A LETTER FROM THE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

Theatre artists have never felt a greater sense of purpose than they do right now.

Connected deeply to our Greek theatrical ancestors, we see our function as one paramount to the survival of democracy.  The instruments of our art – human bodies, voices, imaginations, and instincts – are used in service of understanding what it means to be a person, a citizen, and a society.

Like our theatrical ancestors, we bring people together to engage in cultural discourse, to examine the darkest and lightest corners of the human experience, and to cause reflection and change.  We no longer perform in open-air theatres carved into the mountainside but we gather in the mountains of the Berkshires to perform the seasonal tradition of creating new work that entertains, delights, and causes catharsis.

Theatre insists that being together in one place, at one time, with our ringers off, looking ahead, not down at our screens, still matters.  Theatre reassures us that it’s safe to say full thoughts, to express, to feel, to think, to use language, to cry, and to laugh with abandon in a communal space, darkly lit, amongst strangers.  Theatre reminds us that we are alive and sentient and a part of something larger than ourselves.

The artists who will gather with us in Williamstown this summer include both beloved members of our extended Festival family and new, rising forces in the American theatre: Saheem Ali, Brooks Ashmanskas, Douglas Carter Beane, Matthew Broderick, Mark Brokaw, Rachel Chavkin, David Cromer, Tavi Gevinson, Matt Gould, Ann Harada, Jessica Hecht, Carson Kreitzer, Lila Neugebauer, Mary-Louise Parker, Steven Pasquale, Adam Rapp, Theresa Rebeck, Jen Silverman, James Anthony Tyler, Laura Savia, and Moritz von Stuelpnagel, to name just a few.

Together, we will create plays with a purpose that recalls our ancient selves, yes.  But we gather and engage and create new work not to look back nostalgically at a simpler time, but to forge a deeper, more nuanced, empathic, and rich understanding of what it means to be alive right now and to ensure a way forward, together.

Our success relies on you.  Your generous donations this spring will fund artist salaries, set construction, lighting, and so much more, and allow us to generate creative work that inspires, entertains, and drives the cultural conversation.  I hope that you will give purposefully, proudly, and, of course, generously to support Williamstown Theatre Festival.  Our artists and, in no small way, our democracy depend on you.  Thank you for your enduring support.  I look forward to seeing you and sharing our work with you this summer in Williamstown.

With gratitude and warm regards,

Mandy Greenfield
Artistic Director

 

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Thank you for considering a tax-deductible gift to Williamstown Theatre Festival. Your generosity fuels our ability to create the extraordinary works of theatre that have become our trademark over the last 63 years.

But there’s so much more to the Festival than what you see on stage. As a donor, you’re also supporting educational opportunities like the Professional Training Program – the nation’s premier training ground for the next generation of theatre artists, technicians, and administrators. Donations also help fund year-round play development activities including artist fellowships, play readings, and workshops. Moreover, your support of the Festival helps strengthen an institution that generates critical and significant economic activity in Berkshire County.

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