{"id":11989,"date":"2013-06-08T06:32:02","date_gmt":"2013-06-08T11:32:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.berkshirelinks.com\/?p=11989"},"modified":"2013-06-08T06:32:02","modified_gmt":"2013-06-08T11:32:02","slug":"williamstown-theatre-festival-cast-announcement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/idealpoetry.com\/rwc\/williamstown-theatre-festival-cast-announcement\/","title":{"rendered":"Williamstown Theatre Festival cast announcement"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Williamstown Theatre Festival cast announcement<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n

\"Brooks<\/a>Williamstown Theatre Festival<\/a> will feature such actors as Brooks Ashmanskas, De’Adre Aziza, Reed Birney, Joey Slotnick<\/strong>, and Omar Metwally<\/strong> during the 2013 WTF season<\/em>. Other news includes the announcement that Dominique Morisseau<\/strong> has been awarded WTF\u2019s 2013 L. Arnold Weissberger Award for Playwriting<\/em> for her play Paradise Blue<\/em>. Ms. Morisseau will receive a $10,000 grant and receive a reading as part of WTF\u2019s FRIDAYS@3 series, as well as publication by Samuel French, Inc.<\/p>\n

Actors named for 2013 WTF season<\/h2>\n

Further casting announcements for the 2013 Williamstown Theatre Festival<\/a>: On the Main Stage, Joey Slotnick (The Big Knife; Twister; \u201cNip\/Tuck\u201d) joins the cast of Animal Crackers (playing June 26 \u2013 July 14, 2013) as \u2018Groucho\u2019, the same role he played to critical acclaim in The Goodman Theatre’s 2009 production. Other new additions to the cast include Joey Sorge (Nice Work if You Can Get It) and Brad Aldous as \u2018Harpo\u2019 (\u201cBoardwalk Empire\u201d), joining previously announced cast members Jonathan Brody, Adam Chanler-Berat, Mara Davi, Ren\u00e9e Elise Goldsberry, Ellen Harvey, and Jacob Ming-Trent, all making their WTF debuts.<\/p>\n

Caitlin O’Connell will take part in the Nicholas Martin-directed Pygmalion (running July 17 \u2013 27, 2013) on the Main Stage, joining Heather Lind (\u2018Eliza Doolittle\u2019), Robert Sean Leonard (\u2018Henry Higgins\u2019), Patricia Conolly, Don Lee Sparks, and Paxton Whitehead.<\/p>\n

Additional casting for the World Premiere of the new musical The Bridges of Madison County (playing August 1-18, 2013) includes Daniel Jenkins (Mary Poppins; Billy Elliott), Jennifer Allen (Sister Act), Michael X. Martin (Catch Me If You Can). and Laura Shoop (Jerry Springer The Opera; Thoroughly Modern Millie). As previously announced, Elena Shaddow will play \u2018Francesca\u2019 opposite Steven Pasquale as \u2018Robert Kincaid,\u2019 in a cast that also includes Nick Bailey, Cass Morgan, Whitney Bashor, and Caitlin Kinnunen.<\/p>\n

On the Nikos Stage, Omar Metwally joins the cast of the World Premiere of Bess Wohl\u2019s American Hero (June 26 \u2013 July 7, 2013). Metwally, who received a Tony award nomination for Sixteen Wounded and whose several film credits include Rendition and Steven Spielberg\u2019s Munich, joins previously announced stage and screen favorite Ari Graynor and Erin Wilhelmi. WTF veteran James Waterston (WTF\u2019s Children and The Torch-Bearers) returns to the Festival in the show, replacing Josh Stamberg.<\/p>\n

Obie Award-winning actor Reed Birney (Circle Mirror Transformation) will replace James Cromwell in Tom Stoppard\u2019s Hapgood (playing July 10 \u2013 21, 2013) on the Nikos Stage. The full Hapgood cast includes Kate Burton, Jason Butler Harner, Jake Weber, and Victor Williams.<\/p>\n

Additional casting for the new musical Johnny Baseball includes Tony Award nominee De’Adre Aziza (Passing Strange), Andrew Kober (Hair), Kelly Karbacz (Get Smart with Steve Carell), and WTF regular Brooks Ashmanskas (The Producers; WTF\u2019s She Stoops to Conquer and Last of the Red Hot Lovers). Tom McGowan (\u201cFraiser\u201d; Wicked) replaces Burke Moses. Previously announced cast includes James Snyder, Joe Cassidy, Alan H. Green, and Roger Robinson. Johnny Baseball runs July 24 \u2013 August 3, 2013 on the Nikos Stage.<\/p>\n

And the entire Off-Broadway company of The Debate Society\u2019s Blood Play, including Paul Thureen, Michael Cyril Creighton, Hannah Bos, Hanlon Smith-Dorsey, Birgit Huppuch and Emma Galvin, reunite for the Williamstown Theatre Festival premiere of the acclaimed play, closing out the Nikos Stage season, from August 7 \u2013 18, 2013.<\/p>\n

