Student builds on shy childhood to bring character to life

Cosmetology student Lyndsea Moore draws from her shy childhood to create a believable portrayal of Laura Wingfield in Tennessee Williams’ play “The Glass Menagerie”.

MHCC students will perform “The Glass Menagerie,” a tale of abandonment and acceptance of reality, April 26-28 at the Performing Arts Theater.

Played by Moore, Laura Wingfield is a painfully shy 23-year-old with a crippled leg that causes her to limp and wear a brace. She is withdrawn from the world and spends her time with her glass figurines and old records.
Moore is a first year cosmetology major, who said she has been active in theater since her freshman year.

Her personality couldn’t be further from the character she is playing though, said Moore. Although, it hasn’t always been that way, “I used to be really shy; I never spoke above a whisper,” said Moore of her pre-high school self.
Crediting a class she took in middle school, Moore said she started to write poetry and reading the poetry in front of her class. This, she said, led to her wanting to spend more time in front of people, “I started to love it,” said Moore, “It’s a kind of adrenaline rush; it just feels amazing.”

As far as preparation for the role, Moore said she was familiar with the play, “We had studied it in high school, so I was pretty familiar with it. I read mostly for (the part of) Amanda though.” Amanda is Laura’s mother.
As a group the cast has had a month to rehearse the play.

“Usually with plays you get two to three months, it’s very stressful. But we have a lot of fun backstage and have been making the best use of our time by splitting off in pairs and practicing while others rehearse on stage,” said Moore.
Moore has performed in choir and in a range of plays and musicals including “Hamlet,” “Bye-Bye Birdy,” “The Crucible,” “Almost Maine,” and “Dearly Departed.”

Moore grew up in Portland and went to Centennial High School. She came to MHCC for its cosmetology program and plans to continue studying both cosmetology and theater, “I want to work in a salon and do acting on the side.”
She said she loves working with hair. “I love cutting, styling and braiding hair;

I’m always messing with somebody’s hair, sometimes my friends get mad.”
She is also interested in theater makeup and will hopefully be doing work for

“The Underpants,” another student directed play in May.

“The Underpants” is a comedy, but Moore said, “The Glass Menagerie” is very much a straight drama, “There are parts that are funny and parts that might make you cry.”

Tickets can be purchased through the MHCC box office. For more information contact the box office at (503)491-7154.