A WALK THROUGH WILLIAMSTOWN WITH DANIEL GOLDSTEIN
A Walk Through Williamstown is our weekly series celebrating the town that supports WTF every summer, and the artists who return year after year. Every Sunday, join one of our artists as they chat with us at their favorite local spot.

DANIEL GOLDSTEIN [6^th WTF Season] Favorite Williamstown Spot: Hot Tomatoes
Current WTF Show: UNKNOWN SOLDIER (Book & Lyrics) playing July 30-August 9

1. Why are we in this spot? What does it mean to you?
It’s actually good pizza in Massachusetts, which is often a bit of an anomaly, and you get to eat sitting next to this amazing stream. This is like everything that you want in Williamstown: beautiful, bucolic nature and a little bit of culture – i.e. pizza. Pizza is culture. It’s the birthplace of civilization. That’s why everyone is so smart in New Haven, it’s because they have really good pizza.

2. What keeps you coming back to WTF?
This is my 6th season. Williamstown is always challenging me to do new things. When I was here as a Directing Intern, I was doing that for the very first time as a real life grown-up. Then I had the Sagal Fellowship and I got to do a classic play. I had to do it in the round and I had to do it with a cast that already existed. Then I got to direct Sam Shepard. And now I’m here as a writer which is the first time that’s happened. So Williamstown is a place that is constantly challenging people to do better than they have done before, and to give them the creative space to do new things. You can just focus on the work and dedicate yourself to the work, and you know you’re in a community that is all about making great stuff. I think one of the things that’s amazing about what Mandy is bringing to the Festival is that it’s not just about doing great work, but also about fostering new work. She’s really continuing to foster what was so amazing about that magical summer of ’99, when the people who created Unknown Soldier all met. We all met as interns and started working together that summer. That was all born here. Mandy is  fostering the next generation of those people, those experiences, and those relationships.

3. Describe Unknown Soldier in 5 words or less.
Musical, war, romantic, mystery….Estelle [Parsons]. She’s great. It’s so much fun to have her in the room.

4. If you were a pizza topping what would you be?
I’d be pepperoni. That’s the only real pizza topping there ever should be. I would be spicy pepperoni. And crisp. It has to be crisp. It has to be a little burnt. It’s so important. Because otherwise what’s the point? I’m very anti-creativity on pizza.

5. If you weren’t doing your current job at WTF, what other job at the festival would you want to do?
I’d be an apprentice, for sure.I was a Directing Intern and Directing Assistant, but I never got to be an Apprentice. They’re the life of the festival. Everything happens when you’re an apprentice. They are the only people who are actually truly having a great time. Everyone else is really stressed out and worried about the thing they are making.  I want to take a stand-up class with Lewis Black,  and I want to do an overnight set change, and perform in a Directing Intern project. Apprentices are awesome. The Festival happens because of them. Not just because of what they do labor-wise, but the spirit of the Festival exists because of them. They are like the pixie dust that makes this all possible. Also the tuna melts at the cafeteria are so good.