White House Festival of the Arts
In this photograph, actors Maureen Stapleton and George Grizzard perform a scene from Tennessee Williams' "The Glass Menagerie" in the East Room during the White House Festival of the Arts on June 14, 1965. Actress Helen Hayes introduced selections from four contemporary plays that were performed in the East Room. Stapleton, Grizzard, Piper Laurie, and Pat Hingle performed scenes from "The Glass Menagerie;" Jack Albertson, Martin Sheen, and Irene Dailey performed excerpts from Frank Gilroy's "The Subject was Roses;" Mildred Dunnock reprised her role from Arthur Miller's "Death of a Salesman;" and Tim Ligon, Moses Gunn, and other actors from Arena Stage in Washington, D.C. performed a scene from Millard Lampell's "Hard Travelin'."
Over 300 guests attended the White House Festival of the Arts to honor contemporary American artistic achievement. 65 works of art borrowed from 39 museums across the country were displayed in the East Wing and Jacqueline Kennedy Garden. The 14-hour event also featured a photography exhibition in the Vermeil Room, a film screening in the State Dining Room, and a variety of performances in the East Room, State Dining Room, and the South Lawn including Duke Ellington, the Robert Joffrey Ballet, and the Louisville Orchestra.
- Photographer
- Joseph J. Scherschel
- Date of Work
- June 14, 1965
- Type
- Photograph
- Credit
- White House Historical Association
