Betty Buckley, Michael Cerveris, Kathleen Turner and More to Take Part in THE KINDNESS OF STRANGERS Celebration

The Tennessee Williams & New Orleans Literary Festival will host a star-studded celebration of Tennessee Williams and his life in New Orleans. This free online event will premiere Friday, July 31 at 7pm CST and remain online for viewing for two weeks.

The show title pulls its name from the famous Blanche DuBois line, "I have always depended on the kindness of strangers," from Williams' Pulitzer Prize-winning play A Streetcar Named Desire.

Performers in The Kindness of Strangers include Betty Buckley, Michael Cerveris, Brenda Currin, Patricia Clarkson, Alison Fraser, John Goodman, Rodney Hicks, Corey Johnson, Ti Martin, Wendell Pierce, Harry Shearer, and Kathleen Turner. They will be joined by a cast of twenty local actors and the event is hosted by New Orleans' own Bryan Batt.

This online show began as a conversation between Batt and TWFestival Board President-Elect Lawrence Henry Gobble, lamenting the cancelation of the March 2020 Festival due to Covid-19. They wanted to do something to support the Festival and to showcase some of the talented artists who have been part of the Festival family over the years.

"That conversation between friends," says Executive Director Paul J. Willis, "has become this love letter to the Festival, to Tennessee Williams, and to all that he loved about New Orleans. It is a testament to the artistic and enduring spirit of this city and our namesake playwright."

The online event is free and viewers are encouraged to follow the donate button to support the work of the Festival. Event details, including the viewing link, are available at tennesseewilliams.net.