REMEMBERING THE FIRST FESTIVAL:  APRIL 3-5, 1987

New Orleans in the mid-1980s was aching with a financial slump. The oil industry, which had been such a strong part of the city’s economy, was no longer a sure thing. The term “cultural tourism” wasn’t yet a phrase in common use. The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival was on the calendar along with the French Quarter Festival. Both focused on music but there wasn’t an ongoing event showcasing the city’s rich literary heritage.

“The Big Bang Moment came when Beverly Gianna, who worked for the New Orleans Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Bureau, and I discussed a book sale that had been held at the Rivergate, the city’s first convention center, recalls Errol Laborde, a Festival co-founder and its first president. At that time Laborde was then the longtime editor of Gambit, a weekly newspaper. “Beverly suggested we start a literary festival. We decided to have a lunch planning meeting on Halloween Day, 1986, at Mandina’s Restaurant.”

“I invited Maureen Detweiler, who was Special Projects and Events Coordinator for the Office of Mayor of the City of New Orleans. We also included Don Marshall, then the head of Le Petit Theatre, since we found out that there would be a production there of A Cat on A Hot Tin Roof in March.” said Laborde. Also at the lunch was John Jardel, a state tourism executive. Sitting nearby at the bar during the lunch was Maureen’s husband Bill, who would become the festival’s lawyer and its second president.

According to Laborde, honoring playwright Tennessee Williams served as a spotlight to showcase the literary side of New Orleans. Williams felt that he did some of his best work here and lived in the city off and on throughout his life. He was born on March 26, 1911. In terms of attracting visitors, the weather in late March or early April is most amiable and the quaint French Quarter a perfect setting. The first Festival was held April 3-5, 1987.

The founding board included Errol Laborde, president: George deVille, vice-president: Maureen Detweiler, secretary and Julian Mutter, treasurer. DeVille and Mutter’s bookstore was a popular gathering place for art and literary events. They put up $500. Noted local artist George Dureau agreed to design a festival poster.

Board members also included Stuart Barash, Bill Detweiler, Jardel, Peggy Scott Laborde, Kevin McCaffrey and David Tardo. The first executive director was Don Marshall.

With Marshall’s offer to host the Festival at Le Petit, a location was set. From the very beginning the Festival has been both a literary and theatre festival. And, while some events are held citywide, most of the almost 100 events take place in the Quarter.

With little money but lots of energy, the Festival board utilized local and national contacts. Lyle Leverich, who wrote Tennessee Williams’ authorized biography, gave a lecture at the first festival. The topic of the first literary panel was “New Orleans As A Home for Writers.” Panelists included Fredrick Barton, Christopher Blake, Sheila Bosworth, Everette Maddox and Christ Wiltz. It was moderated by Ralph Adamo.

Another highlight during that first festival was an “I Remember Tennessee” panel, the first of many over the years. Sharing their memories were Bill Grey, Jack Fricks, Bob Hines, Anna May Maylie, Dan Mosely, Eric Paulsen and Jere Real.

Kicking off what would be numerous music events through the years was a Jazz Mass in memory of Williams at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church. Through the years part of the Festival schedule on Sunday has been held at the Palm Court Jazz Café. The series of music and music discussion is now known as “Drummer and Smoke,” with musical guests over the years including Vernel Bagneris, Danny Barker, Spencer Bohren, Anais St. John, Tom Sancton, Butch Thompson, Allen Toussaint, and Dr. Michael White.

But back to the first Festival. It was especially fitting that during that first weekend a plaque was erected at 632 St. Peter Street, indicating the site where the playwright completed his Pulitzer-Prize winning play, A Streetcar Named Desire. Co-sponsoring the plaque was the Louisiana Landmarks Society.

Solidifying the theatrical mission of the festival during its debut was not only Le Petit’s production of Cat, but, thanks to producers David Cuthbert and Roy Tagliavore, the appearance of actor Ray Stricklyn, who performed his nationally acclaimed Williams one-man show, Confessions of a Nightingale.

A One-Act Play competition from almost the beginning has sparked the career of many a young playwright, including David Lindsay-Abaire, who would go on to win a Pulitzer Prize in Drama and multiple Tony Awards. The Festival currently offers literary competitions not only for One-Acts but Fiction, Very Short Fiction and Poetry. The goal is to follow in the spirit of Williams, who was also known for his encouragement of new talent.

