Massachusetts’ Williamstown Theatre Festival will not present programming in summer 2026. The summer theatre company will resume in 2027. The company says it will use the intervening time “to activate a new phase of artistic research, development, and year-round engagement,” aimed at creating a sustainable model of newly year-round programming, with the annual summer Festival as a cornerstone.
This development is the latest in a lengthening period of turmoil for the Tony-winning institution, which has for more than 70 years stood as a major summer center for artistic development for theatre artists both emerging and well established, as well as a tryout hub for new work. A 2021 LA Times report made public allegations from 25 then-current and former staffers detailing what they described as a toxic and unsafe work environment, particularly within the Festival’s internship training program for early career artists. That report followed a 2020 letter privately sent to the Festival’s leadership, which detailed stories of racism, classism, labor exploitation, ableism, sexism, homophobia, and other discriminatory acts from 75 Festival alumni.
That controversy resulted in the resignation of then-Artistic Director Mandy Greenfield, plus an internal investigation carried out by a law firm hired by the Festival’s board. The company presented a reduced slate of programming in 2023 as it underwent major leadership changes following that investigation. Part of that change was the creation of a Creative Collective, a new artistic leadership model that put curation and programming in the hands of a rotating annual cohort of directors, led by Slave Play playwright Jeremy O. Harris—who will return in the role for the 2027 summer Festival…