Summer & Smoke by Tennessee Williams

Murphy Hall, Crafton-Preyer Theatre

Premiered in 1947 under the historic direction of Margo Jones, this evocative play uses poetic realism to tell a story of unrequited love, duty and morality.  The imagery and rich emotional landscape of a small Mississippi town shortly before World War I explores the lives of a demure preacher’s daughter and a wildly passionate young doctor who both smolder with desires of the spirit and the flesh. As part of his dissertation research, theatre doctoral student Boone Hopkins has studied the staging and rehearsal practices of director Jones and brings this research to his restaging of the play. A touching demonstration of Williams’ keen ability to reveal the human condition without passing judgment, the play is a meditation on ethical and social dilemmas, themes that become even more resonate at an educational theatre.