The heart of theatre is it is alive, real and revealing.
Clarksdale enjoyed all three this past weekend as the 29th Mississippi Delta Tennessee Williams Festival came to town.
Hotels and restaurants were full as people took in a long list of programs, events and porch plays. Tennessee William’s play “A Street Car Names Desire” was the focus of this year’s festival.
“This was a great year for the festival and I was pleased with the turnout and quality of this year’s event,” said Jen Waller, festival co-chairman. “This year was a hybrid event where we offered a lot of virtual programs, but also a mix of live performances and in-person venues.”
COVID cancelled last year’s festival and Clarksdale and Tennessee Williams fans seemed ready to get the show going.
“I want to thank Clarksdale for hosting this festival year after year,” said Dr. Matt Foss, festival co-chair. “Clarksdale embraced this event years ago and I can truly say it is the people in this town that make this festival unique. I look forward to next year when we once again can have a COVID-free festival.”
Both Foss and Waller said the crowds were good and the presentations and performances were compelling.
“The Diversity of the Delta Panel was hosted by Gilroy Chow, Dr. J. Janice Coleman, Levi and Deborah Frazier and Ayana C. Williams and was one of the unique discussions that people were talking about,” said Waller. “The panel told stories and their experiences and history of living and growing up in the Delta, which is where Tennessee Williams got a lot of his inspiration.”
Waller said this was the first year for the festival to screen a play and that Thursday night event on the lawn of the Cutrer Mansion will probably become a regular festival feature.
Waller also talked about Friday’s wine and cheese reception at the home of Eva Connell and Saturday’s afterparty at Uncle Henry’s on Moon Lake.
“Eva Connell has worked with the Tennessee Williams Festival for years and to open her home like that showed Southern hospitality at its best,” Waller explained. “Moon Lake is referenced in a lot of his plays and it was the perfect place to wind up the festival.”
The 2021 MDTWF was dedicated to long-time supporter and festival participant, the late Dr. Ralph Voss. For years, Dr. Voss served the festival in a variety of roles including academic advisor, panelist and scholar and as the Keynote Speaker for the Williams Centennial Celebration on March 26, 2011 in Clarksdale.
Voss passed away on July 23, 2021.
The festival opened with a welcome by Dr. Valmadge Towner, President of Coahoma Community College and a special musical performance by the Coahoma Community College choir ensemble under the direction of Dr. Kelvin Towers at the Cutrer on Thursday.
Coahoma Community College has been a longtime supporter of the Tennessee Williams Festival.
The Tennessee Williams Rectory Museum, at 106 Sharkey Ave., was also open this weekend. The museum is in four former bedrooms of the young Tom "Tennessee" Williams and his family, in the former rectory of St. George's Episcopal Church, where Williams' grandfather, the Rev. Walter E. Dakin, was rector from 1917-1931.
As always the Cutrer Mansion served as the headquarters for the festival. For details of next year’s festival go to deltawilliamsfestival.com or call the Cutrer Mansion at 662-645-3555.
