July 4th Celebration
The annual public reading by actors from the Williamstown Theatre Festival of the Declaration of Independence of July 1776, the British reply to the Declaration of September 1776, King George III’s speech to Parliament of October 1776, and the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution will take place on Wednesday, July 4th, at 1:30 p.m. outside the Williams College Museum of Art. Heather Lind (HBO’s Boardwalk Empire) and Finn Wittrock (Broadway’s Death of a Salesman), both currently featured in the Williamstown Theatre Festival’s world premiere production of The Blue Deep, will read the Declaration of Independence and Preamble, while the British reply and the King’s speech will be read by comedian and WTF favorite Lewis Black, reprising his appearance from last year.
The Chapin Library’s collection of the Founding Documents of the United States is on display at the Williams College Museum of Art until the completion of the Stetson-Sawyer project in 2014. On July 4th, the Museum galleries will be open from 11:00 to 3:00. – WGH
Update: A video of this year’s July 4th event may be seen on YouTube. The readings were introduced by Robert Volz, Custodian of the Chapin Library.