Playwright Trudy Williams creates humanities-based shows that bring to life on stage the public history, culture, and stories inspired by primary and secondary research in the resources, archives, special collections and exhibits of libraries, museums and historical societies. She aims to give general audiences, cast and crew an exciting, in-the-moment time and physical place of shared enjoyment, feelings and finding things out.
Using the music of various times as the portal, a lively mix of facts and interpretations connects the dots between history, culture and social meaning then and now. Each multi-media show combines a researched narrative, live music, theatrical cameos and vignettes (using fictionalized dialog that also includes excerpts from historical manuscripts), and large screen archival images. The format allows parts of a show to be changed easily to reflect results of local and regional research initiatives that inclusively expand the narrative of American history and culture. There is always an audience sing-along component during the show, and a Q&A at the end. The shows aim also to help expand community awareness about local historic resources and the role preservation plays in facilitating discoveries of our fuller American narrative.
Since 2010: Shows Trudy has authored, as well as those co-authored with George Boziwick, have been performed at The Library of Congress; Lincoln Center Public Programs Series at The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts; American Repertory Theater at Oberon, co-sponsored by Harvard Houghton Library and A.R.T Special Programs; Yale University Institute of Sacred Music; Long Island Museum of American Art and History; Emily Dickinson Museum/Amherst College; Hadley Public Library, sponsored by Hadley Historical Society and Porter-Phelps-Huntington Museum; Forbes Library; The Flex Theater at The Northampton Center for the Arts; and Northampton Union Station, sponsored by Historic Northampton.
Fellowships/Grants: In 2026, Trudy received a Northampton Cultural Council grant for her project Northampton History in Tales and Tunes: a series of shows about Northampton's history and culture. In 2019 She was a recipient of the American Antiquarian Society Fellowship for Historical Research by Creative and Performing Artists and Writers. Shows have also been funded in part by Suffolk County Office of Cultural Affairs and the Ward Melville Heritage Trust.
Find out more: Visit www.TheRedSkiesMusicEnsemble.com
