Birthday Bash for Tennessee Williams Held As Part Of TW Fest 3/20

You're invited to a 100th birthday bash thrown in honor of Tennessee Williams and hosted by The Albuquerque Theatre Guild! Part of the 2011 Tennessee Williams Festival, the free festivities are open to everyone at the North 4th Theater at VSA New Mexico, 4904 4th St NW, on Sunday, March 20 from 6 to 8 p.m.

"What better way to celebrate the year-long Tennessee Williams Festival than with a New Orleans Jazz-themed fete? New Orleans was one of Williams' favorite cities and the setting for several of his plays," says Preston Mendenhall, Albuquerque Theatre Guild president. "The Duke City Jazz Band will play the toe-tapping music of NOLA, we'll have libations, scenes from some of the shows in the Festival, previews of coming events, door prizes, and a Tennessee Williams birthday cake!"

The 2011 Tennessee Williams Festival premiered in January with sold out performances of "Mr. Williams and Miss Wood" by Max Wilk, directed by Phil Bock, at the Adobe Theatre. The play was revived to crowded houses for one weekend in February at the Box Performance Space. The remaining scheduled events, below, are subject to change. Please visit www.abqtheatre.org for the most up to date information.

March 25 - April 17, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30; Sundays at 2.

The Night of the Iguana by Tennessee Williams, directed by Leslee Richards at Vortex Theatre, 247-8600.

July 22 - August 7, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 and Sundays at 2.

Rancho Pancho by Gregg Barrios, directed by Diane Malone. A play about Tennessee Williams and his lover Pancho Rodriguez, at the National Hispanic Cultural Center, produced by Camino Real Productions, 247-1909. This play chronicles the tempestuous love affair between Williams and Rodriguez, who inspired the character of Stanley Kowalski.

August 12 - September 4, Fridays and Saturdays at 8; Sundays at 4.

The Traveling Companion and A Cavalier for Milady by Tennessee Williams, directed by Rose Provan at Desert Rose Playhouse, 881-0503. The first play is a late self-portrait by Tennessee Williams in which a famous author (Vieux) checks into a Manhattan hotel room with only one bed accompanied by a much younger man (Beau) who may or may not be hustling. The second play takes place in what at first seems a normal atmosphere-an elegant Victorian parlor on Park Avenue, where two sixty-plus well-to-do matrons are preparing to go out for the evening.

September 24, time TBD.

Panel Discussion: Tennessee Williams Today: The Changing Legacy of a Great American Playwright at the National Hispanic Cultural Center. Panelists include Dr. Lynn C. Miller, Professor Emerita, Department of Theatre and Dance, University of Texas Austin; Dr. David Richard Jones, Professor of English, University of New Mexico; Dr. David Savran, Distinguished Professor of Theatre, The City University of New York and the Vera Mowry Roberts Chair in American Theatre.

September 30 - October 9. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30, Sundays at 2.

The Eccentricities of a Nightingale by Tennessee Williams, directed by Shepard Sobel at UNM's Experimental Theatre. Alma, an educated, soft-spoken and somewhat shy woman is infatuated with the handsome doctor next door.

September 29 - October 2. Thursday at 7, Friday & Saturday at 8, and Sunday at 2.

A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams, directed by Salomé Martinez-Lutz at National Hispanic Cultural Center, a production of Teatro Nuevo Mexico.

October 20 - 29, Thursdays, Fridays & Saturdays at 7.

The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams, directed by Ralph Adkins of the Albuquerque High School Drama Department.

November 17 - December 11, Thursdays - Saturdays at 8 and Sundays at 2.

A Tricklock Company original show, inspired by A Streetcar Named Desire, featuring Tricklock Company in a strange and magical tale of love, sex and death at UNM's Experimental Theatre.

December 3 - 18, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 and Sundays at 2.

Cat on a Streetcar Named 'Iguana' by Phil Bock, a musical spoof and tribute to Tennessee Williams at The Adobe Theatre.

For details on these productions and other Tennessee Williams Festival events visit www.abqtheatre.org.

About Albuquerque Theatre Guild

More theatrical performances take place every weekend here in Albuquerque than in any other U.S. city of its size. Our mission is to promote public awareness of theatre in the greater Albuquerque area, to encourage the growth of theatre audiences, to foster cooperation and collaboration among the member organizations, and to facilitate and assist the work of individual members involved in all aspects of theatrical production.