The B Early Summer 2024

Life in the Berkshires | Early Summer 2024

From the

Berkshires to Broadway Pittsfield’s Ali Louis Bourzgui in his star turn in NYC’s “Tommy”

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+MUST-SEE

CONCERTS

Our Critic’s Top Theater Picks Shows that Kids (and Parents!) Will Love

Plus:

THE SEASON’S BEST PARTIES! The B’s Gala Guide

HISTORIC HILLSDALE NY k i t c h e n w a r e s | cooking classes

hgshomechef.com | @hgshomechef | 518-325-7000

cookandlarder.com | @cookandlarder | 518-325-0220

roejanbrewing.com @roejanbrewingco 518-303-8080

WHERE THE HUDSON VALLEY MEETS THE BERKSHIRES

INTERIORS - HOME DECOR - FINE ART

tinyheatsfarm.com | @tinyheartsfarm | 914-236-0760

hillsdalegeneralstore.com @hillsdalegeneralstore 518-325-3310

irwinfelddesign.com | @irwinfelddesign1 | 917-699-6024

from the publisher “ENJOY TODAY” was stitched on Yulia Bougouin’s shirt cuff. She is a licensed pilot and flight instructor, and we took this sentiment to heart as we boarded the Cessna Skyhawk II at the Pittsfield Airport on a perfect day in May. Yulia had invited Berkshire Eagle photographer Stephanie Zollshan and me to see our community from the skies and learn a bit about flying.

Any fear I had on this windy day—and I had plenty— disappeared as I marveled at our glorious region from above.

When Yulia and her husband, Jean Yves, aren’t flying (yes, they are both pilots), they share their culinary talents in their Patisserie Lenox cafés in Great Barrington and Lenox. “A third of our cafés’ business comes over the summer,” said Yulia, “and I know just how important the season is to the cultural scene.”

There is no reason for me to fly outside of the Berkshires this summer. Why would I miss a minute here? The B’s Early Summer issue has everything you need to enjoy today, tomorrow, and the whole summer. In our “Off Duty” story on page 77, some notable locals share how they plan to spend their rare free time this summer. You’ll find my own list here.

TAKING OFF! I experienced the “Discovery Flight: Intro to Flying” session with Lyon Aviation, Pittsfield, $140; info@lyonaviation.com

SIGN UP FOR MICHELLE THORPE PETRICCA mpetricca@berkshireeagle.com

our complimentary digital newlsetter

When I’m Off Duty this Summer:

1

Cassilis Farm: Construct Designer Show House

2

New Marlborough

P H OTO S : S T E P H A N I E Z O L L S H A N

Local designers reinvented this Gilded Age estate with the theme “Nature in the Berkshires.” Ticket prices benefit Construct—and their mission to provide affordable housing.

(Weekends through June 30) constructberkshires.org

Heirloom Lodge West Stockbridge Chef Matt Straus’ highly anticipated restaurant is devoted to serving locally sourced ingredients with brilliant wines from the world’s greatest family-run wineries. heirloomlodge.com

3

Baker’s Golf, Glow Ball Mini Golf Lanesborough For several evenings over the summer, this miniature golf course lights up in neon— and July 27 is a Jimmy Fund benefit. bakers-golf.square.site

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Julie Benko at Barrington Stage Company Pittsfield Broadway’s breakout star (“Funny Girl,” “Harmony”) and Barrington Stage alum Julie Benko shares songs and behind-the-scenes stories in “Standby, Me,” at Mr. Finn’s Cabaret on August 30. barringtonstageco.org/mrfinns

Early Summer 2024 • THE B

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from the editor THERE ARE 98 DAYS between Memorial Day and

Recognize this red door? It’s the Artist Studio at the Norman Rockwell Museum. One thing I’m looking forward to this summer: the exhibit opening there on June 8, “What, Me Worry?

The Art and Humor of MAD magazine.”

AMY CONWAY

SUBSCRIBE TO THE B! berkshireeagle.com/theb or scan the QR code.

