Maloney's a familiar name to patrons of the local stage, having appeared in shows as diverse as Ten Thousand Things' jailhouse classics, Thirst Theatre's cocktail experimentation, and the Guthrie's Christmas cash cow. In person she's down-to-earth, sharp, and funny. Onstage she plays off the friction between her fresh-faced comeliness with a sense that a powerful spirit lies beneath. And while last year we appreciated Maloney's gritty turns with Workhaus Collective and daft appearances for Ten Thousand Things, her performance as Laura in The Glass Menagerie deserves particular notice. In about as well-traveled and iconic a role as exists in American theater, Maloney lent Laura both an icy detachment and a burning need to connect beyond her physical and emotional limits. Tennessee Williams's acidic drama is often thought to revolve around the young and anguished Tom. But Maloney moved like a wounded bird across the stage in Laura's dowdy dress, casting nervous glances that kept the rest of the miserable characters in her wobbly orbit—and the audience, as well.