Williamstown Theatre Festival to Present FRIDAYS@3 Reading Series & More

Williamstown Theatre Festival has revealed the projects for its 2024 Fridays@3 reading series, developmental workshops, and playwrights-in-residence taking place this summer as single tickets for the Festival will go on sale to the general public starting at 12 PM ET on Thursday, May 9 online or by calling the Festival Box Office Hotline at 413 458 3253. Additionally, special passes for “WTF IS NEXT,” a mini festival-within-the-festival previewing the future of the WTF experience, will go on sale at that time.
 

 FRIDAYS@3 READING SERIES
 

WTF’s Fridays@3 reading series is a renowned program for the development and discovery of new work curated by the Festival’s Artistic Associate, Lianna Rada-Hung. Many Festival productions have started as Fridays@3 readings. Spend the afternoon at The Clark with a play in development, directed and performed by industry professionals. All readings take place at 3 PM in the Auditorium at the Clark Art Institute (225 South Street, Williamstown, MA 01267). Advance reservations are required, and tickets are $20 each.
 

Friday, July 12

at the very bottom of a body of water
By Benjamin Benne
Directed by Cat Rodríguez
 
Marina's life has a circular routine which, when broken by the disappearance of her fishmonger, sets her off on a surreal quest to confront the grief that's been holding her captive for years.
 

Friday, July 19

SYLVIA SYLVIA SYLVIA
By Beth Hyland
 
A once-celebrated novelist, grappling with writer’s block, confronts the ghosts of her past, threatening to unravel both her sanity and her artistic vision. SYLVIA SYLVIA SYLVIA is the recipient of WTF’s 2024 L. Arnold Weissberger New Play Award and Hyland is WTF’s 2024 Jay Harris Commission recipient.
 
A director for SYLVIA SYLVIA SYLVIA will be announced in the coming weeks.
 

Friday, July 26

Indigo Dreams
By Melis Aker
Directed by Kate Whoriskey
 
Three carpet-weaving women in Turkey are caught between wanting to salvage their dying industry, and an offer to modernize that could have dangerous consequences.
 

Friday, August 2

KILL CORP
By Sofia Alvarez
Directed by Portia-Krieger/">Portia Krieger
 
A dark comedy about a newly pregnant woman who realizes that the only way to be a working mom in Corporate America is to kill all of her bosses.
 
 
 

DEVELOPMENTAL WORKSHOPS & ARTISTS-IN-RESIDENCE
 

Play development is a year-round activity at WTF. Every summer, the Festival supports new work in development by inviting artists to participate in workshops and residencies. Performances of these works-in-progress will be public and reservations will be required. Tickets are free, and will be made available in the coming weeks. Festival donors at the $1,000 level and above will receive advance access as a benefit of support. Any remaining tickets will be made available to the general public the week prior to performances. We’re thrilled to welcome the following projects and artists to Williamstown this summer: 
 

July 18-20

Alone & Alive 
Written and Performed by Joel Waggoner 
Directed by Brandon Ivie 
 
A one-man-gay-existential-crisis-concert-sketch-comedy-variety-show-with-all-the-bells-and-whistles about figuring out who you are… without all the bells and whistles. 
 

July 30-31

Marcel On The Train
By Marshall Pailet and Ethan Slater
Directed by Marshall Pailet
Produced by Mix and Match Productions (Maxwell Beer and Mitch Marois)
 
Decades before Marcel Marceau became the world's most famous mime, he joined the French resistance, saving Jewish children from the Nazis by smuggling them on a train to safety. This is the story of one of those train rides.
 
In addition to these companies, Kamilah Bush, John J. Caswell, Jr., Peggy Noonan, and Ellis Stump will join us as playwrights-in-residence this summer. More information about our playwrights-in-residence and workshops can be found at www.wtfestival.org.
 
 

“WTF IS NEXT”

 
As previously announced, “WTF IS NEXT,” an expansive four-day prototype of a new vision for the Tony Award-recognized Festival, will take place Thursday, August 1 through Sunday, August 4. From the moment passholders arrive at “WTF IS NEXT,” they will be immersed in a full slate of curated experiences and exclusive events that reflect an expansive expression of theater within the breathtaking natural beauty of the Berkshires.
 
Passholders will start their time with a welcoming experience that will both ground and orient them for what’s to come. Depending on when guests arrive, they then may find themselves at a dining experience or a show... or both. Either way, they will end each evening with a Nightcap.
 
Over the course of the weekend, Festivalgoers may find themselves at an outdoor concert, a live taping of a popular podcast, a world premiere play, an outdoor community happening, a burlesque-inspired variety performance—a full schedule of expansive programming. WTF IS NEXT won’t send guests home without a proper sendoff and an understanding of what to expect from the Festival as it transforms into its next chapter.
 
Guests will experience “WTF IS NEXT” through either a four-day pass (Thursday-Sunday) or three-day pass (Friday-Sunday). Passes are extremely limited. For questions, or to inquire about hotel accommodations, contact the Festival at 413 458 3200 x113, as some rooms are on hold until June 15 at The Williams Inn (Williamstown) and The Porches Inn (North Adams) for passholders. Guest artists and projects that will be participating in the weekend will be announced in the coming weeks.
 
 

PREVIOUSLY ANNOUNCED FOR THE 2024 WTF SUMMER SEASON

The season’s fully staged shows will be produced in a new space for the Festival: the intimate 194-seat CenterStage, a state-of-the-art versatile performance space in Williams College’s ‘62 Center for Theatre & Dance (1000 Main St, Williamstown, MA 01267) that includes orchestra and balcony seating on three sides. The CenterStage season will include Sara Porkalob’s Dragon Mama, Part II of The Dragon Cycle, directed by Andrew Russell from Tuesday, July 2 through Sunday, July 14, and the world premiere of David Ives’ Pamela Palmer directed by his longtime collaborator  Walter Bobbie (Chicago, Venus in Fur) playing Tuesday, July 23 through Saturday, August 10.
 
In the MainStage, Emmy® and Golden Globe Award® winner Rachel Bloom will bring her critically acclaimed musical comedy Death, Let Me Do My Show, directed by Seth Barrish, from Friday, July 5 through Sunday, July 14.
 
And WTF’s beloved cabaret series will return to the specially created Festival Stage in the MainStage Theater, curated by Asmeret Ghebremichael, with Tony Award® nominee Christopher Fitzgerald advising, and music direction by Joel Waggoner.
 
The Plastic Bag Store, created, written, designed, and directed by Robin Frohardt, with music by Freddi Price, produced by Pomegranate Arts, and presented with MASS MoCA (housed in Building 1: 1040 Mass MoCA Way, North Adams, MA 01247) runs Thursday, May 9 through Monday, September 2.

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