Discarded excerpts from The glass menagerie for traces of a Plastic Theatre

Seeking traces of Tennessee Williams’ concept of Plastic Theater, the article will shed light on discarded excerpts from the writing process of the play The glass menagerie (1944), in which the author was radical in his reflective practice and formal experimentation. Assuming the perspective that process materials reveal incomplete gestures, the article will discuss a collection of manuscripts found in Williams’ personal archives at the Harry Ransom Center (Austin, TX), considering their epic, lyrical, and metatheatrical marks to contemplate the incipient and incomplete idea of plastic theater in the works of Tennessee Williams.