The Williamstown Theatre Festival announced it is going from annual productions to a biennial schedule.
Earlier this week, they released a press release stating:
“Today, the Festival launched a new long-term artistic model designed to build on its legacy, expand its reach, deepen its impact, and secure its future.
“As part of its ongoing evolution, Williamstown will adopt a biennial model for its next full summer Festival (W72) in 2027 and will use the time between now and then for a new phase of artistic research, development, and engagement.”
In other words, there will be no season this summer. However, on social media people are concerned that after over 70 years the festival may not reopen.
Indeed, the prestigious theater that won a Tony Award for Best Regional Theatre in 2002 has fallen on hard times.
In 2021, the LA Times made public allegations from then-current and former staffers detailing what they described as a toxic and unsafe work environment. Most of the complaints involved the harsh and exploitative treatment of interns. There were also stories of racism, sexism and homophobia.
Mandy Greenfield, the then-Artistic Director, resigned. The WTF board of directors set in motion an internal investigation by an outside law firm.
In 2023, without Greenfield at the helm, the festival presented a reduced season of plays. The following seasons were also barren.
Reduced programming could not produce the revenue needed to sustain a large expensive festival.
The hoped-for solution was an entirely new concept for WTF. Called Creative Collective, it took a communal approach to programming using a cadre of new, vital theater and performance artists. To guide the team, playwright Jeremy O. Harris (“SlavePlay”) was named Director of the Creative Collective.
In 2025, WTF presented eight events showcasing more than 130 artists in about 100 performances in four venues over three long weekends. It was funded by what the company said was an $8 million annual budget.
WTF says Harris will return in the same capacity for the 2027 season.
However, Harris leading the organization comes with complications.
In December he was arrested by Japanese authorities on suspicion of smuggling drugs into their country. After several weeks in Japanese custody he was released, but no conclusion has been announced on the charges.
Creative Collective says they will be using the time between now and 2027 for developing “a new phase of artistic research, development and engagement. This strategic decision is designed to support the vision for a year-round ecosystem of programming, of which the flagship summer Festival is the beating heart.”
They add, “Over the next 18 months, Williamstown Theatre Festival will be investing in the creation of new and original work across theater and adjacent storytelling forms, as well as new programs that support artists and connect to audiences both in the Berkshires and beyond.”
No details on future scheduling were released and no spokesperson for the festival could be reached for comment.
Bob Goepfert is theater reviewer for the Troy Record.
The views expressed by commentators are solely those of the authors. They do not necessarily reflect the views of this station or its management.