Festival 2018
Wishful Thinking
Tennessee Williams knew the drama of waiting, both in his life and in his writing, making his plays richer, sadder, and joyous. His insights into waiting inspired the theme of Wishful Thinking for the 13th Annual Provincetown Tennessee Williams Theater Festival. The 2018 lineup featured five Tennessee Williams plays alongside works by Federico García Lorca, Anton Chekhov, and Samuel Beckett, produced and performed by artists from New York City, Philadelphia, Florida, Michigan, Texas, and beyond.
Talisman Roses by Thomas Lanier Williams, not yet Tennessee. Directed by Marsha Mason, starring Amanda Plummer. (World Premiere)
The Rose Tattoo by Tennessee Williams, a passionate romantic comedy, starring Festival favorite Irene Glezos.
Will Mr. Merriwether Return from Memphis? by Tennessee Williams, a colorful ghost story.
Steps Must Be Gentle by Tennessee Williams, a fantasia about the death and afterlife of the poet Hart Crane.
Some Problems for the Moose Lodge by Tennessee Williams, a dark farce that skewers family, religion, and aging.
Doña Rosita the Spinster by Federico García Lorca, the moving spectacle of a young girl tearing away her illusions over time.
Uncle Vanya by Anton Chekhov, in a new translation by John Freedman. The sly humor and heartbreak of Chekhov’s look at longing for what won’t happen.
Company adapted from the novella by Samuel Beckett. A body lies in the dark listening to voices…memories? delusions? dreams?
The Snagglepuss Chronicles a comic book by Mark Russell, adapted by Brenna Geffers. The classic Hanna-Barbera cartoon character a closeted Southern playwright.
Menagerie of Angels a new performance piece by Brenna Geffers. A series of haunted encounters with figures from Tennessee Williams’ dreams.
When he was asked who influenced him most, Williams said, “Chekhov! Chekhov! Chekhov!” – exclamation points included. The great Russian playwright was the master of our 2018 Festival theme of waiting and wishful thinking.
The Rose Tattoo
Festival star Irene Glezos explodes as the Sicilian widow Serafina in this luscious Williams fable of loss, faith, and rebirth.
Talisman Roses
Tennessee Williams imagines flowers might restore a crushed soul in this unpublished one-act, performed for the first time under the direction of distinguished actress and director Marsha Mason, and featuring Tony and Emmy-winning actor Amanda Plummer.
Doña Rosita the Spinster
Rosita maintains a young girl’s trusting heart for 25 years in the great Spanish poet/playwright Federico García Lorca's tender play with songs and music.
Uncle Vanya
A new translation of Anton Chekhov’s “scenes of country life” premieres in Provincetown as an immersive and intimate show.
Will Mr. Merriwether Return from Memphis?
For every shadow there is a bright light shining in this high-spirited ghost story, a play with music and dance accompanied by banjo.
Some Problems for the Moose Lodge
Williams’ satirical wit is on full display in the haunted home of a flailing Mississippi family, where Gothic comedy is shadowed by hysteria -- and hysterical laughter.
Menagerie of Angels
This is an opportunity to be part of the birth of a new performance piece at the intersection of time, space, and longing.
The Snagglepuss Chronicles
Hanna-Barbera’s Saturday morning cartoon character speaks truth to power, reborn as a droll 1950s Southern playwright in DC Comics' new miniseries, presented as a staged reading with the stars of the Festival.
Williams 101
This entertaining 90-minute lesson on Tennessee Williams and this year’s plays will brief audiences on the playwrights, with handy insights about our lineup of performances