2022 Tennessee Williams Scholars Conference
Friday, March 25, 2022
Schedule of Events
The Historic New Orleans Collection
Williams Research Center
410 Chartres Street, New Orleans, LA 70130
9:00-9:15
Opening remarks, Bess Rowen, Villanova University
9:15-10:30
The World Lit by Lightning: Scholars Unveil a Favorite Williams-Related Image
In this lively, visually oriented lightning-round session, each scholar shows off a favorite Williams-related image and interprets it conversationally: enjoy seeing and learning about Streetcar in China, groundbreaking disability representation, Blanche’s exit with her doctor, and Williams’s Key West house. Panelists: Jeniffer Cruz, St. Thomas University Xingyue Wang, Shangxi Normal University Eric Solomon, Emory University Anwesha Mukherjee, University of Calcutta Moderator: Will Brantley, Middle Tennessee State University
In this lively, visually oriented lightning-round session, each scholar shows off a favorite Williams-related image and interprets it conversationally: enjoy seeing and learning about Streetcar in China, groundbreaking disability representation, Blanche’s exit with her doctor, and Williams’s Key West house. Panelists: Jeniffer Cruz, St. Thomas University Xingyue Wang, Shangxi Normal University Eric Solomon, Emory University Anwesha Mukherjee, University of Calcutta Moderator: Will Brantley, Middle Tennessee State University
10:45-12:00
And Tell Glad Stories of the Lives of Queens: Williams and the Queer Community
Williams’s transgressive characters are so much more than the tragedy that often gets top billing: join us for a joy-filled conversation about everything from a gender-fluid Streetcar production and double-edged camp to sailors, Norman Rockwell, and Tom of Finland. Panelists: Stephen Cedars, City University of New York, Graduate Center Benjamin Gillespie, New York University Michael Hooper, Independent Scholar Moderator: Bess Rowen, Villanova University
Williams’s transgressive characters are so much more than the tragedy that often gets top billing: join us for a joy-filled conversation about everything from a gender-fluid Streetcar production and double-edged camp to sailors, Norman Rockwell, and Tom of Finland. Panelists: Stephen Cedars, City University of New York, Graduate Center Benjamin Gillespie, New York University Michael Hooper, Independent Scholar Moderator: Bess Rowen, Villanova University
1:15-2:30
Masks Outrageous and Austere: Unconventional Stagings of Tennessee Williams
Distinguished theater directors share their experiences pushing traditional performance boundaries: come hear firsthand the reasoning behind—and results of—choices that surprised audiences and reimagined Williams works. Panelists: Jef Hall-Flavin, Provincetown Tennessee Williams Theater Festival Tom Mitchell, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign Anthoullis Demosthenous, Independent Scholar Moderator: Bess Rowen, Villanova University
Distinguished theater directors share their experiences pushing traditional performance boundaries: come hear firsthand the reasoning behind—and results of—choices that surprised audiences and reimagined Williams works. Panelists: Jef Hall-Flavin, Provincetown Tennessee Williams Theater Festival Tom Mitchell, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign Anthoullis Demosthenous, Independent Scholar Moderator: Bess Rowen, Villanova University
2:45-3:45
German Perspectives on Tennessee Williams
It’s no secret that Williams has been perennially popular in Europe. Scholars from home and abroad examine the playwright’s status on the Continent, with a particular focus on German-language productions. Panelists: Kerstin Schmidt, Katholische Universität Eichstätt-Ingolstadt Basil Wiesse, Katholische Universität Eichstätt-Ingolstadt Moderator: Annette J. Saddik, City University of New York, Graduate Center
It’s no secret that Williams has been perennially popular in Europe. Scholars from home and abroad examine the playwright’s status on the Continent, with a particular focus on German-language productions. Panelists: Kerstin Schmidt, Katholische Universität Eichstätt-Ingolstadt Basil Wiesse, Katholische Universität Eichstätt-Ingolstadt Moderator: Annette J. Saddik, City University of New York, Graduate Center
4:00-5:15
Amor Perdido / Lost Love
A performance of four stories by Williams, three of them unpublished, adapted for stage: a sailor’s brief encounter in port (“The Lost Girl”), the playwright’s missive to his French Quarter soulmate (“A Letter to Irene”), a young writer grappling with loss and an uncertain future in a Mexican plaza (“Amor Perdido”), and a woman who finds a lover aboard a mysterious ship (“Blue Roses and the Polar Star”). Director Tom Mitchell’s company of actors is accompanied by original music in this co-production from the University of Illinois Department of Theatre and the Station Theatre of Urbana, Illinois.
A performance of four stories by Williams, three of them unpublished, adapted for stage: a sailor’s brief encounter in port (“The Lost Girl”), the playwright’s missive to his French Quarter soulmate (“A Letter to Irene”), a young writer grappling with loss and an uncertain future in a Mexican plaza (“Amor Perdido”), and a woman who finds a lover aboard a mysterious ship (“Blue Roses and the Polar Star”). Director Tom Mitchell’s company of actors is accompanied by original music in this co-production from the University of Illinois Department of Theatre and the Station Theatre of Urbana, Illinois.
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