You all really turned out for our 2nd annual Tennessee Williams Gala!  Photos coming soon!

Thank you to all of our sponsors and guests:

• Music by DJ Sailor Hank and the Delta Revues
• Royal Tableau featuring Tsarina Hellfire, Stanley Roy, the Mudlark Puppeteers, and Dark Garden
• Bryan Batt, our host for the evening
• Sara Woodard, our auction chair
• Bar by SAZERAC / Goldring Family Foundation with bartenders Mark Schettler & Jerek Adora
• Sicilian-inspired cuisine by Mister Gregory's Shrimp Boil Cabaret, Tableau, Angelo Brocato, and Gabrielle Gaspard
• Tarot readings by Moonbear Aguilar and Ylva Mara Radziszewski
• Tiny rose tattoos by Hell or High Water Tattoo

We celebrated the 75th anniversary of Tennessee Williams' THE ROSE TATTOO in a big way, from our George Dureau poster design from one of our earliest TWFests to the food and spirits and the incredible Tableau featuring a modern nod to the funeral scene.

Our Awardees and Presenters wowed us with their inspiring intros and acceptance speeches:

Excellence in Arts Advocacy - Peggy Scott Laborde introduced awardee Poppy Tooker, who reminded us how lucky we are to be in New Orleans, "New Orleans is a spiritual portal to the next life, to things unseen."

Excellence in Literary Arts - Skye Jackson presented Mona Lisa Saloy, who moved us by sharing her, "Pride Apology Poem."

Excellence in Arts Advocacy - Lawrence Henry Gobble introduced the three advisors for the John Burton Harter Foundation, Alan Williams, Jack Sullivan, and Brian Sands, who shared stories of Harter's life and influence as well as the impact of our Saints & Sinners LGBTQ+ Literary Festival.

Excellence in Performing Arts - Jamie Wax shared an inspiring story of John Patrick Shanley's impact on him as a playwright and actor before introducing Peter Hagan, who presented the award to Shanley, who then regaled and thrilled the audience with a reading of his 2009 speech "On the Occasion of Tennessee Williams’s Induction into the American Poet’s Corner at the Cathedral St. John the Divine."

Our inimitable host, Bryan Batt, closed out the evening with a tender a capella version of "Do You Know What it Means To Miss New Orleans?"