Williamstown Theatre Festival (WTF) has announced a series of additions to its 2024 season, including three stand-up comedy performances, creative teams for various productions, the lineup for the Fridays@3 reading series, and more.
Special Tony Award winner Alex Edelman will offer three performances of a new stand-up set on WTF's main stage July 20 and 21. Edelman received a Tony this year for his 2023 Broadway solo show Just For Us. Edelman will be joined by Williamstown comedian Maggie Crane.
WTF has also revealed casting and creatives for the world premire of David Ives' Pamela Palmer. The new play will run July 23-August 10, with direction by Walter Bobbie, and a cast featuring Tina Benko, Clark Gregg, Max Gordon Moore, and Becky Ann Baker. The creative team also includes scenic designer Alexander Woodword, costume designer Amanda Roberge, lighting designer Landon K. Elder, and sound designer Dan Moses Schreier.
As previously reported, the first fully staged production of the summer will be Sara Porkalob (1776)'s Dragon Mama, Part II of The Dragon Cycle, with direction by Andrew Russell. The production runs July 2-14 at the company's Center Stage. In Dragon Mama, Porkalob brings the complexities of their mother Maria's upbringing and queer identity to light, backed by a collection of 90s R&B hits. Newly announced creatives for the production include scenic designer Ningning Yang, costume designer Yu'seph Cornish, lighting designer Indigo Garcia, and sound designer Erin Bednarz.
Beginning July 5, the Main Stage will house Emmy and Golden Globe winner Rachel Bloom's solo comedy, Death, Let Me Do My Show. The Crazy Ex-Girlfriend star and co-creator's solo show, which is "NOT about the ever-present spectre of death," completed an Off-Broadway encore run in January 2024. Directed by Seth Barrish, the production will run through July 14. Newly announced creatives include Tony-winning scenic designer Beowulf Boritt, costume designer Kristin Isola, lighting designer Aaron Copp, sound designers Alex Neumann and Beth Lake, and Tony-winning projection designer Hana S. Kim.
The lineup for WTF's Fridays@3 series includes Benjamin Benne's at the very bottom of a body of water, directed by Cat Rodriguez (July 12); Beth Hyland's SYLVIA SYLVIA SYLVIA, directed by Caitlin Sullivan (July 19); Indigo Dreams by Melis Aker, directed by Kate Whoriskey (July 26); and KILL CORP by Sofia Alvarez, directed by Portia Krieger (August 2).
The season will also feature a benefit afternoon of music from Tony winner Gavin Creel and bandmates Madeline Benson and Chris Peters, held July 28; plus developmental workshops of Joel Waggoner's Alone & Alive, directed by Brandon Ivie (July 18-20), and Marshall Pailet and Ethan Slater's Marcel on the Train, directed by Pailet and produced by Mix and Match Productions (July 30-31).
MASS MoCA will collaborate with WTF on The Plastic Bag Store, subtitled A Tragicomic Ode to the Foreverness of Plastic. The new work is created, written, designed, and directed by Robin Frohardt, and features music by Freddi Price. Performances will run May 9-September 2 at MASS MoCA, with Pomegranate Arts producing.
WTF's cabaret series, featuring a mix of cabaret-style tables and traditional seating for performances by festival artists, will also return to the Festival Stage. The series is curated by Asmeret Ghebremichael, with music direction by Joel Waggoner, and Tony nominee Christopher Fitzgerald advising.
Visit WTFestival.org for more information.
