To honor the life and work of WTF actor and trustee Christopher Reeve, the final performance of every Williamstown Theatre Festival season will be dedicated to his memory.The tradition will be inaugurated with Bus Stop, which stars film actress Elizabeth Banks. Following the final performance of Bus Stop on Sunday August 28 (2 pm), cast members will collect donations for the Christopher Reeve Foundation (CRF). In subsequent years a fund will be established at WTF to support artists with disabilities who wish to train or work at WTF, and the proceeds of future final performances will be directed to this fund.Reeve began his acting career at 15 as an apprentice at WTF and returned to the festival throughout his illustrious career. A few of the many productions that Reeve appeared in at WTF include: Love Letters, The Guardsman, Death Takes a Holiday, John Brown's Body, Summer and Smoke, The Royal Family, and Holiday. Best known for his performances in the title role of the Superman movies, Reeve also appeared onscreen in such films as Somewhere in Time, Deathtrap, Noises Off and The Remains of the Day. On Broadway, he starred in A Matter of Gravity, Fifth of July and The Marriage of Figaro. Tragically paralyzed after a horse-riding accident, he passed away in 2004, after years of bravely living with his disability.
Reeve met his wife, Dana, at WTF in 1987. Dana now serves as a member of WTF's Board of Trustees.The Williamstown Theatre Festival in Massachusetts is one of the most prestigous theatre festivals in the country. This past season's productions also included Lady Windemere's Fan, Top Girls and On the Razzle (on the Main Stage), and Create Fate, The Sugar Syndrome and Tough Titty (on the Nikos Stage). This year, Roger Rees (The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby) was appointed artistic director of the festival.The Christopher Reeve Foundation (CRF) is committed to funding research that develops treatments and cures for paralysis caused by spinal cord injury and other central nervous system disorders. The Foundation also vigorously works to improve the quality of life for people living with disabilities through its grants program, paralysis resource center and advocacy efforts. Since 1982, CRF has awarded over $53 million in research grants to the world's best neuroscientists. CRF grants are catalytic. We support new initiatives, take smart risks, and make sure our research dollars are spent to do the most good.
