actors theatre

One of Tennessee Williams' finest and most famous plays, Suddenly Last Summer is a psychological southern gothic drama set on a summer evening in the garden district of New Orleans at the end of the 1930s.  The poet, Sebastian Venable, is dead. And his traveling companion and cousin, Catherine Holly (Larissa Archer), believes she has witnessed "something unspeakable".   Sebastian's mother (Joyce Henderson) secures the support of Dr. Cukrowicz (Mark Bird) from the State Psychiatric Hospital in an attempt to "preserve the memory and reputation of her son".  As an investigation into the mysterious death of Sebastian Venable unfolds,Mrs. Venable goes to extraordinary lengths to stop Catherine from telling her version of the events last summer.
 Considered one of Williams' starkest and most poetic works, the play incorporates elements from the playwright's own life, along with elements from the life of his idol, poet Hart Crane. Williams had begun psychoanalysis shortly before writing the play and his sister, Rose, was compelled to undergo a lobotomy at the instigation of their domineering mother.
 The ATSF production is directed by Christian Phillips, designed by James Baldock and Biz Duncan and features a veteran cast of Larissa Archer, Mark Bird, Dane, Martha Foster, Joyce Henderson, Joe Napoli and Carol Robinson.