Rees Leaving Williamstown Theatre Festival

Roger Rees

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — Artist director Roger Rees and the Williamstown Theatre Festival are parting ways after three years.

Following speculation in Variety magazine on Monday, his departure was announced early Thursday morning by the company's board President Matt Harris. He will be replaced by Nicholas Martin, artistic director of the Huntington Theatre Company in Boston.

"Roger came in at a time of transition for the Williamstown Theatre Festival, and did a great job setting a foundation of innovation for the future," said Harris in a statement. "He also helped to reaffirm our focus on training the next generation of artists while continuing our tradition of top-notch productions."

Rees was chosen after a yearlong search for a successor to Michael Ritchie, who left in 2004 after nine years leading the festival to become producer of the Center Theatre Group of Los Angeles. The award-winning stage, TV and film actor had appeared in and directed a number of plays at the festival since 1997. Rees oversaw the festival's move into its new quarters at the '62 Center for Theatre and Dance on the Williams College campus. He also frequently participated in readings at Williams' Chapin Hall and the Clark Art Institute, most recently reading letters by Claude Monet for the museum's "The Unknown Monet."

While there has been criticism about Rees' selections and casting for the summer festival, Harris told The New York Times this week that the break up had nothing to do with performance.

"Roger has a lot of demands with different projects." Williamstown managing director Bill Darger also recently departed his post, according to Variety.

Martin will take the post effective Nov. 1 and continue with the Boston company through next spring. He has been with Huntington Theatre Company since 2000. He has been associated with WTF for more than a decade and was resident director for two years under Ritchie.

"I couldn't be more delighted to be returning to Williamstown Theatre Festival where I have shared so many experiences with so many incredible artists," said Martin in a statement. "Williamstown is truly the place where I feel I really learned to direct."

Harris described Martin as a "great leader and superb director."

"We are thrilled that he will be helming the WTF and look forward to a creative association and an exciting new chapter in the life of the Williamstown Theatre Festival," he said in the statement.

During his tenure at the WTF, Rees presented some of the most acclaimed productions in the WTF's recent history, including "Autumn Garden" and "The Corn Is Green" (directed by Martin) from the 2007 season. In addition, he spearheaded continued innovation in the WTF's education programs, most notably the leapFROG program, which offers young writers, directors and actors a chance to write and workshop a new play and a new musical each summer.

Despite his long history on the stage, the Welsh-born actor is probably best-known for his portrayal of tycoon Robin Colcord on the sitcom "Cheers." Martin has directed plays on and off Broadway, in London and in a number f regional theaters. He also will be directing the world premiere of Paul Rudnick's play "The New Century" at Lincoln Center Theater next April.

Coggins Classic Golf Tournament Helps Bennington Project Independence

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
05:37PM / Saturday, September 05, 2026

This was the tournament's fifth year; it combined with the independence project's annual golf outing this year. 

BENNINGTON, Vt. — Thirty teams hit the green for this year's Coggins Classical Golf tournament, helping Coggins Auto raise money for Bennington Project Independence.

Coggins Auto Marketing Director Valerie Harrington said the fifth annual tournament, which was held on Aug. 28, continued a tradition of community-driven giving. 

Harrington first helped organize the tournament in 2022. She hoped to raise $10,000, which would allow the auto group to leverage a $10,000 Toyota match program. 

The tournament has successfully raised more than $50,000 the last two years, with last year's beneficiary the Cancer Center Community Crusaders. 

This year, it raised more than $50,000 alone, including meeting the Toyota match the third year in a row.

Harrington said she wanted to help the nonprofits in the area, especially those that might get overlooked.

"The idea of it was especially for those nonprofits that are pretty small and don't have really the funds or the means or understanding of how to put on a golf tournament, and to give them an opportunity to get at least $20,000 in funds that year, which is huge for a lot of them, and it's really grown since then," she said.

"There's a lot of nonprofits that are big and big and loud and you know about them, but there are so many more that are like people don't even realize they exist. But what they do is super critical and important to the people in our community."

Local nonprofits submit an application each year explaining their mission and what they need to succeed. Coggins employees narrow the submissions to their top three choices and then let the community decide who they should pick.

Bennington has more than 100 nonprofits, and it can be hard to keep track of them all, but with the tournament, Coggins is able to have many people learn and see the needs in their community and nonprofits they haven't heard about.

"Even if they don't win, they've got in front of thousands of people who read their story and know what they need and know what they do to just spread awareness," Harrington said. "And then by having the community vote on it, then we know for sure what we're doing is what the community wants the most at that given time ...

"The community is saying, 'Hey, we want this nonprofit. We like what they're trying to do. Let's give them help because it's the decision of hundreds to thousands of people rather than just a handful of us.'"

Bennington Project Independence is an adult day service for individuals and families facing the challenges of aging or disability. This year the organization is combining its 13th annual golf tournament with Coggins.

"I think they've affected a lot of people's lives and helped a lot of families because it's an adult day facility for not just the elderly but also special needs," Harrington said. "So what they do every day to keep those folks' lives enriched while giving the family a break or allowing them to go to work and do these things. It's really important."

The 2027 tournament submissions will open in March of 2027.