Category Archives: tennessee williams

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TWLF tip#1

Among the lengthy list of events that the Tennessee Williams Festival has planned for next week are a few that deserve to be highlighted. So today through Thursday (TWLF opening day) I’ll pick one that looks particularly good.
The tip for today is for one of the theater events. Tickets are half price through Tuesday (only 17.50)

Hiding in Plain Sight: Tennessee Williams’ Treasures
Some of Tennessee’s most beautiful writing is “hidden” in some of his lesser-known works as well as within his most famous plays. Now, in an evening that’s not-to-be-missed, luminaries of the page and stage gather to share some of the playwright’s unsung treasures.

Reading gems culled from full-length plays, one-acts, letters, and essays, actress Piper Laurie, playwright John Guare, actress Amanda Plummer, author Jewelle Gomez, columnist Amy Dickinson, director and actress Jodie Markell, actress Cristine McMurdo-Wallis, author Ace Atkins, and others will take a closer look at the Williams canon and bring his words to life with an evening of readings from well-known plays including Suddenly Last Summer and The Night of the Iguana, as well as remarkable monologues and scenes from plays you might not be as familiar with such as Candles to the Sun, Clothes for a Summer Hotel, Not About Nightingales, Tiger Tail, The Fat Man’s Wife, The Day on Which a Man Dies, Will Mr. Merriwether Return from Memphis? and Something Cloudy, Something Clear.

This theatrical treasure hunt offers an entertaining and surprising look at Williams’ legacy.

Hosted by Thomas Keith, and curated by Keith and Paul J. Willis.

Sponsored by the Bollinger Family Foundation.

Date: Saturday
Time: 8:00 PM-10:00 PM
Location: Hotel Monteleone, La Nouvelle Ballroom
Ticket Code(s): AllAccessPass, HidingSat8pm
Ticket Type(s): All Access Pass, Individual Special Event Ticket
Price: $35

buy tickets

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Time for Tennessee

As I wait for the heat and humidity to return (yes I do like them), I also wait for the return at least one fair and two festivals: The New Orleans Bookfair, the French Quarter Festival (sorry JazzFest, you’ve lost my complete loyalty when you went past 50 bucks a day and invited Bon Jovi) and The Tennessee Williams Festival. Interestingly, the festivals fall within a few weeks of each other (TWLF at the end of March, and FQF in mid April) and both are held in the Quarter. (Well whaddya know?)
TWLF is a glorious few days of panels, plays and tours (and mint juleps, don’t forget the mint juleps) all held within the French Quarter of course. The date coincides with the birth date of TW, and the entire event ends on Sunday with a round of happy birthday to Tom. The schedule is usually packed with Southern authors, playwrights, editors and publishers, Tennessee Williams scholars and yes, even a few pompous, idle seersucker-wearin’ Southerners who truly believe they make the event when they arrive and pointedly stand in the lobby or at the front of the room in full sight and earshot of everyone. They do throw some historical perspective on class in New Orleans, so even they are a welcome sight. Sure.
It’s not all about TW, but it remains rooted in the context of his New Orleans and the Southern literary sensibility, which, in my mind, makes it very special and dynamic.
The TWLF event that most people know is the Stella contest, held on Jackson Square on Sunday afternoon with that year’s chosen Stella on the balcony auditioning her Stanleys shouting for her below. So make a point to listen in to Stanley and Stella especially cuz its free, but as literary festivals go this one is world-class and deserves more of your attention. Check out the schedule and I’ll save you a seat:

TWLF

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Tennessee On Sale


Since the New Orleans heat isn’t ending anytime soon, we’re extending our Summer Ticket Special.

Book your VIP All-Access Pass by September 16 to enjoy our special rate of $395. That’s a savings of more than $100 off the regular price of $500! The All-Access Pass is your VIP ticket to all the weekend’s panels, master classes, and theatrical events. Plus, you’ll be invited to exclusive non-ticketed soirees, where you’ll mingle with the Festival’s literati over cocktails.

While we’re on the subject of future planning, we recommend booking your Festival accommodation now. Special rate rooms at our host hotel, the Hotel Monteleone, are filling up fast. Book now to receive the discounted room rate of $179 a night available for March 21 through March 25, 2012.

