The list of imaginative events planned for Tennessee Williams Festival 2021, all of which will take place in the Central West End beginning August 19, are detailed in the press release that follows. It would appear that Executive Artistic Director Carrie Houk and her team have checked all the right boxes to make this 10-day festival a smash hit.
***There is also notice of a pre-performance garden picnic provided by Gerard Craft’s soon-to open “Bowood by Niche,” which will be available in Bowood Farms garden. Information follows. (Bowood Farms is a block north of The Tennessee, at 4633 Westminster at Walton, where Williams The Glass Menagerie and a John Guare play will be performed.)
TWStL 2021: “The Moon and Beyond”
August 19-29, 2021
Presented by Emerson
photo courtesy of Suzy Gorman
“A year ago, we brought we brought Tennessee Williams into your home ….this year we bring you into his!” said Carrie Houk, above, the festival’s Executive Artistic Director. “In 2020 we were lucky enough to flourish on the radio during a year that was so challenging for live theatre. In 2021, we return with a vengeance with a site-specific production of The Glass Menagerie at the very building in the Central West End where the Williams family settled when they moved to St Louis.”
“If theatre is ritual, our production of The Glass Menagerie is the equivalent of going to Mass in St. Peter’s Square in Rome,” explains Brian Hohlfeld, who is directing this production. “There’s no other city in the world where you can see this play in this venue, amid the same red bricks, alleys, and fire-escapes that inspired Williams to write it almost 80 years ago. We’ve brought back most of our amazing cast from last fall’s radio version, and our entire team is thrilled and humbled by the opportunity to bring this site-specific production to life.”
Featuring:
The Glass Menagerie performed where it was imagined
By Tennessee Williams
This cornerstone of American theatre launched Williams’ career as a playwright, enjoying a lengthy Broadway run and winning the 1945 New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award for Best Play. TWStL’s The Glass Menagerie brings the story of Amanda, Tom, and Laura home to the very apartment building that inspired Williams’ quintessential family drama.
Williams’ greatest, most famous, and most personal play. The narrator recalls late in life how his youthful devotion to his sister Rose (Laura in the play) conflicted with his creative passions as he was about to escape from St. Louis for good. Directed by Brian Hohlfeld.
August 19, 20, 21, 22, 26, 27, 28, 29 at 8:00PM
Sponsored by Edward Jones, Ken and Nancy Kranzberg, & Mary Strauss
You Lied to Me About Centralia
By John Guare
This play picks up the story of Jim, the Gentleman Caller, immediately after he leaves the Wingfield home to meet Betty, his fiancée. It further illuminates the themes of The Glass Menagerie, leaving us to ponder how a step or two in another direction might have changed everyone’s lives. Directed by Rayme Cornell.
August 21 & 22 at 2:00PM
Sponsored by John Russell
Why Did Desdemona Love the Moor?
A Workshop Reading
This provocative story examines an interracial love affair between a white Hollywood starlet and a celebrated Black author. Only recently unearthed from the Williams archives, this story speaks to our times, calling out bigotry and exploring the complexity of sexual and racial relationships. Directed by Thomas Mitchell
The Link Auditorium / 4504 Westminster, 63108
Saturday, August 28 at 2:00PM
Sponsored by Terry Schnuck and The University of Illinois Department of Theatre
The Tennessee Williams Walking Tour
The Williams family first settled in the Central West End, and the neighborhood became very important to Tennessee’s work. Beginning and ending at The Link Auditorium, this walking tour will visit neighborhood sites that relate to his life and writing. Along the way, we will hear Williams own words describing familiar locations. Led by Thomas Mitchell
The Link Auditorium / 4504 Westminster, 63108
Sunday, August 22 at 11:00AM
Sponsored by The Missouri Humanities Council
Blue Song: St. Louis in the Life and Work of Tennessee Williams
A Conversation and Happy Hour with Dr. Henry Schvey
Join author Henry Schvey as he discusses his new book exploring the influence of St. Louis on Tennessee Williams. Blue Song reveals how the city was crucial to the development of Williams’ unique theatrical point of view and remained a looming presence in his life long after he tried to escape it.
Houska Gallery / 4728 McPherson, 63108
Friday, August 20 at 5:30PM
Sponsored by Ted Wight
Tennessee Williams Tribute: “The Moon and Beyond”
Curated by Thomas Mitchell
Hosted by Ken Page
Bar Italia / 13 Maryland Plaza, 63108
August 22 at 4:00PM
Sponsored by Grizzell & Co.
Tickets are available for purchase through Metrotix.com.
***Reserve your Pre-Theater Picnic Box at Bowood by Niche to enjoy before taking in The Glass Menagerie on Westminster Place!
Food and drink can be enjoyed in Bowood’s garden up until performance time.
Free, secure parking is available at Holliday (4600 Olive, 63108) for festival patrons and for pre-theatre dinner patrons at Bowood by Niche.
Lead sponsorship of the festival is provided by Emerson. Additional sponsors and the full festival itinerary can be found at twstl.org. Tickets can be purchased via Metrotix.com.
Missouri ArtSafe certified by the Missouri Arts Council
The Missouri Arts Council promotes COVID-19 safe practices by arts and cultural organizations statewide when the arts reopen under local guidelines. Together with the Missouri Arts Safety Alliance, a coalition of organizations throughout the state, we have created Missouri ArtSafe Certification. Organizations become certified by pledging and adhering to a core level of safe practices.
Can we reserve dinner at Bowwood?
Will the dinner be vegetarian?
Click the link to the festival site to find out what they are serving and how to make a reservation.