SEARD, Neb. — Junior Naomi Kuddes, of Austin, is playing the role of Laura Wingfield in the Concordia University, Neb., theater department’s performances of “The Glass Menagerie” by Tennessee Williams. The play will be performed at 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, March 28 and 29, and at 2 p.m. on Sunday, March 30, in the Black Box Studio Theater, located in the lower level of Concordia’s Music Center.

Set in the 1930s, the story unfolds through the memory of Tom Wingfield, a warehouse worker and aspiring poet, as he recalls his sister, Laura, and their mother, Amanda. Tom’s father abandoned the family, and his mother expresses deep concern for Laura, who walks with a limp and has low self-esteem. The mother spends much of the play looking for a suitable caller for her daughter. Laura, who has dropped out of school, spends her days admiring her collection of small glass animals. Tom introduces Laura to a friend from work, an acquaintance who soon begins to tear the family apart.

“There is so much honesty and rawness to the characters that I feel audience members will be able to connect to each character’s search for happiness and acceptance in a difficult world, as well as the overwhelming instinct to take care of others, which can sometimes be to the detriment of those involved in the relationship,” said Joy Johnson, theater arts instructor and director of the show, in a press release.

Tickets are $5 per person to the general public and $2 for Concordia faculty, staff and students. Tickets may be purchased in advance at the Concordia Bookstore or bought at the door prior to each show.