theatrical grape-vine that "Bermuda has very good theatre''.

His introduction to the work of the Bermuda Musical and Dramatic Society (BMDS) happened to be the annual Christmas pantomime, which he saw soon after his arrival here last November.

"I had never seen a pantomime before and I thought it was absolutely brilliant!'' But although he drove past their headquarters at Daylesford several times after that, "I could never see anybody there''.

So it was not until he answered the audition notice for The Glass Menagerie that he actually got inside the theatre.

Now, he is seeing a great deal of Daylesford, as Dr. Jones won the pivotal role of Tom Wingfield in Tennessee Williams' famous drama which will be staged there next week.

Set in St. Louis, Missouri, this American classic is described as a "memory play'' and deals with the raw emotions of loneliness and frustration that can exist in apparently close-knit families.

Although he admits that this will be the first time he has tackled a play by Williams, Dr. Jones is no stranger to the theatre. In fact, he won a scholarship to study acting at the Banff School of Fine Arts and completed part of the course but eventually decided "it just wouldn't pay the bills'', and decided to become a doctor instead.

He specialises in the field of trauma care and is working in the Emergency Department of King Edward VII Memorial Hospital. He has had to do some drastic re-arranging of work shifts to fit rehearsals in, but says it's worth it, especially as this particular drama gives him an opportunity to tackle the work of one of America's literary giants.

"I really prefer doing comedy, but The Glass Menagerie is a fascinating play.

It's a difficult work to describe or quantify, but I remember very clearly, seeing it when I was about 17. I was very struck with it and have always remembered those long monologues where Tom reflects on his life,'' says Dr.

Jones.

"To me, it is about being trapped -- not just by circumstances but by conflicting emotions. Tom is very close to his mother and sister but he has to cut the emotional strings that tie him to them and get on with the business of living his own life. He is trying desperately to escape the clutches of his mother. Everyone loves her but she does drive people nuts.'' The mother in question is Connie Dey, who needs no introduction to Bermuda audiences. Dr. Jones is thrilled to be working with her. "Even though we are still using the scripts I can see that Connie is going to be very good indeed.

We are getting along so well together and it's a real treat to be with her.'' This production of The Glass Menagerie marks the directorial debut of lawyer Steven Hankey.

"He knows the play backwards as he directed a play-reading version not so long ago. I think this is a good play for him to start with, as it has a small cast. I'm not sure if it's a help or not, to have people like Connie and myself who have done quite a bit of theatre! He conveys his ideas very well, and has an open style of directing which allows us a lot of input, so it's great working with him,'' says Dr. Jones.

Dr. Jones, formerly a member of Ontario's Road Show Theatre, a professional summer touring company, has appeared in many leading roles with the Guelph Little Theatre, one of the best known theatre groups in Ontario. In 1992, he won the West ern Ontario Drama League's best supporting actor award for his role of Billy Bibbit in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. He also won "outstanding performance awards'' for The Importance of Being Earnest (Algernon), Welcome to Andromeda and The Valedictorian in various Ontario Festival seasons.

For three consecutive years, during medical school and residency at Guelph, he co-wrote and directed the Annual Medical School Variety Show and also played Christopher Wren in The Mouse Trap and Geoffrey in The Lion in Winter for the London (Ontario) Community Players.

Playing the role of the daughter, Laura Wingfield, will be Ingrid Welch, who appeared with Steven Hankey in last year's BMDS production of The Little Foxes and most recently in the acclaimed Linda Paynter production of Six Degrees of Separation.

Appearing with her in that play was Dalzell Tucker and he takes on the role of Laura's all-important gentleman caller.

The Glass Menagerie opens at the Daylesford Theatre on Monday May 17 and runs through Saturday, May 22 at 8 p.m. nightly.

The box office is now open and tickets at $10 can be obtained from 5.30-7.30 p.m. weekdays and on Saturday, from 12.30-2.30 p.m. Any remaining tickets are available prior to each evening performance between 7 and 8 p.m.

(Telephone 292-0848).

DR. PHILLIP JONES plays Tom Wingfield in The Glass Menagerie.