Tyne Daly, Brandon Victor Dixon, Amy Spanger and More Join Williamstown Theatre Festival Casts

Williamstown Theatre Festival Artistic Director Jenny Gersten has announced additional casting for the 2012 Summer Season.  A host of Williamstown Theatre Fesival veterans and talented newcomers including Becky Ann Baker, Marylouise Burke, Tyne Daly, Brandon Victor Dixon, Alison Fraser, Heather Lind, Amy Spanger, Jeremy Strong, Lili Taylor and many more, will take the stage during the Festival's 58^th Season.

As previously announced, the complete 2012 Williamstown Theatre Festival season runs from June 26 – August 19, 2012 and includes Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest, a Preview Production of the new musical Far From Heaven, and a new translation of Ivan Turgenev's A Month in the Country on the Main Stage, with Lucy Boyle's The Blue Deep, Neil Simon's Last of the Red Hot Lovers, Bernard Pomerance's The Elephant Man, and Katori Hall's WHADDABLOODCLOT!!! on the Nikos Stage.   The season will also include a special workshop production of David Byrne's Here Lies Love, which will play at nearby MASS MoCa.

MAIN STAGE CASTING NEWS 

The season's first Main Stage production, the David Hyde Pierce-directed production of Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest (playing June 26 – July 14, 2012), will feature Drama Desk Award-winner Marylouise Burke (Fuddy Meers), Louis Cancelmi (former WTF Act I Member), Sean Cullen, Emmy and Tony Award-winner Tyne Daly ("Cagney and Lacey," Gypsy), Glenn Fitzgerald,Paul McGrane, Amy Spanger and Henry Stram (WTF's R Shomon). 

The Preview Production of the new musical Far From Heaven (based on the 2002 movie), which plays the Main Stage from July 19 – 29, 2012, will feature a cast that includes JB Adams as 'Morris Farnsworth' (the same role he played in the film version), Nancy Anderson,Quincy Tyler Bernstine (WTF's Tough Titty), Brandon Victor Dixon, Sarah Jane Everman, Alison Fraser, Chris Hoch, Mary Stout and Tony Yazbeck.  They join previously announced four-time Tony Award-nominee Kelli O'Hara (currently starring on Broadway in Nice Work If You Can Get It). 

The final Main Stage show, a new translation of Ivan Turgenev's A Month in the Country, will play from August 1 – 19, 2012 and will feature Louis Cancelmi, Jessica Collins, Sean Cullen, Kate Kearney-Patch, Paul McGrane, Jeremy Strong (former WTF Non-Equity Company) and Elisabeth Waterston (former WTF Non-Equity Company). 

NIKOS STAGE CASTING NEWS 

The Nikos Stage season begins with the World Premiere production of Lucy Boyle's play The Blue Deep (June 27 – July 8, 2012), directed byBob Balaban with a cast that includes Emmy Award-winner Blythe Danner (Showtime's "Huff"), as previously announced.  Danner will be joined by WTF veterans Becky Ann Baker (WTF's Our Town), Jack Gilpin (WTF's Design for Living), "Boardwalk Empire" regular Heather Lind (former WTF Non-Equity Company) and Finn Wittrock (Broadway's Death of a Salesman).  

In Neil Simon's The Last of the Red Hot Lovers (July 11 – 22, 2012), Jessica Stone directs a cast that includes Tony Award® NomineeBrooks Ashmanskas (Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me), Susie Essman ("Curb Your Enthusiasm"), and Screen Actors Guild Award-winner Lili Taylor ("Six Feet Under"), both returning to WTF after having performed there last summer (in She Stoops to Conquer and A Doll's House, respectively). 

The Nikos Stage season closes with the World Premiere production of Katori Hall's WHADDABLOODCLOT, from August 8 – 19, 2012.  The cast of WHADDABLOODCLOT will include Tina Benko, Aaron Costa Ganis, Bryan Tyree Henry, Greta Lee, Andres Muner, and Kathy Searle.              

HERE LIES LOVE CASTING NEWS

As previously announced, Williamstown Theatre Festival will present a workshop of Here Lies Love, a new theatrical event written byDavid Byrne with music by David Byrne and Fatboy Slim and directed by Alex Timbers.

The complete cast for Here Lies Love is: Renee Albulario, Carol Angeli, Joyelle Cabato, Joshua Dela Cruz, Debralee Daco, Evan D'Angeles. Jose Llana, Ruthie Ann Miles, Maria-Christina Oliveras, Conrad Ricamora, Janelle Velasquez, and Zach Villa.

Here Lies Love is a collaboration with WTF's artistic neighbor, the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASS MoCA) and The Public Theater in New York City.  The Public will present the World Premiere of Here Lies Love in the spring of 2013.  After a three week rehearsal residency at MASS MoCA, Here Lies Love will play five workshop performances over four days, from June 21-24, 2012, at the Hunter Center for the Performing Arts at MASS MoCA (87 Marshall Street, North Adams, MA).  Tickets are available through the MASS MoCA box office at www.massmoca.org or by calling (413)-662-2111.                               

Additional cast and creative team information for all productions will be announced at a later date.

TICKETS AND SCHEDULE

Advance ticket orders for the 2012 Williamstown Theatre Festival season may be placed through the Festival's website (www.wtfestival.org) or by mail order using the season brochure (call 413-597-3400 to join the mailing list).  Advance ticket orders will be processed in late May.  At that time, ticket orders from Festival donors will be given priority and will be filled by descending donor level.  All other advance ticket orders received by May 25, 2012 will be filled in order of date received.

The Festival's Nikos Stage is an intimate 173-seat venue that regularly sells out in advance from within the pool of Festival donors. 

The Williamstown Theatre Festival Box Office will open on June 5th, 2012 at which point tickets may be purchased online, 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.