Changing of the Guard at the Williamstown Theater Festival

The artistic director of the prestigious Williamstown Theater Festival has resigned after some employees complained about the long-standing working conditions there.

The festival announced on Monday that its artistic director, Mandy Greenfield, since 2014He resigned at the end of last month. Jenny Gersten, who ran the festival from 2010 to 2014, will return as interim artistic director as she searches for a new leader.

The summer festival held in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts, traditionally based in part on a pool of seasonal young workers, offered no reason to change leadership. However, a couple reports follow in the Los Angeles Times detailing employee concerns – sound team members objecting to working at a show held outdoors in rainy weather, in a reflective pool, and former employeeswas once a trainee, many of whom voiced other safety concerns.

In a news release, the festival said the leadership change “will not only expand the Festival’s respected legacy, but also provide an accountable, secure and equitable vision of a future for all.”

Greenfield said in a statement that “his goal as art director is to climb fences, make art, and try to improve and evolve every day.”

“I refused to renew a multi-year contract offered to me by the Festival in 2019; “While I was proud to have been asked to continue, I agreed to stay for two years, year after year.” “Furthermore, influenced by British tradition, I am deeply committed to the leadership transition because I firmly believe that theater institutions should empower new, diverse leaders on a regular basis and at shorter intervals than in the tradition in the United States.”

Greenfield’s tenure highlighted significant number of artistic achievementsIt includes multiple Off Broadway transfers as well as Broadway transfers for “Grand Horizons”, “The Sound Inside”, “The Rose Tattoo”, “Fool for Love” and “Living on Love”.

Gersten has held various positions in the theater world. He is currently a musical theater producer at New York City Center and “insect juice” returns to Broadway next spring. He plans to continue in both roles.