VIDEO: The Annual Tribute to Tennessee Williams Begins This Weekend

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – The weekend is approaching, and for Columbus residents this one is special.

The next three days are dedicated to celebrating the life and works of Tennessee Williams.

Outside of the Arts Center off of Main Street in Columbus, volunteers prepare for another annual Tennessee Williams Tribute, but this particular one will feature another famous Mississippian.

“This year, we’ve entitled it “The Elvis factor” because we’re looking at Tennessee’s play, Orpheus Descending,” in which he wrote the main character of Val on the life… based on the life of Elvis,” said chair of the Tennessee Williams Tribute, Keith Gaskin.

Along with playing Orpheus Descending, this weekend’s event features porch plays, acting workshops, silent auctions, and a new work, making its debut in Columbus.

“Goodbye Mama, written by two guys from Memphis, and this will be the first time that it shown anywhere, and it’s a fictitious look at the time that Elvis and Tennessee Williams actually met and we think discussed the possibility of him playing the role of Val,” said Gaskin.

Being close together in both time period and birthplace, organizers like Keith Gaskin sees putting the two together a no-brainer.

“We thought it was interesting that two, great, American icons like Elvis Presley and Tennessee Williams were actually born just an hour apart from each other and then would go on to be at the top of their career in music and theatre,” said Gaskin.

This event is a way to not only show travelers the great works of a writer but the city in which he was born.

“Tennessee Williams, again, is an international figure that was born here in Columbus, so a lot of the supporters that will travel here for this event are Tennessee Williams fans. But also, it’s a time for people to see Columbus and it’s just a great way to celebrate a native son and expose our city to people who otherwise probably wouldn’t visit us,” said Gaskin.

Volunteers tell us tickets are still available. You can go to their website at www.tennesseewilliamstribute.org