Interview: Chatting with Michael Wilson Director of CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF in St. Louis

Acclaimed theatre director Michael Wilson will be spending the summer in St. Louis to helm the Tennessee Williams Festival St. Louis’ production of CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF. Wilson, who has long examined the works of Tennessee Williams could not pass up the opportunity to work in St. Louis.  

“Tennessee Williams was one of the main reasons that I chose a career in the theatre,” Wison says. He recalled when he read plays for English assignments that he was really drawn to the way Williams wrote. He was fascinated by the dialogue, characters, and stories, all coupled with Williams’ suggestions of stage pictures and the use of sound, music, and lighting. He said, “I just found his work astonishing when I was in high school.” He called his plays shocking and electrifying, and Wilson still has an eager curiosity about Williams and his plays 40-years later. “It’s the reason I wanted to come to St. Louis and direct at the festival, to spend time at the Oracle of Delphi,” he gushed. 

St. Louis audiences have a once in a lifetime opportunity to see a production directed by a world-renowned expert in the works of Tennessee Williams. As the former artistic director at Hartford Stage Wilson led The Tennessee Williams Marathon. The website for Hartford Stage called it “a distinguished celebration of the author’s range of work in productions, readings, film screenings, workshops, scholarly panels, and discussions.” 

Throughout his career, Wilson has done extensive work on Broadway, off-Broadway, and in television. He directed the Tony Award winning 2013 revival of Horton Foote’s “A Trip to Bountiful,” and the 2014 Emmy nominated television movie of the same name. He also directed the highly successful 2012 revival of Gore Vidal’s “The Best Man” starring James Earl Jones, Angela Lansbury, and John Larroquette. He shared that one of the things he values most is the extended relationships he enjoyed with the actors who have performed in the plays he has directed.  

Wilson says, “St. Louis is deeply passionate about the performing arts. It feels like the theatre is an essential part of the life there.” He believes the thriving theatre scene in St. Louis would make Tennessee Williams very happy. He called Williams an adopted native son of the city who brought a lot of attention to St. Louis. Wison says, “Tennessee Williams had profound experiences in St. Louis that shaped his cannon of work.”  

“What Carrie Houk, and the artists who have joined her are doing with this 9th Annual Tennessee Williams Festival St. Louis (TWStL) is fantastic,” Wilson continued, “it gives new generations of audiences the opportunity to discover his works.” He speaks very highly of the actors working on the upcoming production of CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF. Wilson said he is quite fortunate to have a group of A-List of actors. His cast includes Kiah McKirnan, Brian Slaten, Peter Mayer, Kari Ely, Eric Dean White, Roxanne Wellington, J Samuel Davis, Tatum Wilson, Cooper Scheessele, and Kate Kappel.  

This is the third time Wilson will direct CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF. “I did a big production with a wonderful company at Hartford Stage in 2005 as part of The Tennessee Williams Marathon there and did a workshop last fall with actors who were recent graduates,” he shared. Wilson thinks they are on the right path with the upcoming production and the design team that has been assembled. He is extremely impressed with the quality of the creative design artists in St. Louis. “I’m very fortunate that James, Matthew and Teresa have come on board,” he said talking about scenic designer James Wolk, lighting designer Matthew McCarthy, and costume designer Teresa Doggett.  

“My goal is to do something that is very unique with the play for St. Louis,” Wilson said. He loves the opportunity to enrich an audiences’ understanding about what a renowned artist we had in our midst with Tennessee Williams. Wilson is grateful to have been invited to St. Louis and appreciates how welcoming the people of the city have been. “St. Louis helped give birth to this tremendous playwright and I hope this production will convey the size and the breadth of his work,” he said.  

Tickets for CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF are available now. The production runs August 8 – 18, 2024 at The Grandel Theatre in Grand Center. Click the link below for more information and to purchase tickets.

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