Williamstown Theatre Festival Artistic Director Jenny Gersten announced today the full cast and creative team for the fourth production of the 2013 season: Pygmalion will be presented on the Main Stage from July 17 - 27 (opening July 18 at 7:30 p.m.).
George Bernard Shaw, who received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1925, creates a sharp satire on class and women's independence in his century-old masterpiece Pygmalion. With all the parallels of a modern reality-show makeover, an impoverished flower seller is taken in hand by a linguistics professor who attempts to change her accent and pass her off as the epitome of English society. For a wager.
Award-winning director
Nicholas Martin (Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike) returns for his 16th season to Williamstown to take on this uproarious and poignant battle of wits between two of theatre's most iconic characters. WTF's revival of Pygmalion features
Robert Sean Leonard (Dead Poet's Society, "House") as Henry Higgins, who returns to the Festival after starring in WTF's 1997 hit production of Dead End, also directed by Martin. Eliza Doolittle is played by
Heather Lind ("Boardwalk Empire," The Merchant of Venice), who began her career at WTF as an acting apprentice and last year wowed audiences in WTF's The Blue Deep.
Paxton Whitehead (WTF's She Stoops to Conquer and The Importance of Being Earnest) plays Colonel Pickering. The cast also features
Maureen Anderman (The Lady from Dubuque, Tony nominee) as Mrs. Higgins,
Patricia Conolly (The Sound of Music) as Mrs. Eynsford Hill,
Caitlin O'Connell (The Heiress) as Mrs. Pearce, and
Don Lee Sparks (Take Me Out) as Mr. Doolittle. Also included are
Dan O'Brien (Arms and the Girl) as Bystander 1, Maura Hooper as Clara, Fede
Rico Rodriguez as Freddy Hill,
Alex Seife as Taxi Man, and Ariana Seigel as Parlor Maid.
The creative team includes
Alexander Dodge (Scenic Design),
Phillip Rosenberg (Lighting Design),
Gabriel Berry and Andrea Hood (Costume Design),
Drew Levy (Sound Design),
Deb Hecht (Dialect Coach), and
Mark Bennett (Composer).
Jillian M. Oliver is the Production Stage Manager.
As previously announced, the complete 2013
Williamstown Theatre Festival season runs from June 26 - August 18, 2013 and includes the highly anticipated World Premiere of The Bridges of Madison County, a new musical by
Jason Robert Brown and
Marsha Norman; the madcap revival of the Marx Brothers' Animal Crackers; and a
Nicholas Martin-directed production of
George Bernard Shaw's classic Pygmalion on the Main Stage. On the Nikos Stage, audiences will see a revival of
Tom Stoppard's Hapgood; the new musical Johnny Baseball by
Richard Dresser (book),
Robert Reale (music), and
Willie Reale (lyrics); The Debate Society's darkly comic thriller Blood Play; and the World Premiere of
Bess Wohl's American Hero. The season will also see the return of many Williamstown veterans including
Kate Burton (in Hapgood), and
Robert Sean Leonard (inPygmalion), plus Tony Award-winning director
Bartlett Sher making his directing debut at the Festival.
Tickets to Pygmalion are $60 ($55 for preview performances). Tickets for all Williamstown Theatre Festival productions can be purchased online at wtfestival.org, by phone at 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.
Since 1955, the Williamstown Theatre Festival has brought America's finest actors, directors, designers, and playwrights to the Berkshires, engaging a loyal audience of both residents and summer visitors. Each WTF season is designed to present unique opportunities for artists and audience alike, revisiting classic plays with innovative productions, developing and nurturing bold new plays and musicals, and offering a rich array of accompanying cultural events including Free Theatre, Late-Night Cabarets, readings, workshops, and educational programs. While best known for our acclaimed productions, WTF is also home to one of the nation's top training and professional development programs for new generations of aspiring theatre artists and administrators. WTF was honored with the Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre in 2002 and the Commonwealth Award for Achievement in 2011.
