Playhouse Creatures Hosts NYC's 1st Annual Tennessee Williams Birthday Festival Today

Playhouse Creatures Theatre Company presents NYC's: 1st Annual Tennessee Williams Birthday Festival. Playhouse Creatures will celebrate one of America's greatest playwrights with a day of informative lectures and readings of his rare on-act plays. A FREE community event dedicated to celebrating Tennessee Williams' life and work.

With regard to the Festival Artistic Director Joseph W. Rodriguez says:

"It is inconceivable that NYC has not honored Tennessee with a Festival- let alone, not naming a Broadway House after him. He is, without question, the most important dramatist of the American Theatre. His work has changed me, the way I view the world. He has influenced more artists than we can even begin to imagine... Playhouse Creatures Theatre Company is honored to offer him this small annual token of our appreciation."

The festival will take place in NYC today, May 12, 2013 from 10am-5pm at the Greenwich House Music School, located on 46 Barrow St.

The focus of the inaugural festival will be 3 informative lectures and the readings of 5 rarely produced one-act plays, including some just published in the past decade.

Keynote speakers include:

Thomas Keith (editor at New Directions Publishing) speaking about how Tennessee Williams' one-act plays shaped his writing and theatrical style and an overview of their impact on his full-length works.

Brenda Currin (Obie Award winning actor, Artistic Director of What Girls Know, Collaborating artist with the Provincetown Tennessee Williams Theater Festival ) who will share the history of the Festival as well as their goals and future plans.

Karen Kohlhaas (Teacher, Director, and Founding Member of the Atlantic Theater Company) who is currently working on a documentary about Tennessee Williams' childhood years spent in the Mississippi Delta.

Featured one-acts include:

"Talk to Me Like the Rain And Let Me Listen . . ."
"Mister Paradise"
"The Pink Bedroom"
"The Chalky White Substance"
"Green Eyes, or No Sight Would be Worth Seeing"

Actors reading on this day include: Jeremy Lawrence*, Joseph W. Rodriguez*, Sarah Koestner*, Eric Tucker*, Megan O'Leary* D.H. Johnson*, Kenny Wade Marshall*, Ross Bennett Hurwitz*, Laura Baranik* and Emily Dahlke. Stage Directions read by: Karen Heimbaugh Curtis.

*Denotes AEA Member

Schedule of Programming:

10-11 casual garden brunch and readings: "Poems, Prose and Politics with Tennessee"
11-12 Thomas Keith
12-3 Readings of Rare One Acts (with break for lunch)
3-4 Brenda Currin
4-5 Karen Kohlhaas

Afterwards, join us at a nearby bar to continue the "conversation". Light lunch and wine will be provided at the event, donations suggested. For more information, visit www.PlayhouseCreatures.org.

Playhouse Creatures mission is to pursue and explore themes of love and passion, in all its myriad forms through classical, contemporary, and new works. We are committed to working with a diverse group of artists and creating theatre that is affordable and accessible to everyone.

Playhouse Creatures Theatre Company debuted in June 2010 with Six by Tenn: six rare short plays by Tennessee Williams The Company has since gone on to successfully produce The Libertine at The Kirk on Theatre Row, Page2Stage New Play Festival, Love Song, numerous play readings, and a successful Youth Outreach program: Little Creatures Act Out. This Fall The Playhouse Creatures will team up with Bridge Rep Of Boston (http://bridgerep.wordpress.com/) for the Boston Premier of The Libertine.

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