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THE B • Early Summer 2024

AMY PORTRAIT & TICKETS: STEPHANIE ZOLLSHAN

Labor Day this summer—not nearly enough to take in all of the culture, food, nature, and beauty we have in the Berkshires and neighboring counties.

Not even close! That’s where this issue of The B comes in: You’ll find curated takes on music, theater, and family-friendly fun as well as dozens of other “only in the Berkshires” activities to help you make the most of every moment this season.

One very special thing that was on my mustdo list this spring: See our cover star Ali Louis Bourzgui’s electric performance in the lead role in “Tommy” at Broadway’s Nederlander Theatre. Ali grew up in Pittsfield and many of you have likely seen him perform before, at Berkshire Theatre Group, Barrington Stage Company—or Pittsfield High School (class of 2017). It’s no surprise that he’s gone on to star on an even bigger stage, or that he’s still so connected to his roots in the Berkshires.

Ali told our writer, Felix Carroll, that when he was growing up, he and his family took advantage of our rich cultural offerings—and that this was crucial to his success. What’s more, he was able to see so much world-class programming thanks to the discounted pricing that many organizations offer—there may be deals for locals, students, young adults, members of the military, and seniors; there are free open days, season passes, public performances, and more. The people who run the organizations are generally dedicated to the arts and know their work can enrich, even change, lives. They want to Julie Hammill, The B’s design make theater, music, dance, and other arts accessible to all. director, and I went to see Spread the word—and raise a glass to those who make this “Tommy” on Broadway. creative community so inspiring for all of us.

Happy summer!

Early Summer 2024

Features

54

From the Berkshires to Broadway

15

86

Pittsfield’s Ali Louis Bourzgui takes Broadway by storm.

60

Dressing the Part Tour the costume shop at Barrington Stage Company.

67

Moments in Time The BSO takes us backstage at Tanglewood.

72 HATS: STEPHANIE ZOLLS HAN; TOMMY: MATTHEW MU RP HY & EVAN ZI MMERMAN; FOOD: LI NDA CAMPOS; COSTUME: ERIC KORENMAN: BERNSTEI N: COU RTESY OF TH E BOSTON SYMPHONY ORC HESTRA

54

60

Plus!

SUMMER HAPPENINGS

67

Music, Galas, and Family Fun! See page 97

In every issue: The Local Life 15 | Voices & Views 33 | Last Look 112

The Alt of It All Wilco bassist John Stirratt on his Berkshires-based passion projects.

77

Off Duty Back by popular demand!

Our talented local leaders share their summer to-do lists.

86

Taking Center Stage Get a taste of chef Stephen Browning’s new restaurant.

91

Show and Tell Learn how a Gilded Age estate in New Marlborough is being transformed.

On the cover: Ali Louis Bourzgui photographed by Jesse Wendelken Early Summer 2024 • THE B

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Jenifer House Commons, Great Barrington, MA • wingateltd.com • 413-644-9960 Open Monday - Saturday, 10 - 5 • Sunday by appointment only

413-717-7159 ROCKYRIDGE413.COM ROCKYRIDGEEXCAVATION@GMAIL.COM

VOL. 2, ISSUE 2 Early Summer 2024 PUBLISHER

EDITOR IN CHIEF

mpetricca@berkshireeagle.com

aconway@berkshireeagle.com

Michelle Thorpe Petricca DESIGN DIRECTOR

Julie Hammill

julie@hammilldesign.com COPY EDITOR

Amy Krzanik CONTRIBUTING COLUMNISTS

Jane Larkworthy Pops Peterson

Amy Conway

EDITOR-AT-LARGE

William Li

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

Ben Garver Gillian Jones-Heck Stephanie Zollshan

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Kate Abbott

INTERN

Thailia Chee

The B is a publication of New England Newspapers Inc. PRESIDENT & PUBLISHER

Fredric D. Rutberg | frutberg@berkshireeagle.com EXECUTIVE EDITOR

Kevin Moran | kmoran@berkshireeagle.com CHIEF REVENUE OFFICER

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contributors: The B's Saints & Eccentrics

SETH ROGOVOY (“Summer Music Preview”) has been reporting on the music and cultural scene in the greater region for nearly four decade. He is the author of The Essential Klezmer, Bob Dylan: Prophet Mystic Poet, and the forthcoming Within You Without You: Listening to George Harrison, due from Oxford University Press on October 1, 2024.

