Players win New England theater award

The winter production of the Concord Players 1978-79 season, Tennessee Williams’s “The Glass Menagerie,” has won the Moss Hart Memorial Award. This is the second winner for the Players. The group won the same award in 1975 with the original production “The Flurry of Birds” by’David Fielding.

“The Glass Menagerie” starred Joan Wood, Lisa Curtis, Jay McManus and John McAuliffe. Dorothy Schecter was director and Lillian Anderson and Michael Henchman were producers.

The award was presented to the players by Kitty Carlisle, widow of Mr. Hart, at luncheon ceremonies Saturday at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

The Moss Hart Memorial Award is given each year “to recognize and encourage outstanding theatrical productions throughout New England playscripts which present affirmative views of human courage and dignity, which have strong literary and artistic merit and which, in their productions, exemplify fresh, imaginative creative treatments within the intent of the playwright.”

Dorothy Schecter also directed “Ah, Wilderness” by Thornton Wilder which, in 1975, received Honorable Mention for The Arlington Friends of the Drama: Since 1965 Harry Schecter who did the music and sound effects for this drama, has been involved in six productions that either won the award or received Honorable Mention.

Pat Butcher did the costumes for “The Glass Menagerie” and was the costume designer for “The Flurry of Birds.”

Set design for ‘‘The Glass Menagerie” was done by Ron Placzek. Lighting was by Stephen Gambino. Tillie Sweet did the make-up and properties were handled by Susan Tucker and Vinnie McLeod.