Williamstown Theatre Festival (WTF) opens its Main Stage of the ’62 Center with Jon Robin Baitz’s Three Hotels. It is considered the official opening work of the 2011 WTF season. Three Hotels had a preview on June 29, opens June 30 and will run through July 24, 2011. We will review it at a later date.
Tony Award-winning director Robert Falls (The Light in the Piazza, American Buffalo) leads a cast of two, Maura Tierney (“ER”; Some Girl(s)) as Barbara Hoyle and Steven Weber (“Brothers and Sisters”; Design for Living at WTF) as Kenneth Hoyle, in Baitz’s daring and prescient three scene, one act drama.
Both Weber and Tierney are seen in the rehearsal photo above.
Steven Weber. Photos by T. Charles Erickson.
“We have no contact onstage, so it’s really like watching two one-person shows woven together. Maura’s story is bookended by my own. It’s an interesting situation because you’re telling the story of the two of you with only one person there.
“As an actor in this play you have long, long pieces to learn.
“It’s a real challenge for me.
“I’ve never done this, to just stand there and hold the stage.”
- Steven Weber as quoted in the Times Union.
Maura Tierney in Three Hotels.
The Story on Stage
Ken Hoyle is an ambitious hatchet man for a multinational company that sells defective baby formula in developing African countries. His wife Barbara advises other young executive wives on life in the third world. Their days as idealistic Peace Corps volunteers are far behind them – physically and metaphorically – and the succession of moral compromises has taken its toll. Jon Robin Baitz weaves a timely tale of corporate misdeeds, personal tragedy, and marital discord that takes us into the private thoughts of a man and a woman searching for answers and aching for redemption.
The creative team includes Thomas Lynch (Scenic Design), Susan Hilferty (Costume Design), James F. Ingalls (Lighting Design), and Obadiah Eaves (Sound Design/Composer). Eileen Kelly is the Production Stage Manager.
Tickets and Playing Times
Tickets for the 2011 Williamstown Theatre Festival season are on sale now and can be purchased online at www.wtfestival.org, by phone at (413) 597-3400 or in person at the ’62 Center for Theatre and Dance, 1000 Main St. (Route 2), Williamstown, MA 01267. New curtain times for all Main Stage and Nikos Stage shows are as follows: Tuesday – Saturday at 7:30 p.m., Thursday, Saturday & Sunday at 2:00 p.m. For more schedule details, visit www.wtfestival.org.
The Company
The Williamstown Theatre Festival brings award-winning actors, directors, and playwrights to the Berkshires, engaging a loyal audience of both residents and summer visitors. A WTF season covers a broad range of theatrical endeavors, revisiting classic plays with exciting new productions on its Main Stage, developing and nurturing bold new works on the Nikos Stage, and offering audiences a rich array of cultural events including Free Theatre, Late-Night Cabarets, readings, workshops, and educational programs like the Greylock Theatre Project–a program for children in neighboring North Adams. While best known for its acclaimed productions, WTF is also home to unparalleled training and professional development programs serving new generations of aspiring theatre artists and managers. WTF was honored with the Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre in 2002 and the Commonwealth Award for Achievement in 2011. The Festival welcomes Jenny Gersten as its new Artistic Director for the 2011 season.
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