From October 7 through 10th, New York dancers and performers will pay tribute to the '62 Center for Theatre and Dance at Williams College in the second week of its opening celebration. All performances will take place at the college, which is located at 1000 Main Street in Williamstown, MA. October 7th and 8th at 8 PM, Songs of Innocence and Experience will be presented. "Two-time Tony Award-winning composer and lyricist William Finn (Williams College Class of 1974) presents a song cycle about innocence and experience, and about his time at Williams College. Performers include: Malcolm Gets, Michael Winther (Williams alum), Sebastian Arcelus (Williams alum), William Finn (Williams alum), Darius de Haas, Lee Zarrett, Megan Lawrence and Sally Wilfert."On October 9th at 7 PM, An Evening of Ballet with Dancers & Musicians from the New York City Ballet will be performed. The evening will feature "four pieces, including signature ballets and new works: Duo Concertant, choreographed by George Balanchine; Octet, choreographed by Peter Martins; After the Rain, choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon; and In the Night, choreographed by Jerome Robbins."A Broadway all-star line-up will pay tribute to the opening of the inaugural season of the new '62 Center for Theatre and Dance at Williams College on October 10th at 8 PM. "The evening will feature song and dance performances by a host of well-known Broadway performers, including: Brent Barrett, Laura Benanti, Jim Borstelmann, Charlotte D'Amboise, Judy Kuhn, Terrence Mann, James Naughton, Billy Porter, Tommy Tune, Damian Woetzel and Jenifer Ringer. The music director of the evening is Scott Cady, and creative co-directors are Roger Rees and Ann Reinking."
The '62 Center for Theatre and Dance is a new $50 million performing arts complex at Williams College in Massachusetts. The facility will provide teaching, performance and technical spaces for the College's theatre department and dance program.It will also host the CenterSeries, a program of performances and collaborative interdisciplinary residencies by renowned visiting artists, including poet Billy Collins, composers Philip Glass and William Finn, the Handspring Puppet Company from South Africa, the Liz Lerman Dance Exchange, and Dancers & Musicians from the New York City Ballet. The '62 Center is also home to the Williamstown Theatre Festival, one of the country's top regional theatre companies, which presented its 2005 summer season at the complex.Designed by William Rawn Associates, Architects, Inc., Boston, MA, the '62 Center for Theatre and Dance at Williams College will feature three intimate theatres and a dance rehearsal studio, as well as a dramatic and welcoming glass entrance lobby.
Herbert A. Allen, as lead donor, asked that the Center be named in honor of his classmates, the Williams College Class of 1962. Williams College will inaugurate the '62 Center for Theatre and Dance with a performing arts celebration that runs from September 30 to October 9, featuring 10 days of theatre, dance, readings and musical performances by visiting artists, Williams College students and alumni.For more information on the performances, call 413-597-2425 or visit www.williams.edu/go/62center.
