A Streetcar Named Desire

Synopsis Set in 1947 in the poor French quarter of . It is steamy hot with an underscore of black, blues piano. A two-room apartment in a two-storey white frame building is the home of Stanley and the pregnant . Stella and her older sister Blanche DuBois were born in the family plantation home, “Belle Reve” in Laurel, Mississippi to a family of some social standing.

Stella and Stanley’s impoverished life is disrupted by the unexpected arrival of Blanche who explains that she has taken leave of absence from her teaching job, due to nerves and will be staying with Stella and Stanley for a few days. But Blanche’s surreptitious heavy drinking is the cause of her nervous condition.

Blanche doesn’t hide her disappointment with Stella for marrying beneath her to Stanley, a poker playing gambler, of Polish descent. Blanche admits to Stella that the family home “Bell Reve” is lost. When Stella asks “How?”, Blanche launches into a long tirade of protest about how the family money had been spent on countless expensive funerals of family members. Her protests seem oddly excessive. When Stella tells Stanley of the loss of Belle Reve, he is not fooled, he realises that Blanche’s extravagant lifestyle, drinking, jewellery and fancy clothes led to the loss of “Belle Reve”.

While drunk at one of his poker parties Stanley hits Stella in the presence of Blanche and his pals Mitch, Steve and Pancho. They manhandle Stanley into the shower to sober him up. Meanwhile Blanche bundles Stella into her upstairs neighbour’s apartment for safety. Blanche settles down on the porch and Mitch comes along. This is the start of a relationship between a young man and an older woman.

Blanche tries to persuade Stella to leave Stanley. She tells Stella that she has renewed an acquaintance with Shep Huntleigh, an old boyfriend, now a Texas oil millionaire and she is certain that he will set them up in business. Stella loyally defends Stanley and refuses to leave, while Blanche launches into a withering tirade about Stanley’s low breeding, apelike manners, violent outbursts and his “ape parties” as she calls his poker nights. Stanley overhears this. Next day, Blanche is composing a letter to Shep Huntleigh and we realise that Blanche lives in a pretend world of social whirls, holidays on the gulf, cocktail parties and tea dances.

Stanley returns from bowling one evening and casually asks Blanche if she knows somebody called Shaw back in Laurel. Does she remember the Hotel Flamingo? This catches Blanche off guard. Blanche breaks down and in an outpouring to Stella admits that life has been hard, her looks are fading, she has no money, she needs a drink, she won’t stay longer than necessary, she won’t hang around until Stanley throws her out. She almost drops her drink and screams hysterically. Her life and lies are about to unravel. She explains away her nervousness to Stella as due to Mitch coming round. But she explains that “she hasn’t given him more than a kiss, she hasn’t “put out”, although men lose interest quickly, especially if the girl is over thirty”. She is desperate for things to work out with Mitch so she can leave Stella’s house. While waiting for Mitch, Blanche invites in and tries to seduce a nervous young money collector. She kisses him passionately just as Mitch is arriving with a bunch of roses. The young man escapes and Blanche greets Mitch as if nothing had happened.

After their night out, Mitch and Blanche return to the Kowalski home. The house is empty. Mitch tries a clumsy attempt at seduction, but Blanche declines. The romance goes out of the evening and Blanche confesses to Mitch that she had been married when she was sixteen, but her husband Allan had committed suicide and she was the cause. Blanche had caught him in flagrante with another

Page 1 of 4 man. On a night out Blanche told Allan that she knew what he was and he disgusted her. He went outside and shot himself.

A few weeks later it is Blanche’s birthday. Mitch is expected. Stanley has done some digging and has some revelations for Stella about Blanche. Far from being the demure woman of breeding, Blanche had gained a reputation in Laurel for entertaining men for money at the Flamingo Hotel where she had been living since the loss of Belle Reve. She had been kicked out of her teaching position for having a relationship with a seventeen-year old student and had finally been kicked out of the Hotel Flamingo. Stanley has told all this to Mitch by way of a warning. Mitch would not be coming to Blanche’s birthday party.

Later that evening, Blanche, alone, is huddled in a chair, drinking heavily, she hears in her remorseful and troubled mind The Varsouviana a polka tune she shared with her dead young husband. Mitch calls round in a very dark mood. The Varsouviana and a revolver shot keep popping into Blanche’s troubled head. She admits her promiscuity with young soldiers on the lawn at Belle Reve and that she has had intimate relations with many men. Mitch tells her that it is all over.

Later that night, Blanche, drunk, she dresses herself roughly in a soiled evening gown and tiara. Stanley returns. Blanche is now incoherent with stories of saviour millionaires and grand living. Stanley taunts her and finally carries her unwillingly and drunk to the bedroom to have sex with her.

Some weeks later. A poker game is being played. Stella is nervous. Blanche now totally deluded believes that Shep Huntleigh is coming to take her away. She is haunted by the sound of The Varsouviana in her head. She is on edge. She hallucinates. A doctor and a nurse appear. Stella has committed her sister to a mental hospital. Stella is riven with remorse as Stanley, now rid of Blanche, advances on her with just one thought in his head.

Characters Playing ages are for guidance and does not rule out older actors who could credibly play a part.

