Tennessee Williams' 1947 New Orleans masterpiece "A Streetcar Named Desire" remains an important piece of popular theater 50 years after its first performance. Streetcar is also the play that inspired the literati of New Orleans to organize a festival honoring Tennessee Williams. The Tennessee Williams Festival has attracted writers, actors, students, and play goers to New Orleans since its inception years ago, and this year's festival was the biggest and best yet.
One of the most popular events is the "Stella" screaming contest, during which, 25 participants gather in the heart of the French Quarter and get the opportunity to yell out Stanley Kowlaski's famous exclamation, "Hey, Stella!" While the role is probably best known for Brando, Williams' Stanley is dynamic enough for any festival-goer to find a new way to scream out to the Stella stand-in perched on a balcony on one of the famed Pontalba apartments in the French Quarter.
Each entrant competes by calling " "Stella!" (or "Stanley!") three times. Loudness counts, but contestants should also portray Stanley’s angst and emotion. Finalists selected in the outdoor portion of the contest compete on the main stage of Le Petit Theatre for the grand prize.
For the past several years, the French Quarter contest has grown in size, and the quality of the competition has also improved.
This year's competitors, not all of whom were from New Orleans, ranged in age and approach, but all of them yelled for Stella with intensity and passion. It was a fun and interesting way to successfully close this year's Tennessee Williams Festival. It was also just one more reason why you should come and visit New Orleans, one of the most interesting cities on Earth. Below is one "unique" performance that attendees were treated to.
