The School of Dramatic Art has been engaging students in experiential learning since before it was cool, says its marketing co-ordinator Kristen Siapas.

“Our students learn acting methods, vocal techniques, and movement skills in the classroom, and then use what they’ve learned to bring beautiful stories to life for audiences,” she says. “University Players has always been a rich environment for our students to learn, for more than 65 years.”

The theatre company will open its third production of the season, Tennessee Williams’ The Glass Menagerie, Jan. 19 at Essex Hall Theatre.

The cast is made up of fourth-year students from the BFA in Acting degree program to tell the story of the Wingfield family. The setting is 1937 St. Louis, Missouri, where Tom Wingfield (Aidan Robertson) lives in a tenement apartment with his mother Amanda (Alexa Dimoulas) and his sister Laura (Sequoia Cooper).

Laura’s frail constitution has held her back from succeeding in life, her fragility reflected in the glass of her little menagerie set, which she polishes daily. Amanda wants only the best for her children, living in her own romanticized dream of the past.

The hopes and dreams of the whole family hang on one fateful night when gentleman caller Jim O’Connor (Jack Meadows) comes to visit the Wingfield home, and crushing reality falls around them.

Performances Jan. 19 to 28 run approximately two hours. Tickets are on sale now at www.universityplayers.com. Regular price tickets start at $20, and student tickets are just $10.