Ending this season's Williamstown Theatre Festival in Massachusetts will be Hecuba, with Olympia Dukakis playing the title role. Directed by American Conservatory Theatre Artistic Director Carey Perloff, Hecuba fills the mainstage Aug. 19-30.

Michele Shay will lead the chorus in this rendition of Euripedes' classic. Also featured in the cast are Marco Barricelli as Odysseus, L. Peter Callender as Agamemnon, Apollo Dukakis (Olympia's brother) as Talthebios, Steven Anthony Jones as Polymestor, and, as the chorus, KITKA, an ensemble of women who blend specialized vocal techniques from Eastern Europe with contemporary styles.

Dukakis is a veteran of Williamstown, having appeared in 13 festival seasons. Previous WTF credits include The Milk Train Doesn't Stop Here Anymore, The Cherry Orchard and Orpheus Descending.

Shay received a Tony nomination for her work in August Wilson's Seven Guitars. Other credits include The Waiting Room, For Colored Girls..., and, at WTF, A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Meanwhile, at WTF's Nikos Stage, Corners, a new play by David Rabe (Hurlyburly, Sticks and Bones) opened Aug. 12 for a run through Aug. 23. Victor Argo, Robert Pastorelli, Christopher Meloni, and Joe Pacheco star. Scott Ellis directs. In Corners, two friends wander through a dark world of cellular phones, mafioso and street corners. Other Rabe dramas include Streamers and A Question of Mercy.

Pastorelli is best known for his regular role as Candice Bergen's handyman on the sitcom "Murphy Brown." He recently starred in the television series "Cracker." Film credits include Dances with Wolves, Eraser and Michael.

Argo has appeared Off-Broadway in Breaking Legs and in such films as The Funeral, The Bad Lieutenant, The King of New York and Mean Streets.

Williamstown Festival tickets are sold at the box office or by calling (413) 597-3400. WTF's 24-hour information line is (413) 597-3399.

-- By Robert Simonson