For the first time in 18 years, the Tennessee Williams classic, A Street Car Named Desire, has returned to Thigpen Main Stage in celebration of Trustus Theatre’s 35th anniversary. This play was a huge project for Trustus to take on, and the theatre has taken significant measures to ensure that Streetcar’s return is well-received. It even adopted a new look for the occasion—arena-style staging—to create a more immersive and intimate setting where the audience will completely surround the actors as they bring Williams’ iconic characters to life. Based on the rave reviews I’ve been hearing since last Friday’s opening night, there’s no doubt the effort has paid off—Trustus has delivered a riveting production.

A Streetcar Named Desire is a powerful yet dark portrayal of American society in the 1940s that still resonates today. The play’s central character, Blanche DuBois, is a former schoolteacher of wealthy upbringing who, after losing everything, goes to live with her pregnant sister and brother-in-law in their cramped, New Orleans apartment. The story chronicles the friction between the fallen aristocrat and her blue-collar brother-in-law, Stanley, as it escalates into a violent collision-course that ultimately shatters Blanche’s fragile psyche. Through the cataclysmic relationship between Blanche and Stanley, Streetcar speaks to the unfortunately timeless themes and enduring societal issues of violence against women, misogyny, classism, and alienation that are particularly relevant in today’s divisive climate. The Trustus’s aptly-timed revival of A Streetcar Named Desire promises to capture the immediacy of these issues and in a message intended for its contemporary audience.

A Streetcar Named Desire is embedded in American culture and takes on incredibly important topics that transcend generations. But beyond that, the play has tremendous personal significance to me. When Streetcar was originally performed at Trustus 18 years ago, my son, Patrick, took the stage as an actor. Now, he is directing it! Not only has Patrick successfully delivered an extremely challenging production, but he also used it as a platform to drive home poignant social truths. I could not be a prouder father!

The show will be running at Trustus until February 22nd, and tickets can be purchased by calling the Trustus Theatre Box Office at 803-254-9732 or online at trustus.org. Please treat yourself to an evening at Trustus Theatre while you can still catch a performance of A Streetcar Named Desire, directed by Patrick Michael Kelly!