Indelibly etched since those early days are the literary walking tours conducted by Dr. Kenneth Holditch, a noted Williams scholar and first Festival program chair. Also, crystal clear are the memories of founding board member Maureen Detweiler’s mint juleps, which slaked a thirst and helped raise money to continue a splendid long weekend each March.

One of the endearing qualities of the Festival is that it’s not snooty. Good conversation, food for thought, accessibility—all are expected from our panelists. The long list of authors who have appeared at the Festival include Margaret Atwood, Robert Olen Butler, Michael Cunningham, Ernest Gaines, Yusef Komunyakaa, Albert Murray, and Edmund White, to name a very few.

A brief list of actors and journalists who have starred at the Festival certainly reads like a who’s who—Elizabeth Ashley, Alec Baldwin, Zoe Caldwell, Dick Cavett, Patricia Clarkson, John Goodman, Anne Jackson, Patricia Neal, Rex Reed, Carol Sutton, and Eli Wallach.

From almost the beginning of the Festival until his death in 2008, Dakin Williams would participate in interviews and performance. The younger brother of Tennessee, he shared his memories and conviviality with festival goers even attending in the early years on his own nickel.

Tennessee Williams was known for his wicked laugh. The Festival keeps it light with the Stanley and Stella Shouting Contest. “For years, we’d work so hard at the Festival and go home that Sunday evening to discover no television coverage,” said Peggy Scott Laborde, festival president for a total of 15 years. “The big feature story at the end of one Festival weekend was the wedding of Dr. John’s road manager on a Harley with a cockatoo on her shoulder! Then I realized the Festival needed to be more visual. Hence the birth of the Stanley and Stella Shouting Contest.”

Since 1996, this event takes place from a Pontalba Apartments balcony facing historic Jackson Square. Twenty-five contestants shout “Stella” below the balcony featuring someone portraying Stella above, recalling the iconic scene from A Streetcar Named Desire. By the way, until 1948 the actual streetcar used to waddle down a French Quarter street nearby.

Longtime Times-Picayune/ New Orleans Advocate writer John Pope, himself a popular Festival panel moderator, recalls turning his head up toward the contest balcony and seeing honored 1999 Festival guest Kim Hunter. As the original Stella on Broadway and on screen, Hunter looked very amused, Pope recalled.

Gratefully, the years have seen growth. We were honored to be named one of the top ten literary festivals in the United States by USA Today, as we have continued to add programming. Since 1996, an internationally respected Scholars Conference brings together Williams experts from around the globe. The Conference is under the direction of Dr. Robert Bray. Published in conjunction with the Conference is The Tennessee Williams Annual Review, which debuted in 1998. It is the only regularly published journal dedicated to the work and influence of Williams. Dr. Bray is Founding Editor Emeritus, R. Barton Balmer is current editor, and Margit Longbrake serves as managing editor. It is published by The Historic New Orleans Collection.

Not even a hurricane could prevent the Festival from happening. After the devastation of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, then Festival President Patricia Brady recalled, “We were going to have the Festival even if we had to use flashlights.” Fortunately, we had electricity at Festival time. In 2020, facing the Coronavirus Pandemic, the Festival was cancelled just 12 days before our opening night. In 2021, we produced three weekends of virtual events with the fervent hope that the near future would allow a return to a literary and theatre celebration that can be enjoyed by locals and visitors in person, and in 2022, we were back!

Paul J. Willis started with the Tennessee Williams & New Orleans Festival as a volunteer in 1997. He worked his way up and has been the executive director of the Tennessee Williams & New Orleans Literary Festival since 2004. He is the founder of the Saints and Sinners Literary Festival (established in 2003). Saints and Sinners brings together LGBTQ writers and readers and has become nationally recognized.

Managing Director Tracy Cunningham attended the festival for many years, then began as a volunteer working on special events. In 2013, she joined the board and then the staff in 2015.

Longtime supporters of the Festival include the Louisiana Endowment for The Humanities, The Historic New Orleans Collection, the University of New Orleans and the Ruth U. Fertel Foundation. From the beginning, board members have volunteered countless hours, insuring the Festival’s success.

“Enthusiasm is the most important thing in life.” stated Mr. Williams. Since 1987, the Tennessee Williams & New Orleans Literary Festival remains steadfast in its enthusiasm for one of the world’s greatest writers and someone who was legendary for knowing how to have a good time.

Thanks to Peggy Scott Laborde for providing so many insights into our Festival's beginnings!