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. 

The 2025 festival, which saw a 30 percent increase in attendance from 2024, featured stars such as Pamela Anderson, William Jackson Harper, and Amber Heard. For the future, the company says it plans to invest more in the creation of new work, along with introducing "new business and revenue-generating structures" including for-profit producing and a digital subscription offering "that connects a global theatre community." No details on what that subscription service entails were made available.

"This past summer offered a glimpse of what’s possible when an institution dares to evolve, and we are just getting started,” says Managing Director of Strategy and Transformation Raphael Picciarelli in a statement. "W71 [the 2025 Festival] reestablished Williamstown as a hub for boundary-pushing new work. This next phase deepens that commitment by dedicating time and resources to developing and advancing initiatives, and strengthening the organization for the future."

"Creating bold work requires strong systems behind the scenes,” adds Managing Director of Operations and Advancement Kit Ingui. "We’ll use the coming months to build the infrastructure, processes, partnerships, and workplace practices that allow artists and staff to do their best work at the scale the Festival now demands."

The company says that even though there will be no full productions this year, it hopes to explore "programming and partnerships for 2026," leaving open the possibility that this year won't be entirely dark.

“Williamstown Theatre Festival’s evolution reflects a deliberate, long-term strategy championed by the board and carried forward by Raphael and Kit,” says Board Chair Margaret Gould Stewart. “W71 demonstrated what the future of theatre can look like, and our next phase ensures the necessary structure is in place to support our ambitious vision and programming for years to come.”

“W71 was a testament to what can be achieved when artistic ambition and risk are encouraged and not stifled by fear," shares Harris. "In this moment, both creatively and politically, fear is ruling many of us. The Creative Collective at Williamstown brings artists in the room early, arguing, dreaming, pushing each other, and helping shape what comes next free of the fears we have felt in other areas of our creative life. There’s a real sense of permission there: to work in the same manner the artists who were vanguards of our field were able to at the start of the 20th century and at the inception of this festival."

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