TONY® AWARD-WINNING WILLIAMSTOWN THEATRE FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES ADDITIONAL PROGRAMMING & CASTING FOR THE 2016 SUMMER SEASON

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Rick Miramontez / Molly Barnett / Matthew Troillett
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, PLEASE

TONY® AWARD-WINNING
WILLIAMSTOWN THEATRE FESTIVAL
ANNOUNCES ADDITIONAL PROGRAMMING & CASTING FOR THE 2016 SUMMER SEASON

LATE-NIGHT CABARET SERIES, FRIDAYS@3 SERIES, THE 2016 BORIS SAGAL
AND BILL FOELLER FELLOWSHIP PROJECTS AND FURTHER CASTING FOR
MAIN STAGE AND NIKOS STAGE

New York, NY (May 19, 2016) – Williamstown Theatre Festival (Mandy Greenfield, Artistic Director) has announced additional programming and casting for the 2016 summer season. Additions to this season’s slate of events include the legendary Late-Night Cabaret, the always popular Fridays@3 Reading Series, and this year’s Boris Sagal and Bill Foeller Fellowship Projects.

In addition to the previously announced Main Stage and Nikos Stage productions, the 62nd summer Festival schedule includes numerous additional activities and events. WTF’s legendary Late-Night Cabaret Series showcases the talents of the Festival artists, both established and emerging, and runs throughout the summer, with performances from July 14 – 16, July 28 – 30 & August 11 – 13th @ 10:30pm. This year’s Fridays@3 Reading Series includes Actually I Didn’t by Anna Ziegler, directed by Daniella Topol (July 8), Where Storms Are Born by 2016 Playwright-in-Residence Harrison David Rivers, directed by 2016 Tony Award nominee Liesl Tommy (July 15), the 2016 L. Arnold Weissberger New Play Award Winner Hannah and the Dread Gazebo by Jiehae Park (July 29), Huzzah! with book, music and lyrics by Nell Benjamin and Laurence O’Keefe, directed by Marc Bruni (August 5), and Cutie & Bear by Bekah Brunstetter, directed by Evan Cabnet.

The 2016 Boris Sagal Fellowship/Drama League Residency is awarded to Pirronne Yousefzadeh (A New York Theatre Workshop’s Usual Suspect) who will direct Utopia, MN by Meg Miroshnik (The Fairytale Lives of Russian Girls, The Droll) on July 19 and 20.

The 2016 Bill Foeller Fellow is Danny Sharron (Co-Artistic Director of NYC-based UglyRhino Productions) who will present a new, devised play by Jason Kim (HBO’s “Girls”, KPOP, Co-op) on August 15 and 16.

Joining the previously announced Main Stage Season casts are: Portia in The Rose Tattoo (June 28 – July 17) and Ashley Austin Morris and Mary Wiseman will join the world premiere of Romance Novels For Dummies (July 20 – July 31). The Nikos Stage Season companies will also include Katy Sullivan in the World Premiere Cost of Living (June 29 – July 10), and Rohan Kymal and Taylor Trensch in the World Premiere musical Poster Boy (July 27 – August 7).

2016 ADDITIONAL PROGRAMMING

LATE-NIGHT CABARET | July 14–16, July 28–30, and August 11–13 at 10:30pm
Goodrich Hall
$30

The stars come out at night in Williamstown! WTF’s legendary Late-Night Cabaret Series showcases the talents of the Festival artists— both established and emerging — during these exhilarating, intimate and unforgettable evenings. Donate at the $300 level for advance access to Cabaret tickets. Remaining tickets go on sale one week prior to performances.

FRIDAYS@3 | Fridays from July 8 – August 19
Events are free with a suggested donation of $5. Reservations are required.

Get a glimpse of bold new work from leading playwrights read by members of the WTF Company and others. The 2016 Friday@3 afternoon reading series will include:

July 8
Actually I Didn’t
by Anna Ziegler
directed by Daniella Topol

July 15
Where Storms Are Born
by 2016 Playwright-in-Residence Harrison David Rivers
directed by Liesl Tommy

July 22
To Be Announced

July 29
Hannah and the Dread Gazebo
by Jiehae Park
2016 L. Arnold Weissberger New Play Award Winner

August 5
Huzzah!
with book, music and lyrics by Nell Benjamin and Laurence O’Keefe
directed by Marc Bruni

August 19
Cutie & Bear
by Bekah Brunstetter
directed by Evan Cabnet

FELLOWSHIP PROJECTS

Annually, WTF awards the prestigious Boris Sagal and Bill Foeller Directing Fellowships to two up-and-coming directors, challenging them to create ambitious new work in collaboration with writers, designers and members of the WTF Non-Equity Company. This year’s projects include:

Utopia, MN | July 19 & 20 at 7:00 & 11:00pm
Directing Studio
Free; Reservations required.

The 2016 Boris Sagal Fellowship/Drama League Residency is awarded to Pirronne Yousefzadeh to direct Utopia, MN by Meg Miroshnik.

Title TBD | August 15 & 16 at 7:00 & 11:00pm
Directing Studio
Free; Reservations required.

2016 Bill Foeller Fellow Danny Sharron (Co-Artistic Director of NYC-based UglyRhino) presents a new, devised play by Jason Kim (HBO’s “Girls”).

Special thanks to The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust for supporting Williamstown Theatre Festival.

TICKETS AND SCHEDULE

Single tickets are now available at www.wtfestival.org or by mail order using WTF’s season brochure (call 413-597-3400 to join the mailing list). The WTF Box Office will open in June at which point tickets may be purchased online, by phone (by calling 413-597-3400), or in person at the ‘62 Center for Theatre and Dance Box Office at 1000 Main St (Route 2), Williamstown, MA 02167.

WILLIAMSTOWN THEATRE FESTIVAL

Under artistic director Mandy Greenfield, Williamstown Theatre Festival, recipient of the Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre, creates renowned productions of both world premiere plays as well as revivals of some of the great works of the Western theatrical canon. Since 1955, Williamstown Theatre Festival has brought together gifted emerging theater artists with our country’s finest theater professionals to produce a vibrant summer season in the Berkshires, while simultaneously running one of the country’s top training and professional development programs. In 2015, the Festival launched a New Play Commissioning Program as well as a community-immersive theatre initiative which unites professional theater artists with Berkshire residents to create new work. Playwrights under commission include Fernanda Coppel, Melissa James Gibson (co-commission with Second Stage), Halley Feiffer, Matthew Lopez, Jiehae Park, Benjamin Scheuer and Lucy Thurber. Additionally, each summer the Festival produces an array of unique cultural events including family-friendly theater, Late-Night Cabarets, music concerts and comedy. The artists and productions shaped at the Festival each summer fill theaters in New York, around the country and abroad. Recent critically acclaimed productions launched by Williamstown Theatre Festival include: Sam Shepard’s FOOL FOR LOVE directed by Daniel Aukin, starring Nina Arianda and Sam Rockwell; Bernard Pomerance’s THE ELEPHANT MAN directed by Scott Ellis, starring Bradley Cooper; John Kander, Frank Ebb and Terrence McNally’s THE VISIT, directed by John Doyle, starring Chita Rivera, among many others. For more information, please visit www.wtfestival.org.

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