FELIX CARROLL (“From the Berkshires to Broadway”) has twice been named Writer of the Year by the New York Press Association, and has received other journalism awards, as well. He has been a staff writer for The Berkshire Eagle, Cape Cod Times, and Albany Times Union. He lives in Housatonic. He’s a South County firefighter, and he plays a gold sparkle drum kit.

JESSE WENDELKEN (“From the Berkshires to Broadway”) is a photographer based in NYC and Portland, ME. He received a BFA in film and photography from Ithaca College and is currently pursuing an MFA from the Pratt Institute. His work deals largely in portraiture and narrative tableau and has appeared in magazines and galleries in New York and New England.

ANN VOLKWEIN (“Taking Center Stage”) is a bestselling cookbook author and recipe developer based in Stockbridge. She is author of the Arthur Avenue Cookbook and Chinatown New York. Her most recent collaborations include Tasting History with Max Miller, My Mexican Mesa with Jenny Martinez, and the upcoming Salt Hank with Henry LaPorte.

LINDA CAMPOS (“Taking Center Stage”) is a Boston and Berkshires based food and lifestyle photographer. Her work has been featured by the New York Times, Bon Appetit, Boston Magazine, and Edible Boston. When not behind the camera, you will often find her tending the dahlias and veggies in her West Stockbridge garden or cruising the GB Farmer’s Market. lindarcampos.com

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THE B • Early Summer 2024

NEIL TURITZ (“Off Duty”) moved to the Berkshires from New York City, along with his wife. They have since welcomed a son.

Turitz is a screenwriter, author, filmmaker, journalist, and creator of “6 Word Reviews” (@6wordreviews) on Instagram.

FRANCESCA OLSEN (“Dressing the Part”) is a writer and consultant with more than a decade of experience in marketing and communications, from branding to digital strategy. In addition to her professional work, she is a textile artist and has recently produced a series of quilts about surviving cancer. francescaolsen.com ERIC KORENMAN (“Dressing the Part”) balances two professional lives in imaging. After completing his training in radiology at Thomas Jefferson University, he and his wife decided to move to the Berkshires, her hometown. When not in front of a radiology workstation, Eric is a professional portrait photographer and has a studio in nearby New Lebanon, New York. He also enjoys repairing his vintage Synclavier music synthesizer, tending to his wildflower field, and heartily enjoying a good glass of bourbon, a roaring fire and his beloved dogs. korenman.com AVI DRESNER is a writer, journalist and documentary filmmaker. He is a two-time winner of the Rockower Award (aka “the Jewlitzer”) from the American Jewish Press Association.

He is Executive Producer of the documentaryin-progress, “The Rabbi & The Reverend” and co-screenwriter of the feature film script “King’s Rabbi”, both of which tell the story of his father, Rabbi Israel Dresner, the most arrested and jailed rabbi during the Civil Rights Movement and an ally and friend of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. KATE ABBOTT (Writer) Kate explores the Berkshires as a freelance writer, editor, and oral historian. A longtime former editor of Berkshires Week and Shires of Vermont, she now writes for regional publications from the Boston Globe to the Eagle and the Hill Country Observer, and she runs the website By the Way Berkshires, btwberkshires.com.

S E T H R O G O V OY: F R A N C O V O G T; F R A N C E S C A O L S E N : E R I C KO R E N M A N ; A L L OT H E R P H OTO S : C O U R T E SY O F T H E C O N T R I B U TO R S

TONY GERVINO (“The Alt of it All”) is the editor-in-chief of the music streaming service TIDAL, managing the creation and programming of all content. Prior to TIDAL, he was editor-in-chief of Billboard, and has written for the New York Times and New York Times magazine, as well as Rolling Stone, GQ, and Business Week. He and his wife, Gina, split their time between Greenwich Village and South Egremont.

