Preparations are in full swing for the 28th annual Mississippi Delta Tennessee Williams Festival (MDTWF) special online programming this year.
The annual festival will be Oct. 15-17 and will feature opportunities for interactive workshops, scholarly presentations and talks, along with performances of Williams’ work.
A final schedule of all events will be released in the weeks leading up to October’s festival.
“It’s our hope, during this ever changing time, this initial schedule can help those long-time supporters of the festival, or those looking to this online event as an opportunity to participate for the first time begin to get an idea of how this year’s event will take place,” said Dr. Matt Foss, this year’s director. “We’ll be adding and refining the programming in the coming weeks and truly believe this will be an exciting three days in October.”
Of special note, in addition to a number of pre-festival and programming deadlines to help accommodate taking the festival online, individuals, families and artists of all kinds and from all over the world are invited to submit a special hello or short performance of Williams’ work from the safety of their own porch for this year’s special Digital Porch Plays.
Traditionally, performers from around the country share parts of Williams’ work from the porches of the homes in the historic district where he often walked and played as a child. This year, we are asking you to record a short message, greeting or a short piece from your favorite Williams’ text from your own porch, which will be shared along with an exciting slate of performances on Saturday, October 17th.
Full instructions for how to submit your greeting or piece can be found at the Williams Festival website, with a deadline of Monday, Sept. 28 for your recording to be included.
The festival is sponsored by Coahoma Community College with support from the Mississippi Arts
Commission, the Mississippi Humanities Council, and the Coahoma County Tourism Commission.
For more information, contact Jen Waller at 662-645-3555 or jwaller@coahomacc.edu.
