The 28th annual Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival kicks off today. Running for five days – from March 19 through March 23 – the series of events will celebrate the life of playwright Tennessee Williams, one of the most important and influential writers to ever call New Orleans home.

Among other events, this year’s festival features two days of master classes for writers and readers, a roster of lively discussions among distinguished panelists from all over the country, celebrity interviews, theatrical productions, food presentations, music events, a scholars’ conference, a breakfast book club, walking tours, a book fair, and a series of special evening events and parties.

A total of 25 productions, ranging from one act readings to the NOLA Project’s production of “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” at Le Petit Theatre, will take place during the five day festival. Another highlight will be actress Judith Chapman’s one woman show about Vivien Leigh, who immortalized the character of Blanche DuBois in the screen version of Williams’ “A Streetcar Named Desire.”

Clarinetists Dr. Michael White and Tom Sancton will also hold a special performance at the Palm Court Jazz Cafe called “The Jazz Revival Revisited,” which will look at the jazz revival of the 1950s and 1960s.

The festival will conclude with the annual Stanley and Stella Shouting contest in Jackson Square, when contestants are judged on their ability to mimic Marlon Brando’s impassioned and anguished cries for his estranged wife in “A Streetcar Named Desire.”

Prices for individual events vary. Group rates are 20 percent off for groups of five or more. For more information, call (504) 581-1144 or visit www.tennesseewilliams.net.