TWFest Gala
AN EVENING WITH KATHLEEN TURNER
Thursday, November 19, 2026
The third annual TWFest Gala promises to be another decadent night of revelry at the New Marigny Theatre, 2301 Marais Street, with live music, culinary delights, and literary libations, plus our awards for excellence in theater, arts advocacy, and literature.
The star of the evening is award-winning actress Kathleen Turner, who will be in conversation with actress and longtime Festival favorite, Brenda Currin.
Our gala theme is Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, in honor of Ms. Turner’s Tony-nominated performance in Williams’ play.
The evening begins at 7 pm with doors open to all ticket holders to enjoy the complimentary welcome cocktail, cash bar, South Louisiana cuisine, cat tattoos, and live music.
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For Excellence in Literary Arts, the Festival this year honors an individual who believes in the truth and power of the written word, but also revels in the joy of literature. Our honoree this year is Susan Larson.
Susan Larson was the host of the popular book-themed radio show, The Reading Life, on WWNO, New Orleans’ NPR affiliate, for over 15 years. Listeners counted on Susan’s insights into the most recent literary gems and enjoyed her in-depth interviews with hundreds of authors, all delivered in her signature warm, smooth, friendly voice. She also spent 20 years as the book editor of The New Orleans Times-Picayune and wrote a guide to our city’s literary history called The Booklover’s Guide to New Orleans. In 2007, she received the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities lifetime achievement award for her contributions to the literary community.
While her expertise and experience led her to such honors as twice leading the three-person fiction jury for the Pulitzer Prize, it is her love of New Orleans and the city’s writers that makes her a beloved figure in our literary community. Her reverence for literature and writers extended beyond her career aspirations. She was the founder and served as president of the Women’s National Book Association of New Orleans, and the founder of the Pinckley Prizes for Crime Fiction, both organizations that recognize and honor women writers. She has also served on the board of the New Orleans Public Library.
A friend and supporter of TWFest from its early days, Susan Larson has served as a Festival board member, literary programming consultant, panel writer, panelist, moderator, host, speaker, and as an invaluable source for news on the latest rising literary star. Numerous authors owe a boost in visibility and book sales to an appearance on her show, and hundreds of Festival speakers appeared as a direct result of Susan’s love for their writing. She has been a liaison between the Festival and award-winning writers, as well as an advocate for emerging authors.
For her decades of dedication to our literary community and to the Festival, we are grateful to Susan Larson.
For Excellence in Arts Advocacy, the Festival honors individuals who champion the literary arts through volunteerism, patronage, career service, and other supportive acts. Our honoree this year is Michael Mitchell.
Mike became involved with the Festival as President of the New Orleans Theatre Association (NOTA). For over ten years, NOTA has supported one of our audience’s favorite events, the annual Tennessee Williams Tribute Reading.
Mike’s background is in labor and employment law, and he moved to New Orleans in 1979 after graduating from George Washington University College of Law. In 1995 he became the managing partner of the New Orleans Regional Office of Fisher Phillips, a nationally recognized labor and employment-law firm. He received the Burton Award, awarded at the Library of Congress, for excellence in legal writing in 2005, 2006, and 2009.
Mike has been active in many community affairs, including The Greater New Orleans Executives Association, (elected Executive of the Year); The International Executives Association (twice past president); The Japanese Garden Foundation of New Orleans (Board member and past president); Le Petit Theatre du Vieux Carré (Board member and past Vice President); New Orleans Botanical Garden Foundation (Board Member); Metropolitan Crime Commission (Board Member); United Way (Agency Relations Committee); received the Japanese Foreign Minister’s Award for service in promoting U.S. – Japanese friendship; and served voluntarily as an adjunct professor at UNO teaching employment law in the School of Management.
Most important to Mike was joining the Board of the New Orleans Theatre Association in 1985 (then called the Civic Light Opera). In 2011 Mike was elected President and has served in that role ever since. In the years since then, NOTA has funded arts groups throughout the entire metropolitan area through its grant program. These grants have been instrumental in supporting artists in numerous fields including music, (jazz, opera, chamber music and more), dance (from ballet to hip hop), creative writing, arts in the schools, theatre, puppetry, stagecraft, and many more. In addition, NOTA has funded an endowed professorship at UNO and provided musical instruments to high school bands. The institutions that NOTA has supported range from well-established groups wishing to fund a specific project, to individuals engaged in a solo project.
So far NOTA has distributed over $4,000,000 in grants and is still going strong. Due to Mike Mitchell’s belief in our Festival’s mission, our Tennessee Williams Tribute Reading has been a longtime recipient of NOTA funding, and we are so grateful to Mike for the support.
For Excellence in Performing Arts, the Festival honors artists who embody the creative spirit of Tennessee Williams through theatre, music, or other performing arts. Our honoree this year is actress Brenda Currin.
Brenda Currin, is well-known to Festival audiences, having played numerous stage roles in Williams plays, participating in readings, serving as host at numerous events, and participating in our Saints and Sinners LGBTQ+ festival. Her work in theatre includes her Obie Award-winning performance in My Sister in This House by Wendy Kesselman. She has worked extensively in the NY theater, last seen in the World Premiere of Tina Howe's final play, Where Women Go. She is acclaimed for her one-person show based on Eudora Welty's stories, Sister and Miss Lexie, which she premiered in New York and toured all over the U.S. and Europe. One of those performances was at our 3rd annual Tennessee Williams Festival in March of 1989! In NYC, Brenda has been in many plays, most recently Listen to Me by Gertrude Stein, playing Alice B. Toklas with Kathleen Turner as Gertrude. It also featured four dressage horses and riders and was directed by David Kaplan.
Brenda’s film career began when she played Nancy Clutter in Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood. She went on to play roles in The World According to Garp, Reds, Taps, C.H.U.D., Grounded in Love, Daughter of the Bride, Gossamer Folds, Out of Blue, and the recently released Last Hand. Television work includes Gossip Girl, Claws, and Wu-Tang: An American Saga. Her New Orleans theater performances have included roles in Confederacy of Dunces, Dividing the Estate, Orpheus Descending, Suddenly Last Summer, and To Kill a Mockingbird. At the St. Louis Tennessee Williams Festival, Brenda has been in The Glass Menagerie and Something Unspoken.
Her love for Tennessee Williams and the characters he created is matched by her passion for the stage. From the very early days of our Festival, Brenda Currin has been an audience favorite, an inspiring performer, and a shining light in the theatrical art world.