CREATING SPACES WITH JOY FOR MORE THAN 35 YEARS ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN SERVICES FOR CLIENTS IN THE BERKSHIRES, HUDSON VALLEY, AND LITCHFIELD COUNTY

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The

Local Life Exploring Our Towns for the Best of the Berkshires

Karema Deodato Millinery

P H OTO : S T E P H A N I E Z O L L S H A N

Our local hatmaker uses old-fashioned techniques for her collection of chic chapeaus.

For more, turn the page. karemadeodato.com

Early Summer 2024 • THE B

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the local life: Around Town

Karema and her dog Moose in her Sandisfield studio

Head of the Class Hats off to Karema Almeida of Karema Deodato Millinery— or, rather, hats on. She combines old-world craftsmanship with a modern sensibility for handmade hats that are effortlessly wearable.

By Amy Conway • Photographs by Stephanie Zollshan Karema Almeida made her first hat when she was 14 (a velvet fez), studied fashion design at New York City’s FIT, and worked in the millinery department at the Metropolitan Opera. She is an expert at her craft. And here’s what she wants to tell you: Don’t be afraid of hats.

“So many people come in and say, ‘I don’t look good in hats.’ Or, ‘I can’t wear hats,’” she said. “But they’ve just got to give it a try.” Indeed, her wide-brimmed sun hat and her waxed cotton rain (or shine) hat—two

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THE B • Early Summer 2024

bestsellers—are easy and versatile, minimalist but with attention to detail. Put one on, flip the brim up or down as desired, and you may just realize you are a hat person after all.

Almeida makes hats the old-fashioned way: cutting the fabric herself, handblocking the hats on antique blocks, knitting winter hats, and even making her own trims. The work is done in her home studio in Sandisfield—often with Moose, her Havapoo, on her lap. She and her husband, who have a 12-year-old daughter, bought

the house in 2015, but moved up full time during the pandemic. And it’s benefitted her process: “the mental space, the physical space, just the quiet.” While she used to chase down materials in New York, now she’s “working with less and it’s been great.

I’m getting creative with what I have access to, rather than spending a lot of time on the subway or in the garment center.” That might mean hand-painting trim for hat bands, for example—for results that are truly one of a kind.

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at The Red Lion Inn Open 7 Days A Week

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“So many people come in and say, ‘I don’t look good in hats.’ Or, ‘I can’t wear hats,’ but they’ve just got to give it a try.”

Karema Deodato hats are sold at Railroad St. Collective in Great Barrington and North Adams, at karemadeodato.com, and at area makers’ markets.

summer socks at

the local life: The Great Outdoors From the Ground Up

A Foray into Foraging

St. John’s wort can be found growing wild and is valued for its medicinal properties (never consume anything that you cannot identify with 100% certainty).

P H OTO : S H U T T E R S TO C K

It’s not uncommon for Arianna Alexsandra Collins and Justin Adkins to be found along a stream bank, heads down.

They are looking for plants that grow naturally (native or not) and are good and safe to eat. They love sharing their knowledge with people who can not only see but touch, smell, taste, and get a feel for where a plant grows.

From April through October, they lead wild edibles walks through the Hoosic River Watershed; Collins also takes foraging groups into the woods and fields of the Clark Art Institute. Collins is an educator and naturalist in Ashfield, and the executive director of the Hoosic River Watershed Association (HooRWA), a citizens group that looks after the river. Adkins is president of the Berkshire chapter of Trout Unlimited and co-owner of Wild Soul River in Williamstown. (Both Wild Soul River and the Clark give half of the proceeds from the walks to benefit HooRWA.) Collins revels in teaching and learning about every being that lives in the river and along the banks, in the floodplain, and the waterside ecosystems. To care for the river, people have to get to know the richness of life in and around the water, she said.

To identify plants, she does use field guides and apps, but with care, and with cross checking multiple sources. Her favorite way to learn is to walk in the woods with someone she can ask.

“It’s important to learn kinetically, with a guide,” she said.

