New York City - The Williamstown Theatre Festival (Nicholas Martin Artistic Director) will honor Emmy Award-winning writer/producer and WTF Board member Tom Fontana at its 2009 Gala. The annual gala will take place on Monday, November 16 at 6 p.m. at the Prince George Ballroom in New York City.

Williamstown Theatre Festival artists participating in the evening's events include: Kate Burton, Victor Garber, Harriet Harris, Steve Lawson and members of the WTF Non-Equity Company.

Co-chairs Scott Delman, Shana Fisher, and Katherine Kollath Peabody head up a Benefit Committee which includes: Maria Aitken and Patrick McGrath, Becky Ann and Dylan Baker, Margo and William Bowden, Connie Cincotta, Bradley Cooper, Nate Corddry, Blythe Danner, Peter Dinklage, Cindy and Chip Elitzer, Gintare and William Everett, Tracey and Joe Finnegan, Fredda Harris, Jessica and Matthew Harris, Jessica Hecht and Adam Bernstein, Zeljko Ivanek, Jane Kaczmarek, Fran and Ira Lapidus, Gary Levine, Judith Light, Susan Lyons and Jefferson Mays, Wendie Malick, Andrea Martin, Jesse L. Martin, Debra Monk, Margaux and Mark Peabody, Bo Peabody, Austin Pendleton, Pamela and Robert Rosenberg, Alexandra Shiva and Jonathan Marc Sherman, and Lea Thompson.

Past honorees at the Williamstown Theatre Festival Gala include Lewis Black, Kate Burton, Blythe Danner, A.R. Gurney and Tom Stoppard.

For further information contact Eric Kerns, Director of Development, at 413-5597-4630.

About Tom Fontana
Tom Fontana joined the Williamstown Theatre Festival in 1978, first as self-described "General Factotum" to Artistic Director Nikos Psacharopoulos, and served as Playwright-in-Residence. During the 1981 season, Fontana's play "The Spectre Bridegroom" attracted the attention of producer and WTF friend Bruce Paltrow, who hired him to write for his new series "St. Elsewhere." Fontana has been unstoppable ever since, injecting his bold theatrical sensibility into the medium of television with ground-breaking shows like "Homicide: Life on the Street," "Oz," "The Jury" and "The Philanthropist."

About Williamstown Theatre Festival
Continuing its 55-year history and under the artistic direction of Nicholas Martin, the Williamstown Theatre Festival brings award-winning actors, directors and playwrights to the Berkshires, engaging a loyal audience of both residents and summer visitors. A WTF season covers a broad range of theatrical endeavors, revisiting classic plays with exciting new productions on their Main Stage, developing and nurturing bold new works on their Nikos Stage, and offering audiences a rich array of cultural events including Free Theatre, Late-Night Cabarets, readings, workshops, and educational programs like the Greylock Theatre Project - a program for children in neighboring North Adams. While best known for acclaimed productions, WTF is also home to unparalleled training and professional development programs serving new generations of aspiring theatre artists and managers. WTF was honored with the Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre in 2002.

For more information go to www.wtfestival.org.