Amber Heard, Brandon Flynn, and Lío Mehiel have become part of the ensemble cast for Spirit of the People, a fresh stage production penned by Jeremy O. Harris, as reported by a media outlet. The world premiere is set to take place during the 2025 Williamstown Theatre Festival.
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Variety shared the news. It also mentioned that, under the direction of Katina Medina Mora, the play enhances an already impressive cast that features Tony Award nominees Ato Blankson-Wood and James Cusati-Moyer, along with Amandla Jahava, Emma Ramos, Julian Sanchez, Zachary Booth, and Tonatiuh.
Now in its 71st year, the Williamstown Theatre Festival is experiencing a significant change in leadership. According to
Variety, this year’s festival programming is being spearheaded by a newly established Creative Collective - a collaborative team that includes Harris himself, along with model and book club co-founder Kaia Gerber, her creative partner Alyssa Reeder, entrepreneur Alex Stoclet, and renowned dancer Christopher Rudd.
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Harris informed
Variety earlier this year that he’s taking cues from the vibrant energy and community atmosphere of major music festivals like Coachella and Lollapalooza. “Music festivals are the ones that get it right,” he stated. “They create a genuine sense of community, which summer stock theater has overlooked in recent decades," he added.
The festival, branded this year as
W71, is being characterized as a multidisciplinary theatrical experience that also pays tribute to the legacy of Tennessee Williams. In addition to
Spirit of the People, the lineup features a revival of Williams’ lesser-known works such as
Camino Real and
Not About Nightingales.
Other highlights include
The Things Around Us, a solo musical by Ahamefule J. Oluo, and
Many Happy Returns, a dance and storytelling collaboration by Monica Bill Barnes and Robbie Saenz de Viteri.
Regarding
Spirit of the People, Harris describes it as a daring creative shift. “Half the play is in Spanish—and I don’t even speak Spanish. It’s filled with prose, which I’ve never really written before," he shared with the media outlet.