The Winter’s Tale
July 2026
Two Nights, Two Casts, Two Ways (with a mash-up encore performance on night three!)
Night One (Friday, 7/17)
Night one emphasizes the first half of the tale: a gripping family drama shaped by jealousy, loss, and courage in the face of injustice.
Friday, July 17th, 6pm doors
The Barn at Dead Branch Farm
Chesterfield, MA
Reserve for Night One
Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale is really two plays smashed together. So this year, we are tackling the story over two evenings with two entirely different casts! Both nights tell the complete story (so no need to attend both to know what happens), but each offers a distinct lens on the play.
Night Two (Sunday 7/19)
Night two leans into the play’s second half, a community fairy tale about serendipity, abundance, and renewal.
Sunday, July 19th 6pm doors
The Barn at Dead Branch Farm
Chesterfield, MA
Reserve for Night Two
Night Three: Mash-up Encore (Tuesday, 7/21)
Night three combines material from both nights and most of both casts into an abridged mash-up performance at Williams College!
Tuesday, July 21st at 6:30pm
'62 Center for Theatre and Dance
Williamstown, MA
Reserve for Mash-up/Encore
No matter which evening you attend, you’ll experience a one-of-a-kind performance in which no one—not even the actors—knows exactly what will happen next!
An Introduction to Hilltown Theatre Anonymous
Hilltown Theatre Anonymous: A Journey of Magic, Community, and Theatre
A Night of Surprise
Hilltown Theatre Anonymous is an annual theatre event in Western Massachusetts. Each year, we come together to tell/re-tell/un-tell one of Shakespeare’s stories through the prism of our Hilltown community.
Our shows are cast and rehearsed in secret, which means that each actor meets one-on-one with their director.
On the night of the performance, everyone begins in the audience. The actors speak their first lines from their seat, and then make their way onstage!
Our Philosophy
Engaging creatively strengthens the bonds of community. By balancing surprises with ample support for our actors, we aim to intensify the magic of theatre without the undue pressure.
The goal of Hilltown Theatre Anonymous is to foster delight, spontaneity and connection. We invite everyone, especially those who've felt alienated by the classics, to rediscover Shakespeare and public art through a deeply personal lens, and to encounter their own community in a new, revitalizing way.
What Makes Our Shows Special?
An Artistic Collage: the shows themselves blend Shakespeare’s text, community testimonials, original songs, and embodied storytelling as we explore what in these old stories speaks to us, to our everyday lives, our relationships with each other, with our work, our world.
Tailored Rehearsals: Our process embraces each performer individually. From the seasoned actor to the theatre newbie, we nurture and shape every performer.
Testimonials from actors and audience
