Williams: We're in our eighteenth season, and we've come to realize that in the summer you do form a camaraderie that's not found during the year. During term-time productions, you find yourself mainly concerned with your own production.

THC: Do you guys have dinner a lot together?

Williams: There are two groups of people doing summer theater: those that have housing and those that don't. The core group is those that have housing, in the Quad--actors, directors, designers.

Those people spend a lot of time together. The rest of us--how should I say--float in and out of their world.

THC: So basically some people order take-out alone and others eat in restaurants?

Williams: Yes. Darwin's and Lee's Sandwich Shop are very popular.

THC: I find Darwin's of high quality, but somewhat pricey.

Williams: You're paying for the atmosphere.

THC: Indeed. I know you said the range of plays is relatively stock, but is the summer still a good time for more experimental theater than during the year?

Williams: I think plays in the Ex [Loeb Experimental Theater] are always cutting-edge. But one of the concerns of Summer Theater is to cover our own expenses. Therefore, we have to offer a season that will attract more than the year's usual mix--artsy oldsters, for example. My goal as producer is to sell the show and not sacrifice artistic merit.

THC: How do you rate yourself on maintaining that balance?

Williams: I think myself and the other producers have done a lot to assure that balance exists. We strive to let the directors and designers play and still keep the show on track.

THC: Four years ago I saw an expert production of The Dumbwaiter in the Ex. As a high-school student, I was impressed by the near-professional quality of the performances. Do you feel summer theater has a special duty to the budding theater folks in the Harvard Secondary School Program?

Williams: I think it's important for those high school students to be exposed to a collegiate dramatic experience. High schools have a wide range of quality in their dramatic programs. HRST provides a venue for the secondary school student to see a college-level production and even to get involved in that production.

THC: You're talking about the intern program, right?