Tennessee Williams Centennial Kickoff Held at Ford's Theatre 1/31/11

The Provincetown Tennessee Williams Theater Festival, in collaboration with Ford's Theatre presents "America's Playwright at 100: A Salute to Tennessee Williams" on Monday, January 31, 2011. The one-night only event kicks off the centennial year of one of the nation's most acclaimed writers. Academy Award-winning actor Eli Wallach and other notable American voices will read revealing excerpts of classic plays, rare poems, and family letters, creating a portrait of America as seen through the eyes of Tennessee Williams.

The 90-minute Salute also features a scene performance by Wallach and daughter Katherine Wallach of "Mister Paradise," a charming and powerful portrait of an aging writer, as well as recordings of Tennessee Williams telling of the landscapes, cities, small towns and beckoning roads that inspired him to write the enduring classics "The Glass Menagerie," "A Streetcar Named Desire," "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" and "Orpheus Descending."

Tickets to the Salute range $30 to $60 and can be reserved at www.fords.org and by calling 202-397-SEAT (Ticketmaster charges apply), or in person at the Ford's Theatre Box Office. All proceeds benefit the Provincetown Tennessee Williams Theater Festival's Centennial Campaign, which will fund the sixth season of innovative performances by and inspired by Williams.

Other Salute participants yet to be announced. Several invitations to well-known figures in the film, theater and literary worlds are still outstanding. Past Festival guests have included Olympia Dukakis, John Guare, Vanessa Redgrave, Betty Buckley, Lanford Wilson, and many others.

Meet the stars at an exclusive VIP reception
Meet Eli Wallach and other luminaries in an intimate champagne and dessert reception in the Ford's Theatre board room following the presentation. VIP tickets are $500 and include a $400 tax-deductible donation to the Festival. VIP seating is strictly limited to a few dozen guests. VIP seats may be purchased online at www.twptown.org, or by calling (202) 434-9544.

The Salute to Tennessee Williams has been compiled and edited by David Kaplan, a prominent Williams scholar and author who serves as the Festival's curator. For the Ford's Theatre event, Kaplan has created a rare 90-minute collection of Williams' writing from the 1930's to the 1980's, cleverly juxtaposed in a medley on the theme of America. Kaplan's forthcoming book, "Tenn at One Hundred: A Review of Tennessee Williams" is slated to appear in early 2011, timed with the centenary of Williams' birth. The book deals with Williams' reputation as a preeminent worldwide dramatist. Kaplan's first book on the subject, Tennessee Williams in Provincetown, traces the playwright's burgeoning genius in the remote Cape Cod resort village, where he began writing some of his masterpieces ("The Glass Menagerie," "A Streetcar Named Desire").

Eli Wallach
On the heels of his recent Academy Award for lifetime achievement, Eli Wallach is enjoying a renaissance at the age of 95. Wallach's life and career is inextricably linked with Tennessee Williams, whose writing brought him together with his wife, actress Anne Jackson. The couple met when Wallach appeared in the Equity Library Theatre's production of Williams' "This Property Is Condemned" in 1946 and married two years later. Wallach became a regular on Broadway, originating the roles of Kilroy in Williams' "Camino Real" and Mangiacavallo in "The Rose Tattoo" (for which he won a Tony Award in 1951). He made his film debut in 1956, in Elia Kazan's production of Williams' "Baby Doll," for which he received a British Academy Award. Wallach has since appeared in numerous films, including "The Magnificent Seven" (1960), "How The West Was Won" (1962), and "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly" (1967), working alongside such legendary stars as Clark Gable, Clint Eastwood, Steve McQueen, Marilyn Monroe, Yul Brynner, and Al Pacino. His autobiography was published in 2006 under the memorable title, "The Good, the Bad, and Me."

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