JEREMY O. HARRIS AND RAPHAEL PICCIARELLI REIMAGINE WILLIAMSTOWN THEATRE FESTIVAL
FOR OVER SEVEN DECADES, Williamstown Theatre Festival( WTF) has stood as a beacon of theatrical innovation. The legendary festival has served as both an incubator for emerging talent and as a proving ground for established artists, including Matthew Broderick, Audra McDonald, Uma Thurman, and Blair Underwood, among many others. But, as the American theater landscape evolves, so, too, must its institutions.
( R) Evolution
MATTHEW LEIFHEIT
Jeremy O. Harris, left, Williamstown Theatre Festival’ s inaugural creative director, and Raphael Picciarelli, the festival’ s managing director of strategy & transformation.
JEREMY O. HARRIS AND RAPHAEL PICCIARELLI REIMAGINE WILLIAMSTOWN THEATRE FESTIVAL
FOR OVER SEVEN DECADES, Williamstown Theatre Festival( WTF) has stood as a beacon of theatrical innovation. The legendary festival has served as both an incubator for emerging talent and as a proving ground for established artists, including Matthew Broderick, Audra McDonald, Uma Thurman, and Blair Underwood, among many others. But, as the American theater landscape evolves, so, too, must its institutions.
Enter Jeremy O. Harris, WTF’ s inaugural creative director, and Raphael Picciarelli, the festival’ s managing director of strategy & transformation. Their goal is to restore the festival’ s“ hum” of creative energy while embracing a new structure inspired by modern music festivals, such as Coachella and Lollapalooza. Harris, a Tony-nominated playwright( Slave Play) and screenwriter( Zola), has built a reputation for provocative, socially incisive work that challenges audiences and reshapes theatrical conventions. Picciarelli, a producer and strategist, has an artistic background steeped in both theater and dance. Together, they hope to reignite WTF’ s legacy while adapting it for the future.
The 2025 season, from mid-July through early August, centers around an homage to Tennessee Williams, one of America’ s greatest playwrights. The festival’ s flagship production, Camino Real, will be reimagined by Lucille Lortel Award-winning director Dustin Wills, embracing the feverish surrealism of Williams’ 1953 play. Meanwhile, Not
66 // BERKSHIRE MAGAZINE Holiday May / June 2023 2025