Williamstown Theatre Festival Announces 2014 L. Arnold Weissberger Award Winner
O&M Co.
Rick Miramontez / Molly Barnett / Mathew Troillett
rick@oandmco.com / molly@oandmco.com / matthew@oandmco.com
212-695-7400
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, PLEASE
WILLIAMSTOWN THEATRE FESTIVAL
ANNOUNCES
2014 L. ARNOLD WEISSBERGER AWARD WINNER
“ K I L L F L O O R ”
BY ABE KOOGLER
THE JAY HARRIS COMMISSION OF A NEW PLAY
ALSO ANNOUNCED
Williamstown, MA (May 11, 2015) – Williamstown Theatre Festival (Mandy Greenfield, Artistic Director) is pleased to announce that Abe Koogler's Kill Floor is the winner of the 2014 L. Arnold Weissberger Award. The play, which will premiere at Lincoln Center Theater’s LCT3 this fall, will be introduced to audiences at a reading at Williamstown Theatre Festival on Friday, August 7 at 3:00pm on the Nikos Stage. Lila Neugebauer will direct both the reading and LCT3 production.
Williamstown Theatre Festival administers the L. Arnold Weissberger Award 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, and it is designed to recognize excellence in playwriting. The recipient of the award receives a $10,000 grant for the winning play, a reading at the Williamstown Theatre Festival, and optional publication by Samuel French. The 2014 finalist judges were Evan Cabnet, Jackie Sibblies Drury, Amy Holzapfel, Matthew Lopez, and Jessica Stone.
Beginning next year, recipients of the award will receive an additional $10,000 commission, The Jay Harris Commission, to write a new play.
Williamstown Theatre Festival is currently accepting submissions for the 2015 L. Arnold Weissberger Award. Nominations are solicited by invitation only.
As previously announced, WTF’s Main Stage Season will include William Inge’s Off the Main Road directed by Evan Cabnet and featuring Kyra Sedgwick in her Festival debut (June 30 – July 19); the world premiere of the 2012 L. Arnold Weissberger New Play Award-winner Paradise Blue by Dominique Morisseau with Golden Globe-nominee Blair Underwood and Andre Holland and directed by Ruben Santiago-Hudson (July 22 – August 2); and six-time Tony® Award-winner Audra McDonald and Tony® Award-nominee Will Swenson in Nobel laureate Eugene O’Neill’s masterpiece, A Moon for the Misbegotten, directed by Gordon Edelstein (August 5 – August 23).
The Nikos Stage season kicks off on July 1st with the world premiere of Legacy by Daniel Goldfarb with Tony Award-nominee Jessica Hecht and Drama Desk Award-winner Eric Bogosian, directed by Oliver Butler (July 1 – July 12); continues with the American premiere of Kinship by Carey Perloff with Emmy, Grammy, and Tony Award-Winner Cynthia Nixon and Emmy Award-winner Penny Fuller in their Festival debuts, directed by Jo Bonney (July 15 – July 25); the world premiere of the new musical Unknown Soldier with Book & Lyrics by Daniel Goldstein, Music & Lyrics by Michael Friedman, featuring Academy Award-winner Estelle Parsons, directed by Trip Cullman (July 30 – August 9); and concludes with the doubleheader of two American premieres of British plays Chewing Gum Dreams, written and performed by Michaela Coel, and An Intervention by Mike Bartlett and directed by Lila Neugebauer with a rotating cast (August 12 – 23).
TICKETS AND SCHEDULE
Single tickets for the 2015 Williamstown Theatre Festival season are now available through the WTF website (www.wtfestival.org) and by mail order using WTF’s season brochure (call 413-597-3400 to join the mailing list). The WTF Box Office will open on June 2 at which point tickets may be purchased online, by phone, or in person at the ‘62 Center for Theatre and Dance Box Office at 1000 Main St (Route 2), Williamstown, MA 02167.
ABOUT WILLIAMSTOWN THEATRE FESTIVAL
Every summer since 1955, the Festival has brought America’s finest actors, directors, designers, and playwrights to the Berkshires to produce unique experiences for artists and audiences alike. The Festival creates bold, innovative theatre, hosts dynamic development opportunities for new plays and musicals, and offers a rich array of accompanying cultural events such as Free Theatre, Late-Night Cabarets, Comedy, and One-Night Concerts. With offices in both Williamstown and New York City, WTF creates vibrant work that feeds the wider theatrical landscape. The artists and productions shaped at the Festival each summer often go on to reach diverse audiences nationally and internationally. The Festival is currently represented by The Elephant Man, Living on Love, and The Visit on Broadway this season and Fool for Love next season, as well as Here Lies Love in London. WTF is also home to one of the nation’s top training and professional development programs for new generations of aspiring theatre artists and administrators. The Festival is a recipient of the Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre and the Massachusetts Commonwealth Award for Achievement.
# # # # #
WILLIAMSTOWN THEATRE FESTIVAL
2015 SEASON SUMMARY
MAIN STAGE
WORLD PREMIERE
Off the Main Road | June 30 – July 19
By William Inge; Directed by Evan Cabnet
With Becky Ann Baker, Aaron Costa Ganis, Howard W. Overshown, Estelle Parsons, Kyra Sedgwick, and Mary Wiseman
WORLD PREMIERE
Paradise Blue | July 22 – August 2
(2012 L. Arnold Weissberger New Play Award Winner)
By Dominique Morisseau; Directed by Ruben Santiago-Hudson
With De’Adre Aziza, Andre Holland, Keith Randolph Smith, and Blair Underwood
A Moon for the Misbegotten| August 5 – August 23
By Eugene O’Neill; Directed by Gordon Edelstein
With Aaron Costa Ganis, Audra McDonald, Howard W. Overshown, and Will Swenson
NIKOS STAGE
WORLD PREMIERE
Legacy | July 1 – July 12
By Daniel Goldfarb; Directed by Oliver Butler
With Eric Bogosian, Halley Feiffer, Jessica Hecht, and Justin Long
AMERICAN PREMIERE
Kinship | July 15 – July 25
By Carey Perloff; Directed by Jo Bonney
With Penny Fuller, Chris Lowell, and Cynthia Nixon
WORLD PREMIERE MUSICAL
Unknown Solider| July 30 – August 9
Book & Lyrics by Daniel Goldstein; Music & Lyrics by Michael Friedman
Directed by Trip Cullman
With David Greenspan, Derek Klena, Erik Lochtefeld, Estelle Parsons, and Lauren Worsham
DOUBLE HEADER of TWO AMERICAN PREMIERES of BRITISH PLAYWRIGHTS
August 12 – 23
Chewing Gum Dreams
Written and Performed by Michaela Coel
An Intervention
By Mike Bartlett; Directed by Lila Neugebauer
With a rotating cast
# # # # #