A Bold New Chapter
W71 emerged over years, shaped by a reinvigorated vision of the Festival and the collaborations of staff, trustees, artists, and patrons.
Keep scrolling to learn more about what we’ve accomplished in recent years, and where we are headed.
To keep the momentum going, support Williamstown today.
W71 by the Numbers
15K visits to core productions aka +30% year-over-year growth
400+ passholders (50% new audiences) and 120 Standby Passes for students/artists (80% new audiences)
40% new audiences, with 16%+ under the age of 44 and 50% under the age of 65
17M+ total social media impressions
+369% social visits with +50% Instagram followers and +145% social engagement
140+ mentions in the press including Vogue, The New York Times, People Magazine, Vanity Fair, The New Yorker, Town & Country, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, Fast Company, and more
~ $26M in economic impact in the area, with $2.7M in visitor spending representing a 56% increase over 2024.
A destination festival again.
W71 was a major step towards Williamstown being the place where:
Culture and creativity convenes — We gathered risk-takers and curators.
Theatre expands — We are blending plays with music, dance, visual art, and immersive experiences.
Summer extends — We aspire to produce year-round, multi-platform content.
Experimentation, innovation, and legacy combine — We will foreground artistic excellence while ensuring sustainability.
“One of the most indelible weekends of theater I can think of.”
– Juan A. Ramírez, Vanity Fair
How did we get here?:
Since 1954, Williamstown has seen over 14,000 artists cross our stages and at each juncture, investments in actors, directors, producers, and playwrights lead the field and proved over and over again how vital theatre is to American society at large. Over the years we’ve celebrated some 500 award nominations of our artist alumni as they go on to make waves in theatre, film, television, and literature.
For decades, like that of many other non-profit arts organizations, our model was financially unsustainable. And so, we needed a bold plan for the future to break the cycle of stop-gap funding and get out of endless survival mode.
Here's an overview of where we've come:
Imagine what it looks like to engage one million people in a global theatre community. That’s the future of Williamstown.
We believe theatre can be antidote to an increasingly isolated and lonely world, an art form that naturally gathers us in community through a shared experience. Williamstown Theatre Festival has been just that for seven decades, defining the last generation of American theatre. Now, we're setting out to do the same thing for the next seven decades. We hope you’ll join and support us.
“Daring is the point.”
– Naveen Kumar, The Washington Post
Over the next 24 months we are planning to:
Extend our reach by expanding our footprint and bring together theatre lovers and practitioners worldwide through a digital membership program
Invest in the people who make theatre possible by reimagining what learning can be at the Festival for the next generation; expanding our full-time team and our trustees; iterating on our guest curation model
Develop New Work by commissioning, incubating, and workshopping bold projects across mediums
Produce W72, a summer festival at the same scale of W71 with added layers of food and drink, VIP and group experiences, brand partnerships and activations, and an expanded regional footprint
Kick off Phase 2 of the development of The Annex, continuing its evolution from a former Rent-A-Center to a space for inventive gathering and storytelling, with the addition of permanent dressing spaces, audience restrooms, and modular seating
By 2032 we’ll be active year-round with theatrical experiences for audiences around the world.
We cannot do this work without you. Your support today will fuel the growth of our people and our work—ensuring that W72 and beyond will not only match the scale of W71, but reach even further. You can help us build a sustainable future and bring the Festival to audiences everywhere.
Donating today ensures you will be the first to know the dates, curatorial theme, and details of W72.