鈥�Williamstown Theatre Festival occupies a very specific, very vital place in the American theatrical landscape,鈥� says Artistic Director Mandy Greenfield. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a place where luminary theatre artists and unknown up-and-coming artists gravitate, where they can really throw artistic spaghetti at the wall鈥攖ake a big risk, do something they鈥檝e been yearning to do.鈥� Greenfield has been artistic director of the summer festival in Massachusetts鈥� Berkshire Mountains since 2014; the festival itself dates to 1955 and won the 2002 Tony for Outstanding Regional Theatre.
As an example of the veteran-apprentice synergy, she cites Williamstown鈥檚 2012 revival of The Elephant Man, starring Bradley Cooper: 鈥淪ome of the non-Equity kids from that show moved with it鈥� to Broadway two years later.
How does Greenfield plan her season? 鈥淚鈥檓 always looking to put together a season that鈥檚 diverse鈥攕tylistically diverse, diverse in terms of the stories it鈥檚 looking at and telling, diverse in terms of the artists making the work.鈥� In addition to the two main venues, 鈥渁 whole layer of work happens developmentally鈥攁 public reading series, a cabaret series, a late-night series. We do workshops, and there鈥檚 the commissionees.鈥� Casting is done in New York City, home of the festival鈥檚 main office in Times Square.
This summer season illustrates Greenfield鈥檚 diversity goal. It begins June 27 with two-time Tony nominee and Emmy winner S. Epatha Merkerson and Golden Globe and Emmy nominee Jane Kaczmarek in The Roommate, a new two-hander by Jen Silverman. Merkerson portrays a Midwesterner taking on a roommate from New York (Kaczmarek) who leads her on new adventures. Mike Donahue directs.
Starting July 19, Tony nominee Jessica Hecht stars in Sarah Ruhl鈥檚 The Clean House, a 2005 Pulitzer Prize finalist. In the whimsical play, a physician (Jayne Atkinson) discovers that her sister (Hecht) and not her Brazilian cleaning woman (Cote de Pablo) has been cleaning her home. Rebecca Taichman (Indecent) directs.
A new musical, A Legendary Romance, about a retired film producer looking back on his life arrives August 3, directed by Lonny Price. The summer also includes Jason Kim鈥檚 The Model American, about a young, gay Latino immigrant (June 28); Where Storms Are Born by the festival鈥檚 2016 playwright-in-residence Harrison David Rivers, directed by Saheem Ali, about a mother and son mourning his sibling (July 12); and Halley Feiffer鈥檚 Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow, a modern version of Chekhov鈥檚 Three Sisters, directed by Trip Cullman (July 26).
The festival, Greenfield says, 鈥渋s a magnet鈥� for actors, writers, directors鈥攁nyone involved in the stage. 鈥淭hey want to be there. They want to be part of its energy.鈥�
