More than 100 events stretched over five days will highlight New Orleans’ favorite scribe with a mix of old and new faces during the celebration of contemporary literature, culture, theater and Tennessee Williams.
The Tennessee Williams & New Orleans Literary Festival and the Saints & Sinners LGBTQ+ Literary Festival pack a jammed agenda this weekend with speakers and panel discussions, sessions on writing, performances, readings, walking tours and culinary events.
Most of the events for the 40th year are held at the host Hotel Monteleone in the French Quarter and in several theaters and the New Orleans Jazz Museum.
Participants yell “Stella” or “Stanley” during the Tennessee Williams & New Orleans Literary Festival’s Stella yelling contest at the Jazz Museum in New Orleans, Saturday, March 21, 2026. (Photo by Sophia Germer, The Times-Picayune)
A highlight event will bring a glittering assemblage of entertainment professionals to the Historic BK House for a one-night-only immersive celebration, directed by Tony winner Rob Ashford, with multiple Tony winners Michael Cerveris (“Fun Home”) and Christine Ebersole (“Grey Gardens”).
More than 100 speakers are expected, including Pulitzer Prize winners Robert Olen Butler and Michael Cunningham, Martin Sherman, Justin Torres, Maurice Carlos Ruffin, Ladee Hubbard, Skye Jackson, CCH Pounder and Billy Eichner.
“We are honored to celebrate 40 years of our festival and grateful to all of the literary luminaries who have joined us through the years,” said Paul J. Willis, executive director. “We’re welcoming back some authors who have been to the festival many times, as well as fresh new voices with debut books.”
Festival highlights include the Writers’ Craft Series with more than 10 sessions; the Literary Discussion Series, a three-day ensemble of panels with more than 80 authors; a book fair by Octavia Books; writing marathons; readings and signings.
Books and Beignets will discuss “The Rose Tattoo,” and the Scholars Conference is a full-day discussion that culminates with a staged reading of “Fin du Monde,” Williams’ unpublished short story. “From the Page to the Stage” will highlight Jamie Wax’s “Call Me Izzy,” a Broadway show, with Wax, Johanna Day and Charles Urstadt.
Theatrical offerings include:
- “Kind Stranger: A Memory Play,” a one-man show at Le Petit Théâtre du Vieux Carré
- “Small Craft Warnings,” the one-act show being performed by the Tennessee Williams Theatre Co. at Loyola University
- “Tennessee with the Tea,” an adults-only drag show at The AllWays Lounge
- “The Gnädiges Fräulein,” Mudlark Puppeteers production at Mudlark Public Theatre
- “A Streetcar Named Desire,” by The Irene Collective at Big Couch
- “We Have Not Long to Love,” multiple works as immersive theater at BK House and Gardens.
Friday’s marquee event, “We Have Not Long to Love: A Celebration of Tennessee Williams,” will blend scenes from “Sweet Bird of Youth,” “Orpheus Descending” and “A Streetcar Named Desire” in an immersive experience conceived and directed by Tony- and Emmy-winner Ashford.
Using a house at 1113 Chartres St. as the venue, the audience will move through the historic dwelling in small groups to delve into the works. Following an intermission, all will gather in the courtyard for a taste of “Suddenly Last Summer.”
New Orleans’ famous Tennessee Williams Literary Festival is returning to the French Quarter in 2026.
“Tennessee Williams is the patron saint of New Orleans, a city that inspires and intrigues me,” said Ashford, who has directed and choreographed “Frozen,” “Evita,” “Thoroughly Modern Millie (Tony winner) and “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.” The event “will showcase the themes that Williams so often explored: fear of aging and loss of desire, illusion versus reality, and the shifting power dynamics in relationships. It’s an honor to work with this extraordinary cast.”
In addition to Cerveris and Ebersole, other Broadway veteran performers participating include Harriet Harris (Tony winner for “Thoroughly Modern Millie”), Marin Ireland, Jennifer Laura Thompson, Ansel Elgort, Froy Gutierrez, Jennifer Nettles, Sam Rechner, Micaela Diamond and Leslie Castay.
Another special event is the Last Bohemia Soiree at 6:30 p.m. Saturday at the hotel, featuring Eichner, the actor, writer, comedian and producer who will share excerpts from this audio memoir “Billy on Billy.” He will also discuss “Billy on the Street,” his 2011-17 online game show, with playwright and CBS correspondent Wax.
Activities run through Sunday. Festival passes are available and individual event tickets range start at $10. The special BK House performance is $200 and includes cocktails and hors d’oeuvres at 6:30 p.m. with the performance at 7 p.m. Tickets for the Last Bohemian Soiree start at $40. For more information, visit tenneesseewilliams.net.
The Saints & Sinners festival, with readings, writers’ sessions, panels and special events, is the longest running festival of its kind in the country. Events with this facet of the festival run Friday through Sunday at the Hotel Monteleone. For information, visit sasfest.org.
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‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.nola.com ’