As she explains how to recognize a plant, a leaf, or a berry, she also can discuss how to prepare the harvest. Safety is obviously paramount, but she and Adkins also caution people to forage where foraging is allowed and welcome. Look around to see that more of the plant is growing around you before you harvest any, taking only a small amount of the whole.

It is important to make sure the plants will survive and take care of themselves, she said, and feed and interact with other plants, birds, insects, animals, and people, too. —Kate Abbott

T W McClell and & Daughter s Fine Jewelry •

For foraging walks, visit hoorwa.org.

Want to know what’s growing wild in your own backyard? Collins also offers individual wild plant inventories through her own organization, Offerings for Community Building, offeringsforcommunitybuilding.com.

597 South Main Street, Great Barrington MA t wmcclell and.com 413-645-3399

the local life: Behind the Scenes Dig Deep

The Method Behind the Madness

Training programs manager Kristen Moriarty both works with participants (above) and performs (left).

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THE B • Early Summer 2024

“Though this be madness, yet there is method in’t” is one of Shakespeare’s most famous lines, and it certainly applies to the Center for Actor Training at Shakespeare & Company in Lenox.

There, actors learn how—in another line from “Hamlet”—to “suit the action to the word, the word to the action,” which may sound simple, but takes a great deal of effort, especially when you’re speaking in iambic pentameter.

The Center’s director, Sheila Bandyopadhyay, said it’s a place for actors who “want to dive more deeply into learning how to act Shakespeare,” but that’s not all. It also frees them to put the “play” in play. She said the skills apply to all actors and even non-actors who want to feel more confident in their public speaking or daily life.

The signature program is its January intensive, geared toward professional actors. Lasting 12 hours a day, six days a week for 30 days, the program begins with awareness of self, then awareness of fellow actors and the audience, and, of course, of the language of Shakespeare. It has a sibling summer intensive, geared toward collegiate actors and emerging professionals.

Then there are weekend intensives and specialty workshops in Lenox and locations throughout the country, which focus on areas like breath, voice, dance, intimacy, or fight training.

Like so many of Shakespeare & Company’s staff members, training programs manager Kristen Moriarty began with a weekend intensive—in her case, in Seattle. Then she took the intensive in Lenox and said “I want to teach here.” Now she does.

Her experience is not unique; all the

P H OTO S : S H A K E S P E A R E & C O M PA N Y

There’s serious study of the craft of acting at Shakespeare & Company— and you can join the troupe.

CRAVINGS.

Last season’s production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” featured director of the Center for Actor Training Sheila Bandyopadhyay as Puck.

Here, she shares a scene with Nigel Gore in the role of Oberon.

long program faculty, who are working actors, directors, and teachers, have done the workshop themselves, sometimes multiple times. That personal experience carries over to their students. “We really craft the experience to the individual,” said Bandyopadhyay.

Gregory Boover has been with the company since 2012. This summer, he’ll perform two original songs in “Shake it Up: A Shakespeare Cabaret.” A 2017 winter intensive alum, he sums it up as “a month of digging in deep and looking inward.” That is a recurring theme in the conversations with the training program’s alumni and staff—that it offers actors a chance to explore Shakespeare’s work from their authentic selves or, as Boover puts it, in more words from “Hamlet,” “to thine own self be true.” —Avi Dresner shakespeare.org

All the World’s a Stage These tips from the Shakespeare & Company actor training pros can help no matter what roles you play in life.

Get out of your head and be in the moment.

Pay attention with your full body.

When you speak in public, ask yourself the following questions: What am I saying? Why is it important to me?

Why do I need to speak to these people? What do I need from the audience? What do I want them to go out and do when they finish hearing me speak?

And, finally, slow it down. You are allowed to take your time.

FULFILLED.

MAY 16–JUNE 1

at The Unicorn Theatre The Larry Vaber Stage

the local life: Pack and Play Al Fresco Feasts

written by Amy Herzog

directed by Lizzie Gottlieb

featuring Evan Silverstein, Gabriela Torres, Maria Tucci & Allison Ye

JUNE 13–JULY 14

at The Unicorn Theatre The Larry Vaber Stage

Picnic Pairings A serene spot plus a packed lunch equals a perfect day. Many of our local cultural institutions have gorgeous grounds that you can enjoy for free—and we’ve suggested six of them with places to pick up food on your way. —K.A.