TWLF

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The story of Stanley and Stella

In restaurant form that is.
A classic New Orleans story with food as the central character. Scott Boswell, a young chef who is serious about his ongoing training, owns these restaurants with his wife Tanya. Scott is found at Stella’s working the kitchen (when he’s not traveling to restaurants to offer himself as a free apprentice) and Tanya can be seen daily at Stanley’s working the door and watching the entire place.
Both restaurants serve excellent food. Stella’s is award-winning and pretty expensive, but even with the deep pocket needed to go there,I can’t count how many times I have heard that this was the favorite meal of visitors and some locals who hit all of the top ones. Many times.
I know the chef and his wife from their stalwart support of the Crescent City Farmers Market, where I work. We opened a 4th location a few years before Katrina and they did anything they could do to support it. We’ll never forget it.
I like these folks because they are Quarter residents and real workers and committed to a scale of production, service and ambience that has made the city what it is.
(Now I have a friend who is not very happy with them and feels slighted in every way; she’s a savvy local who has loads of patience for quirks but got bad service and a worse response after, so I sorrowfully acknowledge that too. It’s the only version I have heard of that story, but she is pretty sore with them now.)
My experience has been great and now they have added a Stanley’s service bar right next door on the Square and so a tip of my cap again is in order. Espresso, pastries, ice cream and sandwiches in a beautifully designed storefront. Some work remains to do to get it all done but if you’re out at 8 am til evening in the area, go try the coffee or ice cream and then go have a eggs hollandaise poboy next door.

And revel in the culture renewing itself in the oldest part of the city, thanks to entrepreneurs like Scott and Tanya..

The newest addition to the Pontalba family. Espresso, pastries and ice cream from 8-7ish daily.

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Study of a Friday morning

Royal Street at Esplanade.
The camera zooms in to a helmeted female, leisurely biking alongside of the parked cars. Weaving figure 8s, she squints up at the sun and nods to a few people on either sidewalk. We see her:
catch sight of the wisteria blooming on Royal in the Princess of Monaco courtyard. She pulls up on the sidewalk under it and stops to admire it.

Early morning wisteria at Cafe Amelie on Royal

After breakfast at Royal Blend, she takes a middle seat inside the Historic New Orleans Collection for the first Master Class of the year at the Tennessee Williams Literary Festival. At its end, she is overheard saying to an acquaintance that it was more of a panel than a class. No matter. Still useful she says firmly, 2-3 new tidbits of information. She walks politely but quickly ahead of the more mature part of the crowd through the carriageway, into the sunlight and on to the street itself.

Tennessee Williams Literary Festival-Friday Master Class at HNOC

She cuts diagonally down Royal and again diagonally across Toulouse and spies the open door at Kitchen Witch Cook Books. She stops to chat about the Festival with its owners, neighbors and friends of hers. The couple are perennial TWiLFers as well. Lively talk among the 3 for a few minutes, then the female half of the couple kisses the male half goodbye and walks quickly to the corner of Decatur with lunch in hand.The man continues to talk to our heroine (arms folded, scrunched down a bit to be at eye level with her), while the cookbook dogs settle in for a long nap on the floor. On the way out she admires the mix of everything.

Kitchen Witch Cookbooks

A few zigzags across the French Quarter over the next few hours with some writing in a notebook and some chat. At 1 p.m. more or less, she walks to Jackson Square, past table-waiting couples giving their names to a white-shirted waiter and goes directly to the counter inside Stanley’s. She orders quickly and assuredly: small gumbo with potato salad, Italian soda with pomegranate. On either side of her, people watch her settle in. She notices them and engages both sides in conversation: first, on her right-a couple from California, married at the river last Friday. Long time visitors to the city. She thinks to herself it sounds like the woman married the city rather than the man.
Next, at her left is a Colorado couple in for “March Madness” which sounds odd to her ears. All discuss New Orleans, and interestingly both women ask our heroine what “she does”. She answers politely but does not ask them what they do. Instead she asks them what they want to do while here and offers suggestions.

The gumbo with potato salad, and the eggs benedict poboy

The waiter asks her if she likes the gumbo. She wonders why.

Clean plate at Stanley's

Book bag now in the basket, she swings a leg over her bicycle as it begins to roll down Chartres. The camera pans over the entire Square, which is seen with activity and life and music in every corner; at the end of the shot, she and her bicycle are indistinguishable from the rest.
The End. No credits.