Lucy Thurber to Pen Community Theater Project for Williamstown's 62nd Season

Williamstown Theatre Festival has announced a new community immersive theater project titled Orpheus in the Berkshires (July 14-17). There will be free admission to the performances at Greylock WORKS.

Written by Lucy Thurber and directed by Laura Savia, the world-premiere production brings together professional theater artists with Berkshire residents. Thurber puts a new spin on the Orpheus myth, set in Western Massachusetts. When Orpheus, a teenage girl, realizes that something is amiss in her neighborhood, she embarks on a treacherous journey to save her hometown. The piece is developed in collaboration with community partners, and features a cast of 75 Berkshire residents performing alongside Festival actors. Funding for the research and community engagement for Orpheus in the Berkshires is provided by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation.

A number of special events will also join WTF's 62nd season. The lineup begins with Festival LAWNch! (June 30), a special pre- and post-show experience for the opening productions of this year’s Main Stage and Nikos Stage shows. The schedule continues with Ménage à Deux with Tom Fontana and Susie Essman (July 7); Pigpen Theatre Co.: Plugged In (July 11), returning to the Festival with a concert of their unique brand of contemporary folk rock music; for the third summer in a row, the stripped down musical comedy duo The Skivvies (July 17 and 18); comedian Marcus Monroe’s one-man show, The Rise and Fall of Marcus Monroe (July 24 and 25); the musical improv show Baby Wants Candy (August 3-7); and the Williamstown debuts of Jill Kargman: Meta Metal (August 7) and Inside Joke with Ophira Eisenberg (August 8).

As previously announced, WTF’s Main Stage Season will include Academy Award winner Marisa Tomei in Tennessee Williams’ The Rose Tattoo (June 28-July 17); the world premiere of Boo Killebrew’s comedy Romance Novels for Dummies (July 20-July 31); and SAG Award winner Kate Walsh in Wendy Wasserstein’s An American Daughter (August 3-21).

For more information about the Williamstown Theatre Festival season, click here.