Atkinson, Ivey, Finneran, Cooper and More Poised for 2009 Williamstown Theatre Fest

The Williamstown Theatre Festival (WTF) has announced casting for its 2009 Main Stage Season running from July 1 to August 23 at the '62 Center for Theatre and Dance in Williamstown, MA. In making the announcement Artistic Director Nicholas Martin said, "I am so thrilled to bring this decorated and talented group of artists to the Berkshires this summer for our 55th Anniversary Season."

As previously announced, the season will open with Children by A.R. Gurney, directed by Tony Award nominee John Tillinger (Loot) in a co-production with Westport Country Playhouse. Children plays from July 1-12.

The cast includes Mary Bacon (Rock ‘n' Roll, Arcadia), Katie Finneran (Tony Award - Noises Off, Mauritius), Judith Light (Wit, "Ugly Betty," "Who's The Boss") and James Waterston (Buffalo Gal, As You Like It).

The design team for Children includes set designer James Noone, costume designer Jane Greenwood, lighting designer Rui Rita and sound designer Scott Killian. The production stage manager is Gregory T. Livoti.

Next up is True West by Sam Shepard. Former Boris Sagal Directing Fellow Daniel Goldstein (Walmartopia, Godspell) directs this production which will play from July 15 - 26.

The cast includes Bradley Cooper (The Hangover, He's Just Not That Into You, The Understudy) - replacing previously announced Rob Corddry who had to leave the project due to scheduling conflicts on a film-former WTF Apprentice Nate Corddry ("Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip," Showtime's "United States of Tara"), Stephen Kunken (Rock ‘n' Roll, Proof), and Debra Jo Rupp (A Flea in Her Ear, "That 70's Show").

The design team for True West includes set designer Neil Patel, costume designer Linda Cho, lighting designer Ben Stanton, sound designer Darron L. West and fight direction by Thomas Schall. The production stage manager is Paul Smith.

True West, a modern classic, is an explosive exploration of family rivalry as two very different brothers attempt to sell Hollywood their version of the great American Western.

Next is The Torch-Bearers by George Kelly. Tony-nominated stage and screen actor Dylan Baker (November, Mauritius, Revolutionary Road) adapts and directs this production which will play from July 29- August 9.

The cast includes Becky Ann Baker (All My Sons, Assassins), Yusef Bulos (Fiddler on the Roof), John Doherty (Yale MFA), Katie Finneran (Tony Award - Noises Off, Mauritius), Phillip Goodwin (Tartuffe, The Pink Panther), Jessica Hecht (Julius Caesar, After the Fall), Edward Herrmann (Emmy Award, "The Practice," "Gilmore Girls"), Dana Ivey (Five Time Tony Nominee - Butley, The Rivals), Lizbeth MacKay (All My Sons, Crimes of the Heart), Marian Seldes (Tony Award - A Delicate Balance, Deathtrap), and James Waterston (Buffalo Gal, As You Like It).

The design team for The Torch-Bearers includes set designer David Korins, costume designer Ilona Somogyi, lighting designer Rui Rita, sound designer Alex Neumann and music by Michael Garin. The production stage manager is Gregory T. Livoti.

The Torch-Bearers is a side-splitting 1920s farce in which a troupe of amateur actors rehearse and perform a show-stopping new play-or try to with all their might. Their stage is riddled with comedic drama, suspense, and good old-fashioned witty mayhem.

Closing the season is Quartermaine's Terms by Simon Gray. Tony-nominated director Maria Aitken (Broadway and West End's award-winning production of The 39 Steps) directs this production which will play in Williamstown from August 12-23.

The cast includes Jayne Atkinson (Two time Tony Nominee - The Rainmaker, Enchanted April, Blithe Spirit), Jeremy Beck (Betrayed, She Loves Me), Morgan Hallett (Translations, Long Day's Journey into Night), John Horton (A Touch of the Poet, Amadeus), Simon Jones (Blithe Spirit, The Real Thing), Stephen Kunken (Rock ‘n' Roll, Frost/Nixon), and Jefferson Mays (Tony Award - I Am My Own Wife, Journey's End). The previously announced Mary Beth Hurt will not appear due to scheduling conflicts.

The design team for Quartermaine's Terms includes set designer Derek McLane, costume designer Martin Pakledinaz, lighting designer Kevin Adams, sound designer Drew Levy. The production stage manager is Stephen M. Kaus.

Quartermaine's Terms, a charming and heart-felt 1960s comedy, follows an endearingly eccentric group of English teachers in Cambridge whose insatiable quest for knowledge has masked their secret longings for passion, romance, and true happiness.

Casting information will be announced shortly for the 2009 Nikos Stage season which includes Knickerbocker by Jonathan Marc Sherman, directed by Nicholas Martin (July 8-19); What is the Cause of Thunder? by Noah Haidle, directed by Justin Waldman (July 22-August 2); and Caroline in Jersey by Melinda Lopez, directed by Amanda Charlton (August 5-16).

Ticketing information for the 2009 Season at Williamstown Theatre Festival can be obtained online at www.wtfestival.org or by calling 413-597-3400.

Continuing its 55-year history under the artistic direction of Nicholas Martin, the Williamstown Theatre Festival is a celebration of theatre that brings together a vast array of award-winning actors, directors and playwrights to entertain and delight the Berkshire community of year-round and seasonal patrons. Every summer, WTF revisits the classics in exciting new productions on its Main Stage, develops and nurtures new work on its Nikos Stage, and offers audiences varied cultural events across its many other venues including Free Theatre, Late-Night Cabarets, readings, workshops and other special events, including the Greylock Theatre Project-a program for youngsters in North Adams area. In addition to its acclaimed productions, WTF has extensive training and professional development programs for the next generation of aspiring theatre artists and managers. In 2002, WTF received the Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre.

Photo Credit: Walter McBride/Retna Ltd.

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