L. ARNOLD WEISSBERGER AWARD FOR PLAYWRITING<\/h2>\n

Dominique Morisseau’s Paradise Blue is the recipient of the 2013 L. Arnold Weissberger Award for Playwriting. Morisseau\u2019s other plays include Detroit \u201967, Sunset Baby, and Follow Me To Nellie\u2019s. Morisseau, the 2012 PoNY (Playwrights of New York) Fellow, is an alumna of the Public Theater Emerging Writer\u2019s Group, the Women\u2019s Project Playwrights Lab, and Lark Playwrights Workshop.<\/p>\n

The Williamstown Theatre Festival administers the L. Arnold Weissberger Award for Playwriting on behalf of the Anna L. Weissberger Foundation. Championed for the Festival in 1998 by late Trustee Jay Harris, the award honors noted theatrical attorney and avid theatre supporter L. Arnold Weissberger who passed away in 1981, and is designed to recognize excellence in playwriting. The recipient is awarded a $10,000 grant, and the winning script receives a reading produced by Williamstown Theatre Festival, as part of the Fridays@3 reading series, as well as optional publication by Samuel French, Inc. Each year, invitations are sent out to theatres, agents, and playwriting programs across the country requesting script nominations. Finalists are then chosen by the Festival and read blindly by a select panel of industry judges. The 2012 panel of judges was composed of May Adrales, David Hyde Pierce, and Clint Ramos.<\/p>\n

2013 WTF Friday@3 Series schedule<\/h3>\n

Every Friday, July 12 \u2013 August 16 at 3 PM<\/p>\n

The Festival\u2019s weekly reading series offers playwrights and audiences alike the chance to hear new works by America\u2019s most exciting playwrights read by WTF company actors. The experience is also beneficial to writers who can add the prestige of a reading at WTF to the work\u2019s pedigree. Plays selected for Fridays@3 are frequently under consideration for a future production on WTF\u2019s Nikos Stage. Recent Fridays@3 playwrights include Christopher Durang, Nick Payne, Katori Hall, Angus MacLachlan, and Craig Wright. Fridays@3 is supported by the Dramatists Guild Fund.<\/p>\n

The Bay of Fundy by Sherry Kramer
\nJuly 12, 2013
\nIn The Bay of Fundy, written by former Weissberger Award-winner Sherry Kramer, May eats dinner every night on the most valuable antique table in the world, but her husband wants to sell it. A troubled marriage, a mysterious malaise, and where is all that water coming from? How high will it have to get before someone does something about it? A play about American money and the American dream of a table big enough to feed the world.<\/p>\n

Understanding Artichokes by Maria Tucci and Mary Tannen
\nFriday, July 19, 2013<\/p>\n

Understanding Artichokes, written by WTF longtime actor\/writer\/director Maria Tucci and novelist and New York Times writer Mary Tannen, revolves around a character who never appears: Mischa Kaminsky, a deceased film director. Mischa\u2019s only daughter and a famed American director pay a surprise visit to his former mistress at her apartment in Rome to try to track down a rumored lost masterpiece. Their memories and fantasies converge and diverge, propelling them toward new insights into themselves, each other and the enigmatic Mischa. The reading will feature Tony Award nominee Jessica Hecht, James Naughton, and Maria Tucci.<\/p>\n

Paradise Blue by Dominique Morisseau
\nFriday, August 2, 2013
\nWinner of the 2013 L. Arnold Weissberger Award for Playwriting, Paradise Blue by Dominique Morisseau is set in 1949 in Detroit\u2019s Blackbottom neighborhood, where an old jazz spot and rooming house known as Paradise Club stays alive thanks to its resident bebop band. Headed by troubled trumpeter Blue, the band and club struggle to survive the city\u2019s plans for urban renewal. When a mysterious woman comes to Blackbottom with her own money and a walk that drives men crazy, she proposes a different kind of renewal that no one is prepared for. Not the city. Not the club. And certainly not Blue.<\/p>\n

Cousin Bette adapted by Jeffrey Hatcher from Honor\u00e9 de Balzac’s novel
\nFriday, August 9, 2013
\nCousin Bette, adapted from Honor\u00e9 de Balzac\u2019s novel by renowned playwright and screenwriter Jeffrey Hatcher, chronicles a poor woman\u2019s attempt to destroy her extended family. A beautiful unhappy courtesan, a dashing Polish Count-cum-destitute artist, and a lecherous, debt-ridden paterfamilias with an angelic wife who’s sought after by a perfume manufacturer are all caught in a m\u00e9nage \u00e0 dix (at least!). Set in Paris in the mid-19th century, Hatcher\u2019s sublime adaptation is a thrill-ride of violent jealously, lust, and revenge. Jeanie Hackett will direct and Jessica Hecht will play the title role.<\/p>\n