Playing Character Character notes Age “Her delicate beauty must avoid a strong light – moth like”. “She dresses daintily in white as if arriving at a summer tea-party”. She speaks with the refined southern drawl of a woman of breeding. She has a slim elegance. Married young, but her young husband killed himself. She is complex. A drinker in denial, attractive, although she fears her looks are Blanche Mid 30’s fading. She is flirtatious, vain. She assumes a demure and superior air but DuBois this hides a promiscuous past. A commanding presence. She strips down to her underwear while a poker game is in play, using the light to project her silhouette on to the dividing curtain. She knows she is being provocative. She is mentally disturbed and this becomes progressively more apparent.

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Playing Character Character notes Age Blanche’s younger sister. Gentle. In early pregnancy which progresses from May to October with the play. She speaks with the refined southern drawl of a woman of breeding, contrasting sharply with Stanley. She is Mid 20’s overwhelmed in Blanche’s presence. Blanche dominates their Stella to early conversations with her opinionated language. Blanche treats her like a Kowalski 30’s house servant. Stella’s refined hobbies of movies and bridge contrast sharply with Stanley’s beer and poker. She defends Stanley against Blanche’s criticism of his boorishness and lack of breeding. But we are left wondering why she married him other than physical attraction. Coarse southern accent. Strong and well built, he has a sensual presence. He is quite used to women admiring him. He is confident in his own skin. He is content with his role as master of his house. He has a short fuse Stanley 30’s when drunk, that can erupt into violence against Stella and destruction of Kowalski things (crockery for example) to enforce his point. He plays poker and bowls at the local alley with his pals. He is streetwise, not sophisticated. He is at times menacing. Coarse southern accent. Tall (6 feet) with a large athletic frame. He works out with weights at the gym. Works in the spares department of the Harold Late 20’s same company as Stanley. Mild, shy and courteous, in contrast to the Mitchell other poker playing pals. He is unmarried and sensitive and lives with and “Mitch” cares for his sick mother. He is attracted to the older Blanche until Stanley reveals details of her past. Late 20’s, Coarse southern accent. The Kowalski’s upstairs neighbour. Poker playing Steve Early to friend of Stanley. Coarse. Not PC, tells off-colour jokes (using language Hubbel mid 30’s acceptable at the time the play was written). He is a bit of a philanderer. Working class. Late 20’s, Coarse southern accent. Married to Steve. They row frequently and Eunice Early to Eunice throws pans and things at Steve. She is good-hearted working Hubbel mid 30’s class. Very sensitive when Blanche is being taken away. Pablo Any Latino accent. Mexican. Poker playing pal of Stanley’s. Working class. Gonzales Man Any Coarse southern accent. Walk-on small speaking part. Page 2 only. Refined southern drawl. Appears at the end of the play to commit Doctor Any Blanche to a mental institiution. Small part. Tamale (Doubled) Latino accent. A street Vendor of Tamales a Mexican dish. Small part. Vendor A young money Southern drawl. Young attractive man. Calls at the Kowalski’s. Early 20’s collector Blanche makes sexual advances to him. (Doubled) Sailor (on leave) Coarse southern accent. Small speaking part. Page 2 only. Nurse/Matron A severe sinister woman. A Nurse Rached type. Small part. A blind Mexican Latino accent. Blind seller of tin flowers. (a traditional Mexican Woman grave decoration). Small part. Any Small part. The term “negro” is taken from the text of the play and (Doubled) reflects attitudes of the 1940’s to people of colour. She is affable. A Negro Woman local neighbourhood woman. Will play her as a non-black person if we do not have a black auditionee. The nurse and Mexican woman can also be played by a black person.

Page 3 of 4 A Streetcar Named Desire Audition pieces Auditions will be open. Characters will be auditioned together where possible rather than having readers. Familiarity with the play will be advantageous. Audition pieces need not be learned, but characterisation in the reading will be looked for.

Blanche DuBois Top of p6 – p8 “No, one’s my limit.”, P20 – p22 “… and vice versa.” P32 “Hello! The little boys’ room is busy....” - p34 “Yes, ah yes....” p40 - p42 “..... tolerate each other’s habits I guess.” P66 – p67 (the big speech) p93 “But then he came back.” – p97 (Blanche is very drunk) Stella Kowalski Top of p6 – p8 “No, one’s my limit.” p16- p18 “Not sold - lost, lost.” p40 - p42 “..... tolerate each other’s habits I guess.” p16- p18 “Not sold - lost, lost.” P20 – p22 “… and vice versa.” P70 “Lie number one ……” – p71 “…. before she showed here.” p93 “But then he came back.” – p97 Harold Mitchell “Mitch” p27 - p28 “.... I never gets that hongry.” P32 “Hello! The little boys’ room is busy....” - p34 “Yes, ah yes....” P63 (top) – p66 “She worries because I am not settled.” Steve Hubbel p27 - p28 “.... I never gets that hongry.” Eunice Hubbel P101 – p103 Pablo Gonzales p27 - p28 “.... I never gets that hongry.” Nurse/Matron Matron appears p102 escorts Blanche away p107. Very few A blind Mexican Woman lines. “Negro” Woman (neighbour) Mexican Woman appears p88/89 and says a few words of Spanish “Negro” Woman (neighbour) appears p1 – p4 and p56 few lines, but a character. Doctor appears p102 escorts Blanche away p107. Very few Doctor/Tamale Vendor lines. Tamale Vendor appears p2 and p25/26. Shouts “Red Hots” A young money collector P56 – 57 (Blanche tries to seduce him) Sailor (on leave) -

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