Playwright Tennessee Williams once said, “I have found it easier to identify with the characters who verge upon hysteria, who were frightened of life, who were desperate to reach out to another person. But these seemingly fragile people are the strong people really.” True to these beliefs, he created some of the most complex characters ever to be seen onstage, while the truth behind his own identification with these people is the subject of fascinating exploration.

The Tennessee Williams Centennial Festival is being held this weekend throughout the campus of Georgetown University. The Tenn Cent Festival, as it has been called, recognizes Williams’ 100th birthday and is a presented by Georgetown University Theatre and Performance Studies Program at the Davis Performing Arts Center, in partnership with the American Studies Program and Arena stage at the Mead Center for American Theater.