Tennessee Williams Birthday Celebration features classic Williams’ film showings along with parties, poetry readings and contests

Key West Art & Historical Society celebrates Tennessee Williams, the Pulitzer-prize winning literary icon that moved to Key West in 1949 and remained a resident for 34 years, with a series of arts and cultural events, launching February 28 and running through early April.

On Friday, February 28, Tennessee Williams Exhibit (now Museum) founders Dennis Beaver and Bert Whitt will open their Whitehead Street home for a limited-ticket celebration kick-off party with an open bar, hors d’oeuvres and entertainment. Tickets are $90 for Society members and $100 for non-members.

Literary and visual artists can immerse in creativity while competing for cash prizes and acclaim by entering the Tennessee Williams Plein Air Painting Contest, taking place in downtown Key West on March 3, and/or poetry and short-story writing contests, both of which are accepting online submissions now.

Williams’ film fans won’t want to miss the Tennessee Williams Monday Night Classic Film Series screening at the Tropic Cinema, 416 Eaton Street over three weeks in March, each based on a Williams’ play and starring some of the most acclaimed actors of the day: March 5, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958), one of the top-ten box office hits of 1958, starring Elizabeth Taylor, Paul Newman and Burl Ives; March 12, The Night of the Iguana (1964), starring Richard Burton, Ava Gardner and Deborah Kerr; and March 19, The Rose Tattoo (1955), the triple-Academy Award winner partially filmed in Key West in 1954, starring Anna Magnani and Burt Lancaster. Each of the films screen at 6:00pm.

Other upcoming Tennessee Williams Birthday Celebration events include Curator-led tours of the Tennessee Williams Museum at 513 Truman Ave., poetry readings at the Key West Public Library, performances of two one-act plays at The Studios of Key West, and a March 26 Tennessee Williams birthday party at the Tennessee Williams Museum, to include contest award presentations, bubbly beverages, and birthday cake.

For a full listing of events and locations, visit http://www.kwahs.org/events/tennessee-williams-birthday-celebration. For more information, contact Society Director of Education Adele Williams at 305.295.6616 x 115.

[livemarket market_name="KONK Life LiveMarket" limit=3 category=“” show_signup=0 show_more=0]