Norman Rockwell Museum | Stockbridge The 36-acre grounds along the Housatonic River are free for anyone to bring a blanket and a sandwich—and a sketchbook and paints for some plein air dreaming. nrm.org

written by Robert E. Sherwood directed by David Auburn movement by Isadora Wolfe

183, makes sandwiches to order and also sells fresh fruit from the farm and fresh-baked desserts. taftfarmsgb.com

JUNE 27–JULY 21

at The Colonial Theatre

The Mount | Lenox music direction by Eric Svejcar choreography by Gerry McIntyre

directed by Stuart Ross

JULY 26–AUGUST 31 at The Unicorn Theatre The Larry Vaber Stage

Rodgers & Hammerstein’s

Edith Wharton’s historic grounds have lots of special spots for exploring and relaxing. edithwharton.org

Guido’s Fresh Marketplace You’ll find almost anything you’re craving at this grocery store on the Lenox/Pittsfield border with an excellent selection of prepared foods, creative sandwiches, and lots more. guidosfreshmarketplace.com

Shakespeare & Company | Lenox directed by Kat Yen

choreography by Isadora Wolfe music direction by Jacob Kerzner

SEPTEMBER 26–OCTOBER 27 at The Unicorn Theatre The Larry Vaber Stage

written by Conor McPherson directed by Eric Hill

movement by Isadora Wolfe

Soak up the theater scene—and enjoy some shade on a hot day. There’s tented space and tables with umbrellas. shakespeare.org

Nejaime’s Wine You’ll find more than wine at this shop with locations in Lenox and Stockbridge—pick up cheese, crackers, charcuterie, and chocolate,or order a day in advance for a perfectly prepared picnic. nejaimeswine.com

Olana | Hudson, NY The Hudson River estate of renowned landscape painter Frederic Church is now a State Historic Site—and the 250-acre property is free to explore. olana.org

Mel the Bakery This new spot—a recent transplant from

(413) 997-4444 BerkshireTheatreGroup.org 111 South Street • Pittsfield, MA 6 East Street • Stockbridge, MA

Brooklyn—is getting major accolades (including a James Beard nomination). In addition to exceptional breads and baked goods both sweet and savory, sandwiches are on offer starting at 11 am. melthebakery.com

N R M : @ N O R M A N _ R O C K W E L L _ M U S E U M ; TA F T FA R M S M A R K E T: @TA F T FA R M S ; T H E M O U N T & S H A K E S P E A R E : B E N G A R V E R ; G U I D O ’ S : @ G U I D O S F R E S H M A R K E T P L A C E ; N E J A I M E ’ S : @ N E J A I M E S W I N E C E L L A R ; O L A N A : @ O L A N A F R E D E R I C C H U R C H ; M E L : @ M E LT H E B A K E RY

Taft Farms Market, a short trip south on Route

Designer shopping for Men and Women in the Berkshires 50 Church St. Lenox, MA 413.637.2680

Art Omi | Ghent, NY The sculpture and architecture park features large-scale works from contemporary artists and architects as well as gallery exhibitions, music, and other performances. There’s no entry fee, but donations are welcome and registering in advance is appreciated. artomi.org

benGABLEsavories A R T O M I : @ A R T _ O M I ; B E N G A B L E S AV O R I E S : @ B E N G A B L E S AV O R I E S ; C L A R K : G I L L I A N J O N E S - H E C K ; P R O V I S I O N S : @ P R O V I S I O N S W I L L I A M S TO W N

You’ll have to plan ahead a bit, but it’s worth it. An extensive and enticing menu of locally sourced, seasonal food for takeaway is posted every Tuesday; call (yes, call!) by Thursday and pick up on Saturday in Chatham. bengablesavories.com

