The Chekhov will be The Cherry Orchard, scheduled for the Main Stage Aug. 11-22. The Shakepeare is the comedy A Midsummer Night's Dream, filling the Main Stage, July 14-25.
Wilkof was seen Off-Broadway this past season in Four Beers. His most recent Broadway credit was The Boys From Syracuse at the Roundabout Theatre Company. Prior to that, he was nominated for a Tony Award for his comical gangster in Kiss Me, Kate. Off-Broadway, he originated the role of Seymour in Little Shop of Horrors, and also starred in Mizlansky/Zilinsky.
Nicholas Martin will direct Midsummer. The Cherry Orchard, meanwhile, will continue WTF's time-honored devotion to the Russian master. Chekhov was a favorite of festival founder Nikos Psacharopoulos, though current artistic director Michael Ritchie has never produced Chekhov on the Main Stage during his tenure. Michael Greif directs.
The Main Stage season will open with Cabaret & Main, an extended run version of WTF's famous late-night cabarets, in which company members show off their otherwise-underused singing and comedic talents. Lewis Black, Betty Buckley, Christopher Fitzgerald, Bill Irwin, James Naughton, Charlotte d'Amboise, Kate Burton, Tim Daly, Terrence Mann, Andrea Martin, Joe Morton, Debra Monk, Martha Plimpton, Billy Porter, Roger Rees, Dana Reeve, Marisa Tomei, Scott Wolf and Carol Woods are confirmed for the show. Black has typically hosted the cabarets.
* The 2004 festival schedule runs as follows:
Main Stage:
Cabaret & Main, June 24-July 10
A Midsummer Night's Dream, July 14-25
Design for Living, July 28-August 8
The Cherry Orchard, Aug. 11-22
Nikos Stage:
The Water's Edge, June 23-July 4
Rodney's Wife, July 7-18
R Shomon, July 21-Aug. 1
Dedication or The Stuff of Dreams , Aug. 11-22
The Festival Box Office at the Adams Memorial Theatre will open on June 15 at 11 AM. Tickets may be purchased beginning June 15 by calling (413) 597-3400, or by visiting the box office in person. Mail orders received prior to June 15 will be processed before the Box Office officially opens to the public.
For the latest updates on casting and events, or to receive a season brochure by mail, patrons are encouraged to visit WTF's official website at www.WTFestival.org.
