Check out this video clip of Stanley and Blanche's first encounter. You must have the QuickTime 3 program to play this clip. You will also need the QuickTime 2.0 plug-in, which is included with QuickTime 3.0. This new and improved version of QuickTime is now available for the Power Macintosh and Pentium PCs.

On Wednesday, December 30th, 1998, at 8:30pm, PBS premieres the GREAT PERFORMANCES telecast of Tennessee Williams's "A Streetcar Named Desire" from the San Francisco Opera. (Check local listings.) Blanche DuBois has been a prize role for theatrical divas for more than 50 years, since Jessica Tandy first confided to New York audiences that she has always depended on the kindness of strangers. Now Blanche is a role for operatic divas as well, with Andre Previn's and Philip Littell's operatic reconception of this classic of the American theater.

In Behind the Scenes, writer John Ardoin takes a look at some of the San Francisco Opera's American premieres. In Meet the Artists, we visit with "Streetcar" star Rodney Gilfry, who takes on the challenging role of Stanley Kowalski. Finally, Ardoin delves into the making of this new opera in A Look at the Work.