Tuesday, September 28, 2021
Can Williamstown Theatre Festival change a 'broken' culture?
Los Angeles Times: For more than 60 years, hundreds of young artists have spent their summers at the Williamstown Theatre Festival in Massachusetts, hoping to start their careers on the right foot. Frequented by influential vacationers to the Berkshires, the months-long event is considered a rare opportunity for up-and-coming actors to share scenes with Tony Award winners, for emerging directors to learn from industry titans. Work the festival and securing gigs in the industry will be easier, thanks to the company’s standing, its vast network and its proved track record of transferring productions to New York City. Sure, the pay is low — or nonexistent — but the payoff is known to be well worth it.
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2 comments:
The articles this week are uber depressing. Williamstown is depressing AND disappointing. It somehow is the epicenter of the privileged theatrical workforce, that also takes advantage of those privileged enough to be there. You would think that a festival that is pay-to-play for employees would retain enough of their money (that is not going to payroll) to create a safe and progressive work environment for those involved, but clearly this is not the case. It seems like Williamstown does not even care about their faults. Every time I hear someone speak positively about this festival, they seem to fall back on the “opportunities that come out of it” and all of the famous actors that seemingly gained their spotlight from this festival alone. There is no acknowledgement of the safety issues, overworking, lack of pay, or any other faults of the festival. There is also no acknowledgement of the very privileged/wealthy backgrounds of the famous people who supposedly got their start at Williamstown. A company this prominent cannot continue to rely on young, untrained people for the things any other business would rely on professional individuals for. It is unethical and unsafe, and I would love to see Williamstown finally realize they bit off more than they can chew.
Every time I see something about the Williamstown Theatre Festival, I get more angry. I think that it's horrific what they are trying to get away with and have been getting away with for more than sixty years! I have read a lot about the terrible things that have happened at Williamstown Theatre Festival so most of these things weren't shocking. What was surprising was the quote that they "...continue to analyze their successful 66-year history..." because I wouldn't call their history successful when they are burning out 'intern volunteers' and ruining peoples enjoyment of theatre arts. From everything that I've read about this festival, the answer to the headline question is a resounding no. They can't just implement some new policies and start over. Something major needs to happen and I don't think it's even being considered at this point. Therefore I don't think anytime in the near future will Williamstown Theatre Festival be associated with something positive.
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