Clark Art Institute | Williamstown The campus is made up of 140 acres of lawns, meadows, and walking paths— including trails up historic Stone Hill, whose summit offers a spectacular view of Williamstown and the Green Mountains of Vermont. clarkart.edu

Provisions Williamstown You’ll find a huge selection of tinned fish—not to mention local cheese, charcuterie, cider and wine, and other delicacies. provisionswilliamstown.com

9 Elm St. Stockbridge, MA 413-298-7326

h t u o S

Autumn Cashmere • Robert Graham Rails • Liverpool • Nicoby • Matinique

the local life: The Scene

MOLD A MEMORY CH E S T ERWOOD STOCKBRIDGE, MA

Celebrations

Pride in Pittsfield This year’s festival will be the city’s biggest yet.

THE HISTORIC HOME & STUDIO OF DANIEL CHESTER FRENCH

GARDENS • TOURS • FAMILY ACTIVITIES

Representing artists of the Hudson Valley since 1991 622 Warren St., Hudson, NY | carriehaddadgallery.com

P H OTO : R O OT S R I S I N G

Discover the Di h sculptor l who ho iinspired i dan nation. i

A parade will walk up Eagle Street to the First Street Common in vivid color, and a rainbow of balloons and bright flags will welcome the gathering. Pride Month is coming to Pittsfield.

Berkshire Pride, a nonprofit supporting the LGBTQ+ community, has events starting June 1, leading up to the 8th annual LGBTQ+ festival and parade on June 8 (and the city will share the theme of Pride at the First Fridays @ 5 on June 7). The parade and the festival have been steadily growing, said Cass Santos-China, executive director, and Emma Lenski, director of education and outreach. Last year they drew more than 3,000 people.

This year, the festival will feature more than 150 vendors.

Hot Plate Brewing Co. will offer a beer garden and a new microbrew for the event, Lenski said. There will be food from Flavorful Bites food truck, Biggins Diggins old-fashioned diner fare, and more. Full Well Farm will come with flowers, and Prado de Lana Farm with fiber art and craft (and sheep).

Performances will take the stage all afternoon—and at night, Make Me Happy Radio will DJ the after-party in the Holiday Inn, and Opal Raven will perform her night circus, spinning fire. —K.A. berkshirepride.org

the local life: New Beginnings The Scoop

justin hayward of the moody blues

The Victory Theatre

fri jul 19 at 8pm

thu aug 1 at 8pm

ladysmith black mambazo

fri aug 9 at 8pm Great Barrington, MA • mahaiwe.org

FRELINGHUYSEN MORRIS HOUSE & STUDIO

OPENING JUNE 20TH | SELF - GUIDED TOURS LENOX | frelinghuysen.org

What makes the Victory Theatre special?

It was built in 1920 by prominent architects, very much like the group of theaters that constitute the Broadway district in New York City. As you walk in, you know you’re in a very special theater. It has both size and warmth. It has a magnificent sense of style, a grand staircase, marble floors. It’s distinguished by two murals by a WPA artist, Vincent Maragliotti.

What’s the latest on the restoration?

The murals have been completely restored. They are back here in Holyoke, having been in New York City being worked on for about three years by Evergreene Architectural Arts. They will go back up, like the icing on the cake. Now we are engaged with getting the interior and everything else done in the building, which is estimated at a two-year restoration process. Then those murals will be placed back on either side of the proscenium. Just to give an idea of their scale, they are each 23 feet high by 13 feet wide. So we’re talking about very big, very impressive, heroic pictures of good over evil, one of my favorite topics.

When the theater opens, what will it bring to the community?

It’s a 1,600-seat, Broadway-style theater—it will be the biggest in the region. I think of the theater as a kind of big roof over our heads where all kinds of things can happen, where we gather and we hear music, we see dancing, we see shows, and it brings people together. There’s just nothing like live performance. mifafestival.org

With the restoration of these murals, a piece of the city’s history can live on.

M U R A L S : V I C TO RY T H E AT R E

2024 gala: samara joy

This historic theater in Holyoke, owned by Massachusetts International Festival of the Arts (MIFA), is undergoing a major renovation after being shuttered since 1979. We caught up with Executive Artistic Director Donald T. Sanders to learn more.