Important Hats of the Twentieth Century by Nick Jones
\nFriday, August 16, 2013<\/p>\n

In acclaimed Off-Broadway playwright and performer Nick Jones’ Important Hats of the Twentieth Century, Sam Greevy is the toast of 1920s women\u2019s apparel, until the maverick fashion designer Sam Roms springs his radical creations on the world. The Sweatshirt, The Track Suit, Skater Pants: the clothes he comes up seem like they’re from another dimension, and maybe they are. Meanwhile, as Greevy tries to adapt to rapidly changing fashions, a teenage stoner in 1996 Albany keeps losing articles of clothing – a man keeps bursting out of his closet and taking them.<\/p>\n

Fridays@3 asks a $5 suggested donation upon entrance. Reservations are strongly recommended and can be made by phone at 413-597-3400 or in person at the ’62 Center for Theatre and Dance, 1000 Main St. (Route 2), Williamstown, MA 02167. Fridays@3 are presented every Friday in the Paresky Center on the Williams College Campus starting July 12 and continuing through August 16 at 3pm.<\/p>\n

An additional Fridays@3 reading on Friday, July 26 will be announced at a later date.<\/p>\n

FAMILY FRIDAY WORKSHOPS
\nEvery Friday, July 5 – August 9 from 4 – 6 PM<\/p>\n

Young people aged 8-14 and their families can enjoy a series of free afternoon workshops that explore the many artistic and technical components that make up the creative life of the Williamstown Theatre Festival. These fun, hands-on afternoons are curated by Story Pirates member and Jr. Explorer\u2019s Club founder John Dixon and involve professional Festival artists supported by members of the talented WTF Apprentice Company. Reservations are recommended for all workshops and can be made through the WTF Box Office starting June 4. WTF\u2019s Family Friday Workshops are supported by the Harris Family Foundation<\/p>\n

Following the afternoon workshops, families are encouraged you to enjoy a picnic on the theater lawn before attending an evening performance. For Friday evening Main Stage performances, families can get one FREE ticket for a child 18 or under with each full-price adult ticket purchased. <\/p>\n

2013 WTF Family Fridays schedule<\/h3>\n

Friday, July 5
\nSuperheroes Unite!
\nDiscover your own strengths and weaknesses in this action-packed afternoon, celebrating the different kinds of heroes that make up our wonderful world. We will develop power moves, form super squads, and work together to solve everyday problems… as well as very unusual challenges, which might require us to combine all of our powers!<\/p>\n

Friday, July 12
\nCrackers & Soup: Comedy inspired by the Marx Brothers
\nWith a nod to the WTF production of Animal Crackers, Family Fridays presents an all-ages comedy workshop, designed to help bring out your inner Marx Brother. Using slapstick, wordplay, and other elements of farce, participants will explore comedy in supremely silly style.<\/p>\n

Friday, July 19
\nSpecial Effects on Stage
\nFrom fight choreography to creative sound design, the magic of theatre often depends on special effects. Together we will explore the elements of a stage production that you won\u2019t see from the audience, but that bring the fantastical to life.<\/p>\n

Friday, July 26
\nThe Mystery of the Missing Mystery!
\nParticipants will come up with a fun and interesting mystery that has happened in Williamstown. Then, using games and activities, we will work together to find clues, and solve the mystery!!<\/p>\n

Friday, August 2
\nThe Things They Carry: Exploring Props
\nDuring this workshop, we will explore the importance of objects in storytelling. When, and why, does the right object make all the difference? This will include a visit to the Williamstown Theater Festival properties room – a once in a lifetime experience!<\/p>\n

Friday, August 9
\nMusical Workshop: Creating a Finale
\nTo celebrate a full summer of Family Fridays, WTF musicians and choreographers will help the participants create and perform their very own Grand Finale! You will write the lyrics, help with the music, and develop the dance moves before performing the closing number and becoming part of the Festival’s legendary history.<\/p>\n

WTF TICKETS AND SCHEDULE<\/h3>\n

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.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Williamstown Theatre Festival cast announcement Williamstown Theatre Festival will feature such actors as Brooks Ashmanskas, De’Adre Aziza, Reed Birney, Joey Slotnick, and Omar Metwally during the 2013 WTF season. Other news includes the announcement that Dominique Morisseau has been awarded WTF\u2019s 2013 L. Arnold Weissberger Award for Playwriting for her play Paradise Blue. Ms. Morisseau […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11990,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11989","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-outdated","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/idealpoetry.com\/rwc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11989","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/idealpoetry.com\/rwc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/idealpoetry.com\/rwc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/idealpoetry.com\/rwc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/idealpoetry.com\/rwc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11989"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/idealpoetry.com\/rwc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11989\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/idealpoetry.com\/rwc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11989"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/idealpoetry.com\/rwc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11989"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/idealpoetry.com\/rwc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11989"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}