a monotonous person, he doesn't have too many facial expressions so that it is risky that adding some gestures. On the one hand, adding some gestures enrich one's image which enhances it's impression to the audience, on the other hand, adding inappropriate or excess gestures may destroy the character. Tom at here has not ready for a talkative person's conversation since he actually doesn't really know Jim, he is ready to leave Jim to the Laura. So Tom should look awkward in the beginning and he wants to go on the terrace for avoiding him. The invade of languages and tones of Jim breakthrough the Tom throughout some random topics from Jim. When Tom starts to talk about some intense topics such as the life at home or the situations of movies and adventures nowadays. He starts to accelerate the talking speed and becomes to have more exaggerate gestures. The changing of Tom's performance is not gradualness. It is changing phase by phase. It requires Jim and Tom always sharing an amount of positive and passive. When either one becomes positive, the other one should be passive in the speed of talking, amounts of gestures and facial expressions. 

To feel the changing of the atmosphere of the conversation, I practiced the lines of the whole scene over and over again in order to be familiar with the emotion of Tom. Through this process, I start to design some gestures and facial expressions. At the beginning of the scene, I open the door for the Jim and say: " Laura, this is Jim. Jim, this is my sister Laura." When I design this part, I find that Tom doesn't remain any enthusiasm in the beginning. When Tom stands on the terrace, Tom becomes quiet and unconcern because he actually wants to escape. I decide to slow down the speed of everything in this part including Jim. When Tom decides to talk about his ideas and dreams, he goes back to the bedroom and accelerates everything. I decide to use both hands to make gestures when Tom is emphasizing something. When Tom is inspired totally, his voices turn to the top by " Do you see how he grins? And he has been absent for sixteen years." and " The bastard son of the bastard."