Tennessee Williams Festival St. Louis Announced

ST. LOUIS - June 26, 2015 - PRLog -- Next May, the city of St. Louis will pay homage to the city’s favorite playwright – Tennessee Williams  - with an annual festival.  This first annual celebration kicks off May 11^th and runs through the 15^th on a variety of both conventional and unexpected stages in the Grand Center and Forest Park areas. With a partial focus on St. Louis, the first festival will both produce and present theatrical offerings as well as a visual art exhibition, readings, music, and dance.  There will be a strong educational component, with Williams scholars offering public panels and theatre artists visiting local schools.  Aspiring playwrights will also have the opportunity to submit one-act plays to a competition for a chance at a future production with the TWFestSTL.

Following her successful production of Williams’ Stairs to the Roof, Executive Artistic Director, Carrie Houk was urged by many to honor her favorite playwright by organizing an annual St. Louis festival. “TWFestSTL brings together three of the greatest loves of my life—theater, Tennessee Williams, and St. Louis!  I’m not the only one who recognizes that it is time for St. Louis to recognize and celebrate America's greatest playwright and poet—community leaders have eagerly joined the board, and donors are beginning to take notice. It is a thrill to build on the success of Stairs to the Roof as we look forward to offering theatrical, artistic and educational offerings to the community and to becoming a major destination event.”

David Kaplan, Curator of Provincetown Tennessee Williams Theatre Festival, has been a mentor and guide to Houk through this process.  “Beginning with her daring successful production of Stairs to Roof, Carrie Houk is tapping into Tennessee Williams’ St. Louis roots so that his national reputation flourishes. Williams is an American writer, who helps define American identity as much -- if not more – than politicians. That he comes from the South, was raised in the Mid-West, came to know himself in Provincetown, New Orleans, New York and Malibu, all that reinforces his identity as an American.”

Thomas Keith, Editor of Williams’ work for New Directions Publishing, also feels this festival is an important endeavor. “Not only was St. Louis crucial to the creative formation of Tennessee Williams and his monumental body of dramatic writing, Carrie Houk and the Tennessee Williams Festival St. Louis are perfectly poised to bring a deeper understanding and appreciation of America’s greatest playwright to the Midwest.”

“It is time that Tennessee Williams is honored with a festival in the town where he grew up in his most impressionable years.  He is probably the greatest playwright of our generation,” states Ken Kranzberg, Chairman of the Grand Center board.  “My wife and I had the same English teacher as he did at U City High and she talked about how she flunked him.  Funny that he is compared to our generations Shakespeare and she loved Shakespeare.”

Festival board member Scott Intagliata (Marketing Director for Unico, Inc.) is impassioned about their upcoming artistic endeavor. "The enthusiasm from funders and arts patrons has been fantastic. The festival is on track to meet its fundraising and organizational goals. Our board is very strong and committed and we look forward to our first full festival starting May 11 of 2016."  Among the other board members are many regional regional arts leaders, such as Ken and Nancy Kranzberg, Mary Strauss, Jill McGuire, Cindy Prost, Rick Dildine, Ken Page, Peter Sargent, and Terry Good.

The July/August issue of American Theatre Magazine (http://www.tcg.org/publications/at/issue/index.cfm) will feature the festival announcement along with an interview with Houk (pdf of article available upon request).  The full 5-day schedule of programming will be announced this fall.  Until then, fans of Williams eager to learn more are encouraged to check their Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/TWFestSTL) for updates and announcements along the way.

Tennessee Williams Festival St. Louis’ mission is to enrich the cultural life of St. Louis by producing an annual theater festival and other artistic and educational events that celebrate the art and influence of Tennessee Williams.