Annie whittles down the odds for jobs

Annie Whittle plays the lead in 'The Glass Menagerie', in a dramatic role rather than the comedic ones she has often performed.

Casting a national treasure from the New Zealand entertainment industry in his second play is a coup for theatre director Jesse Peach, 22.

He has Annie Whittle playing the lead role in Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie at the Glen Eden Playhouse Theatre until the end of the month.

Although Whittle has lived in West Auckland for 20 years, it's her first appearance on the local stage and won't be her last if she has anything to do with it.

Though she will work part-time as a veterinary nurse, something she did to pay her way through Canterbury University in the 1960s, Whittle says the job is to supplement her income as a performer rather than replace it.

"Previously, I've always had a full schedule but with [her role on] Shortland Street finished, I've got some time on my hands," she says.

"I am getting older and I'm now in a pool of actors who belong to the baby boom generation. There are a lot of us who intend to keep working which means we are competing for the same roles and we can't all get them.

"The thing about acting is that you can keep on going till you're 100 if you want - and if you can remember your lines!

"Anyway, why would I retire when I'm getting offered shows like The Glass Menagerie?"

Williams' award-winning 1945 play is about the tempestuous relationship between an ageing mother, her introverted daughter and resentful son.

Despite a change in the family's circumstances, matriarch Amanda Wingfield (Whittle) sees herself as a genteel Southern belle and believes her daughter, Laura (Abigail Greenwood), should play a similar role and find herself a suitable boy.

Her dreams are shattered when Tom (Glen Pickering), the son, presents a boy to the family who is far from ideal.

The Glass Menagerie puts Whittle in a dramatic role rather than the comedic ones she has often performed.

She says Peach's demeanour and grasp of the play's nuances and imagery impressed her immediately.

"Jesse had a huge passion for this play and I could see why as soon as I read it. The writing is beautiful and it is a very moving story."

Peach first read The Glass Menagerie five years ago and decided he wanted to direct it.

Back then, he was appearing in Shortland Street as wayward teen Blake Crombie. He worked with Whittle briefly when her on-screen family, the Haywards, usurped the fictional Crombies.

"I really liked Annie and thought she was an excellent actor who's very real in her performances. When it came to casting this play, I couldn't think of anyone better to play Amanda Wingfield, so I contacted her agent."

One of six children, Peach has lived in West Auckland all his life.

He completed a communications degree and works in TV3's newsroom.

However, theatre is his first love and he sees no reason why quality professional theatre should be confined to inner city venues. Peach aims to continue producing and directing theatre for West Auckland audiences.

He says directing and working behind the scenes appeals more than being in front of a camera or audience.

Peach made his directorial debut with Billy Liar last year at Titirangi's 88-seater Lopdell House Theatre. The Glen Eden Playhouse seats 240.

The play is also on the secondary school curriculum and there are already more than 1000 students booked to see it.

ON STAGE

* What: The Glass Menagerie

* Where and when: Glen Eden Playhouse Theatre, 15 Glendale Rd, Glen Eden, May 13-27