Roger Rees Appointed Williamstown Theatre Festival Artistic Director

A year-long search has led to the appointment of Roger Rees as the new Artistic Director of the Williamstown Theatre Festival (WTF). Ira Lapidus, President of the Festival's Board of Trustees made the announcement. Rees, who will assume his post January 1, 2005, replaces Michael Ritchie, who is leaving the Festival to become Artistic Director of Center Theatre Group in Los Angeles.

As Artistic Director, Rees's tenure begins as WTF prepares to move into its new home - Williams College's '62 Center for Theatre and Dance - beginning with the 2005 season. He will oversee all aspects of the Festival's programming and operations, planning productions for the Festival's 550-seat Main Stage and additional 250 seat theatre as well as supervising outreach programs, the Theatre's educational workshop and a multitude of special events that are part of each summer season.

Lapidus said, "WTF's Board of Trustees is thrilled to have Roger Rees lead the Festival, confident that under his guidance WTF will continue to expand upon its rich theatrical legacy as a home for the best artists in breathtaking productions. Roger is the perfect leader for the Festival as it discovers new traditions in the '62 Center for Theatre and Dance."

Rees commented, "Williamstown has been a tremendous inspiration to me since I first worked at the Festival in 1997. WTF is unique among non-profit theatres for its history of re-discovering classics and its ability to produce large-scale plays and musicals. As a director, I appreciate the tremendous artistic freedom to explore material, both established and new, available at the Festival. WTF will continue to be a home to the brightest theatre artists working today, and I intend to continue building on the success the Festival achieved under Michael Ritchie's guidance. I look forward to meeting the Festival's many patrons and supporters and sharing my ideas for the Festival's future soon."

Outgoing WTF Producer Michael Ritchie says "I'm delighted that an artist of Roger's caliber will be succeeding me at WTF. He has been a friend of mine for years, and will bring a tremendous wealth of experience and artistic sensibility to his new role as Artistic Director. I have enjoyed working with him at WTF since I asked him to direct The Film Society in 1997 and I know that he will work well with the talented artists and administrators at the Festival."

Roger Rees is a five-year veteran of the Williamstown Theatre Festival where he has directed Jon Robin Baitz's The Film Society, The Rivals by Richard Brinsley Sheridan, The Late Middle Classes by Simon Gray, and Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew in which he also played Petruchio opposite Bebe Neuwirth. He appeared in WTF's 2004 production of Cabaret & Main, and took part in the Festival's 50th Anniversary Celebration, As Dreams Are Made On, this past August.

In London's West End he originated the roles of Henry in Tom Stoppard's The Real Thing and Kerner in Stoppard's Hapgood. Rees is an Associate Artist at the Royal Shakespeare Company where he played Hamlet as well as roles in Love's Labour's Lost, Cymbeline, Much Ado About Nothing, and The Suicide. His biggest RSC success came in the title role in The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickelby, for which he won both an Olivier Award and a Tony Award. He was also nominated for an Emmy Award for the television version of the play.

On the New York stage, Rees won an Obie Award in 1992 for his portrayal of Graydon Massey in John Robin Baitz's The End of the Day. He received Tony and Drama Desk Award nominations for his portrayal as George in Cocteau's Indiscretions opposite Kathleen Turner, Eileen Atkins, Jude Law, and Cynthia Nixon. He also appeared in The Rehearsal; Moliere's Misanthrope, in which he played opposite Uma Thurman; and opposite Derek Jacobi in a production of Uncle Vanya. Most recently, he starred in the musical A Man of No Importance at Lincoln Center Theater.

In addition to his directing work at WTF, Rees has helmed productions of The Merry Wives of Windsor and Love's Labour's Lost at San Diego's Old Globe and Shaw's Arms and the Man at the Roundabout Theatre. He conceived and directed the Kurt Weill show Here Lies Jenny, which recently completed a six-month run Off-Broadway starring Bebe Neuwirth.

Rees has acted in nearly fifty films including Frida, The Emperor's Club, and The Scorpion King. He appears in the upcoming films Social Grace and The Pink Panther, both slated for release in 2005. On television he has played recurring roles on "Cheers" (as Robin Colcord) and "The West Wing" (as British Ambassador Lord John Marbury). His voice can be heard on many audio book recordings.

He was the Associate Artistic Director of the Bristol Old Vic in 1985-86. He held the Hoffman Chair as Professor of Drama at Florida State University in 1988, and lectured on acting at UCLA. Presently he teaches at Fordham University. He has also contributed to a number of books on Shakespearean acting.

Roger Rees was born May 5, 1944 in Aberwystwyth, Wales.

Additional information about the Williamstown Theatre Festival is available on the internet at www.WTFestival.org.