July 16, 2024

Inside the Tennessee Williams St. Louis Festival: An Exclusive Interview with Carrie Houk and Tom Mitchell

This show spotlights the Tennessee Williams Festival in St. Louis, featuring readings, panels, concerts, and exhibitions. The festival, founded in 2015, has gained national acclaim and won 13 awards from the St. Louis Theater Circle.

Carrie Houk, Executive Artistic Director, and Tom Mitchell, Scholar in Residence, discuss their contributions, the festival's history, and upcoming events like 'Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,' 'Lie Upon the Wicked Stage,' scholars' panels, and a walking tour. The discussion covers Tennessee Williams' literary contributions, his inspirations, and his impact on contemporary theater.

Show Notes
Guest Profile

In this episode of St. Louis In Tune, we have a conversation about the Tennessee Williams Festival-St. Louis with guests Carrie Houk, the festival's Executive Artistic Director, and Tom Mitchell, Scholar in Residence and Associate Professor Emeritus from the University of Illinois.

The festival, founded in 2015 and recognized with 13 awards from the St. Louis Theater Circle, offers a rich array of events. Highlights include a discussion about Williams's works, his influence, and the upcoming festival events, including performances of 'Cat on a Hot Tin Roof' and 'Lie Upon the Wicked Stage.' The episode also touches on how Williams's life and experiences shaped his writing, and the significance of maintaining live theater.

[00:00] Introduction to the Tennessee Williams Festival

[00:35] Meet the Hosts and Guests

[01:13] Carrie and Tom's Journey with Tennessee Williams

[03:22] Tom's Early Interest in Tennessee Williams

[08:17] Exploring the Festival's Productions and Events

CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF - Directed by Michael Wilson. August 8-18, 2024; Grandel Theatre; 7:00 pm Thursday-Saturday, 3:00 pm Sunday.
LIE UPON THE WICKED STAGE-ONE ACTS BY TW - Directed by Brian Hohlfield. August 10-18, 2024; Curtain Call Lounge, Grand Center, 1:00pm and 3:00pm Saturday and Sunday

[10:12] The Scholars Panels and Walking Tour

SCHOLARS PANELS - Presented by resident scholar Tom Mitchell August 10, 2024; Beginning at 9:00am
Walking Tour of the Grand Avenue Theatre District Sunday, August 11 at 10:00am; Meeting place: Front of Grandel Theatre
Tennessee Williams Festival OPEN MIC Sunday, August 11 at 7:00pm; Curtain Call Lounge, Grand Center

[13:59] Parking and Venue Details

[17:49] Carrie's Reflections on the Festival's Success

[23:37] Tom's Background and Connection to Tennessee Williams

[26:22] Exploring Tennessee Williams' Language

[26:59] Revisions and Rewrites: Williams' Process

[29:34] Impact of Performers on Williams' Work

[30:47] Upcoming Events and Festival Highlights

[33:50] Fun Facts and Observances

[40:58] Closing Thoughts and Farewell

This is Season 7! For more episodes, go to stlintune.com

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Tom Mitchell

Associate Professor Emeritus at U of Illinois Champagne-Urbana / TWStL’s Scholar-in-Residence

Tom Mitchell is a professor of Acting and Theatre Studies for the Department of Theatre at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He chaired the Summer Theatre Program at Interlochen Center for the Arts and directed productions in Musical Theatre and Shakespeare. Mitchell served on the national committee of the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival and traveled the nation to review 56 productions by schools from Maine to Hawaii. He has directed five of Tennessee Williams’ earliest full-length plays including the 21st-century premieres of Candles to the Sun and Stairs to the Roof.

He has authored essays, articles, and presentations on Williams’ early career, and composed performances introducing these little-known works. Tom also directed two lost plays by the 20th-century Spanish playwright, Jose Lopez Rubio, and the premiere of James Still’s play Meet Me Incognito. He is former chair of the Mid-America Theatre Conference Directing Symposium and received the 2007 Award of Honor by the Illinois Theatre Association. With colleague Burnet Hobgood, Mitchell authored “A Framework for Directing in the Theatre” and has made numerous presentations on the practice of directing in the contemporary theatre.

Carrie Houk

Executive Artistic Director

Carrie Houk has spent her professional life as an actor, casting director, producer and teaching artist. Educated at HB Studio in NYC and the Conservatory of Theatre Arts at Webster University, she began her acting career at the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis and from there worked in NYC, LA and Chicago. She has cast over thirty films, numerous television shows and countless national commercials and has worked with directors Steven Soderbergh, Robert Altman, Alexander Payne, Howard Franklin, among others. She started her casting career in Chicago thirty five years ago and from there settled back in St. Louis to raise her daughter.

She has produced two films and the critically acclaimed production of Tennessee Williams’s “Stairs to the Roof” directed by Fred Abrahamse. As an adjunct professor of casting and acting at Webster University, Houk has also taught at Washington University and Columbia College Chicago.