What led a young, unknown writer named Tom to become known to the world as the legendary playwright, Tennessee Williams?
Tennessee Rising: The Dawn of Tennessee Williams based on the life & career of Tennessee Williams, brings these unexplored years (1939-1945) centre stage as the audience plays the role of kind stranger to a young Williams, as he experiences the unexpected highs and devastating lows of his early life and career, wherein his most iconic character emerges: himself.
Written and performed by United Solo Award winner Jacob Storms and originally Directed for the stage by Alan Cumming, this is the international premiere of the show that took NYC by storm.
Writer and performer Jacob Storms said: “Tennessee Rising is a very personal piece because I really get to express myself through Tennessee’s early life, experiences, and opinions, many of which we share very deeply which is why I decided to write the play. I love getting to explore Tennessee’s formative years with audiences, which have never been seriously investigated on the stage until now. It’s so much fun as an actor to start the play as the bright eyed, naive Tom Williams and slowly change into the more jaded Tennessee as time goes by and life happens to him. The six-year period I focus on is crucial because it is during this time in which he goes from a young unknown writer to becoming the successful playwright we know him as today. During this span of time, he also encounters most of the real-life figures who will go on to inspire his major characters in his future plays as well as experiences the highest highs and lowest lows life has to offer, including first love and heartbreak, professional failure and success, the loss of his beloved grandmother and the mental illness of his sister Rose, all as World War II rages in the background.”
