During the coronavirus pandemic, everything old is new again, and so it goes for the Tennessee Williams Festival St. Louis: The fest is launching a new radio show, “Something Spoken: Tennessee Williams On the Air” beginning July 11. Catch the radio plays—which will include a Williams one-act and interviews with actors, directors, and scholars—at 5 p.m. every other Saturday on 107.3 FM.
The full schedule includes:
- “The Lady of Larkspur Lotion,” 5 p.m. July 11 (Streaming until July 24)
- “This Property Is Condemned,” 5 p.m. July 25 (Streaming until August 7)
- “A Perfect Analysis Given By a Parrot,” 5 p.m. August 8 (Streaming until August 21)
- “Hello From Bertha,” 5 p.m. August 22 (Streaming until September 4)
- “Summer at the Lake,” 5 p.m. September 5 (Streaming until September 18)
- “Mister Paradise,” 5 p.m. September 19 (Streaming until October 2)
Ken Page will host the program, and performers will include Anita Jackson, Nisi Sturgis, Rayme Cornell, J. Samuel Davis, Bob Harvey, Tony Merritt, II, Elizabeth Teeter, Bradley Tejeda, Rachel Tibbits, Donathan Walters, Kelley Weber, Donna Weinsting, and Maggie Wininger.
"The beauty of doing radio is that we don't have to stage it, and that way we can keep the actors safe and distanced," said the festival's executive artistic director, Carrie Houk.
This spring would have marked the fifth annual festival, but due to COVID-19, the fest has been postponed until October 22–November 1—assuming it's safe to gather at that time. “Tennessee Williams: Something Wild” will focus on Williams' time with the Mummers, a St. Louis theater company that produced his early plays and is featured in the Williams' essay "Something Wild." The location holds special meaning, too. The fest is slated to run in the Link Auditorium, which was previously the Wednesday Club, where the Mummers performed.
