Summer, 1976 is a deeply affecting two-hander by Pulitzer Prize–winning playwright David Auburn, whose celebrated body of work includes Proof and other acclaimed plays that examine intellect, memory and the fragile complexities of human connection. A longtime artistic presence at Berkshire Theatre Group, Auburn has written and directed multiple productions on BTG stages, bringing both his precision as a playwright and his emotional clarity as a director to the company’s work. In Summer, 1976, he turns his focus to an unexpected friendship between two women whose lives intersect during the Bicentennial summer. What begins as a brief encounter unfolds into a quietly transformative bond, leaving an imprint that shapes both women for decades to come.
The production brings together two acclaimed actors returning to BTG. Two-time Tony Award nominee Kate Baldwin plays Alice, following her celebrated BTG appearance in What the Constitution Means to Me. A Broadway favorite, Baldwin’s credits include Hello, Dolly!, Finian’s Rainbow, Big Fish and Thoroughly Modern Millie. Jennifer Van Dyck plays Diana and was last seen at BTG in Dracula. Her extensive stage and screen work includes the Broadway productions of Hedda Gabler, Dancing at Lughnasa, Two Shakespearean Actors and The Secret Rapture, as well as TV appearances on Law & Order, The Blacklist, Madam Secretary, The Good Wife. She is frequent collaborator with Charles Busch. Together, Baldwin and Van Dyck bring warmth, intelligence and emotional depth to Auburn’s finely drawn portrait of two very different women and the friendship that changes them both.
Directed by Isadora Wolfe, who returns to BTG after multiple seasons collaborating as a performer, choreographer and director, the production builds on the extraordinary impact of her acclaimed direction of Metamorphoses at BTG last season, a production widely praised by both critics and audiences for its striking visual imagination and emotional resonance. Wolfe is an Artistic Associate for Punchdrunk (UK) and previously served as Associate Artistic Director and Resident Director for the New York production of Sleep No More. She has worked with artists including David Auburn, Martha Clarke, Maxine Doyle, Eric Hill, Richard Jones and Johannes Wieland, and serves on the faculty of The Juilliard School and as a Fellow at NYU Center for Ballet and the Arts. Her layered theatrical perspective brings emotional depth and physical nuance to Auburn’s intimate script, illuminating the subtle shifts of time, memory and human connection that define this quietly powerful play.
Reflective and resonant, Summer, 1976 offers a poignant meditation on friendship and the small, fleeting moments that quietly alter the course of a life.
Recommended for Ages 12 and up.
Production
by David Auburn
directed by Isadora Wolfe
Previews: Wednesday, October 7 at 7pm & Thursday, October 8 at 7pm
Opening/Press Night: Friday, October 9 at 7pm
Closing: Saturday, October 31 at 7pm
The Incredible Naumkeag Pumpkin Show Ticket Access for Summer, 1976 Ticketholders
Berkshire Theatre Group and The Trustees of Reservations are once again collaborating to offer audiences a distinctive fall experience in Stockbridge. Patrons who purchase tickets to eligible performances of Summer, 1976 will receive exclusive access to tickets for The Incredible Naumkeag Pumpkin Show, which transforms the historic property into an illuminated celebration of artistry and imagination.
Each ticket to Summer, 1976 provides access to purchase one ticket to the 5pm entry of The Incredible Naumkeag Pumpkin Show on the same day as the performance. For example, one ticket to Summer, 1976 provides access to purchase one Pumpkin Show ticket; two theatre tickets provide access to purchase two Pumpkin Show tickets, and so on. This offer is available for all performances of Summer, 1976 except Thursday, October 8 and Friday, October 9.
Patrons attending both events may park at The Unicorn Theatre parking lot and walk to the Stockbridge Playhouse parking lot, where they will check in with Naumkeag staff and board the shuttle to the Pumpkin Show.
To add tickets to The Incredible Naumkeag Pumpkin Show to your Summer, 1976 ticket order, please call the box office at (413) 997-4444. Box office hours are Tuesday–Saturday from 12pm–5pm, and 12pm–curtain on performance days.
Sponsored by
Cast
Alice
Kate Baldwin
Diana
Jennifer Van Dyck