“Lopez’s The Inheritance, a two-play, seven-hour work exploring the reverberations of the 1980s AIDS epidemic for a new generation of gay men, is certainly epic…[Lopez] attributes the success of the play to the support offered by Williamson.”

--Mark Ravenhill, The Sunday Times of London

"Elizabeth Williamson, the artistic director at Geva Theatre in Rochester, New York, is one of the smartest, kindest, boldest theatre makers I know."

-- Dan O'Brien, Esquire Magazine

"In the three shows that Elizabeth Williamson has directed at Hartford Stage in the past 19 months, she has varied not just the types of plays she does but the styles in which she does them...she invariably succeeds.”

--Chris Arnott, Hartford Courant

Elizabeth Williamson and Matthew López celebrating the 2021 Tony Awards for THE INHERITANCE

ELIZABETH WILLIAMSON (she/her/hers) is an OBIE Award winning director, dramaturg, producer and adapter. Williamson has worked on Broadway, off-Broadway, in London’s West End, around the country, and internationally. Williamson is the Artistic Director of Geva Theatre; she has over a decade’s artistic leadership experience at major non-profit theatres, with a history of centering LGBTQIA+, BIPOC and women artists' work, and leading new play development and community engagement initiatives.

Recent projects include commissioning and dramaturging Matthew López' Tony and Olivier Award-winning The Inheritance , creative producing/dramaturging/co-directing Sarah Gancher's New York Times "Best Theatre of 2020" pick Russian Troll Farm online, working as dramaturg with Matthew López and Amber Ruffin on Some Like It Hot on Broadway, and adapting Jane Eyre (Hartford Stage, Geva Theatre, Alley Theatre, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, published by TRW.)

RECENT NEWS

OSF's 'Jane Eyre' stunning in its simplicity

"The time is right for a classic that is stunning in its storytelling, simple in its presentation, beautifully acted, with a feminist theme — it is time for "Jane Eyre." Adapted by playwright Elizabeth Williamson from the novel by Charlotte Brontë, everything's just just right." -- Rogue Valley Times

Alley Theatre's revamp of Charlotte Bronte's 'Jane Eyre' is a breath of fresh air

"The Houston theater has totally upped its game with Elizabeth Williamson’s smart and poignant adaptation of Charlotte Bronte’s classic 19th-century novel." -- Houston Chronicle

Geva Names Elizabeth Williamson Its New Artistic Director

Williamson, whose background is in directing, producing, and dramaturgy, will be the first woman to lead the Rochester company. -- American Theatre

Former Hartford Stage Artistic Leader gets shout-out at Tony Awards

Former Hartford Stage Associate Artistic Director Elizabeth Williamson got a special shout-out from playwright Matthew Lopez when his epic drama “The Inheritance” won for “Best Play” at Sunday night’s Tony Awards. Lopez thanked Williamson for being the dramaturg on the project and reading every draft of the script. A dramaturg works closely with a playwright, acting as an advisor, editor and sounding board in the development of a new play. -- Hartford Courant

THE INHERITANCE wins 4 Tony Awards

'The Inheritance’ wins best play, making Matthew López the first Latino writer to take home the award. Both López and director Stephen Daldry thank dramaturg Elizabeth Williamson in their acceptance speeches.

Watch here

RUSSIAN TROLL FARM on NY Times Best Theater of 2020

"With no end to the pandemic in sight, theater-makers had to face the fact that repurposing existing stage works was not going to produce vibrant new ones for our changed world. Just in time, “Russian Troll Farm,” by Sarah Gancher, showed that digital-native productions could make the medium maximally expressive — in this case by exploring the world of online Russian election disrupters using an online aesthetic. It took two directors (Jared Mezzocchi and Elizabeth Williamson) and three companies (TheaterWorks Hartford, Theater Squared in Arkansas and the Brooklyn-based Civilians) to pull it off, but it was a key step forward and a wicked-smart ride" Jesse Green, New York Times

RUSSIAN TROLL FARM on All Things Considered

'Russian Troll Farm:' Imagine 'The Office,' But With Election Interference' Jeff Lunden, NPR

RUSSIAN TROLL FARM a New York Times Critics Pick

"The content and form are also ideally matched in Jared Mezzocchi and Elizabeth Williamson’s beautifully realized production; this is digitally native theater, not just a play plopped into a Zoom box." Jesse Green, New York Times

Masters of the Stage Interview with Elizabeth Williamson

Elizabeth Williamson chats with M Graham Smith about her career as a director and dramaturg, and new play development philosophy, for SDC's Masters of the Stage podcast. Listen here

THE INHERITANCE wins Olivier Award for Best Play

Matthew Lopez' The Inheritance, directed by Stephen Daldry and dramaturged by Elizabeth Williamson, won four Olivier Awards, including Best Play and Best Director. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/07/arts/olivier-awards-winners-the-inheritance-company.html

US Premiere of Jeeves & Wooster in "PERFECT NONSENSE"

"“Perfect Nonsense” comes to Hartford through the efforts of Hartford Stage Associate Artistic Director Elizabeth Williamson, who saw the show shortly after it opened in London and arranged for its U.S. premiere. " Hartford Courant

A Busy Season for Hartford Stage's Elizabeth Williamson

Hartford Stage Associate Artistic Director Elizabeth Williamson has had a busy few months. She has been shuttling overseas to serve as a dramaturg on two different shows that she’s been involved with for years that happen to be getting produced at the same time. --Hartford Courant