Visit Our Showroom 964 Main St. Open Daily, 10am-5pm

Hilltown Hot Pies pizzaiolo and proprietor Rafi Bildner

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For the second summer, Hilltown Hot Pies will offer its artisanal pizza at a pop-up location. This time around, pizzaiolo Rafi Bildner is bringing his mobile oven and passion for Neapolitan pizza to The Barn, the iconic music venue, in Egremont. Bildner sources his ingredients from local farms to create “Geopolitan” pizzas, combining ingredients from around the world. He plans to be in his permanent space—the former John Andrews restaurant— by summer 2025. In the meantime, enjoy pizza and a show from Thursdays to Sundays, starting June 13. —A.D. theegremontbarn.com | hilltownhotpies.com

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If you have a passion for plants, you know the feeling of stepping into and strolling through a gorgeous garden when it’s at its peak. The Garden Conservancy—a non-profit organization devoted to preserving, sharing, and celebrating private gardens—makes that possible.

Their Open Days program is made up of a community of gardeners across the country who generously host tours on their properties—and there are more than 20 of those tours coming up in our region this summer.

Since 1995, Open Days has welcomed more than 1.4 million visitors into private gardens across the country. Pictured here is the Shekomeko Hillside Garden in Millerton, NY—open this year on June 23.

P H OTO : C O U RT E SY O F G A R D E N C O N S E R VA N C Y

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the the local local life: life: style Festivals

Berkshire Busk!

Take it Outside On summer evenings, people spill out of Great Barrington’s restaurants and shops to stroll, chat, and listen to live music while kids play.

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THE B • Early Summer 2024

at Berklee College of Music in Boston this summer, and “I can’t believe we’re getting him back,” said Scolforo. “But people come from both near and far to be a part of this.”

From June to August, Berkshire Busk! brings outdoor performers to the downtown on Friday and Saturday nights, to the Great Barrington Farmers Market on Saturday mornings, and to Berkshire Mountain Distillers in Sheffield on Saturday afternoons.

Berkshire Busk! began as a COVID initiative—founder Eugene Carr is a musician, and, knowing the challenges his peers were facing, turned the downtown into an open-air venue. It was such a good idea, it’s still going strong. —K.A.

For the full summer schedule, visit berkshirebusk.com

P H OTO S : S A M B R E W E R

This summer you can head into Great Barrington to see a performer from halfway around the world. Noah Robertson, a 14-year-old guitar-playing phenom from Australia, is returning to Berkshire Busk! to play its opening night, Friday, June 28.

“He happened to get hooked in with James Taylor last year,” said Berkshire Busk! General Manager Carli Scolforo.

Robertson is participating in a program

STAMPS WITH FOREVER STYLE These stamps may just inspire you to embrace the art of letter writing. Shaker Commemorative Forever Stamps will be issued on June 20, coinciding with the 250th anniversary of the Shakers’ arrival in America. Visit Hancock Shaker Village for special events that day. hancockshakervillage.org

S TA M P S : H A N C O C K S H A K E R V I L L A G E ; VA S S A R : TA M A M . T H I B O D E A U/ C O U R T E SY P H OTO

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Voices & Views These Stories Can Only Come from the Berkshires

The Mount Lenox P H OTO : S T E P H A N I E Z O L L S H A N

Playwright Anne Undeland finds inspiration at Edith Wharton’s home.

Early Summer 2024 • THE B

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voices & views: Local Talent

The Playwright’s Process From the first spark of an idea, Anne Undeland tells us about her process of writing historical plays with heart and humor.

By Anne Undeland Photos by Stephanie Zollshan On being a playwright in the Berkshires The mountains and the architecture, the culture and the history—they endlessly inspire. Add to that, I’d argue there are more theater artists per square inch than any other rural place in America. Toss a pebble and it’ll surely land on an excellent director, actor, designer, technician, or playwright. There’s a sense of community among us—all of these artists make my work so much better.

The Berkshires have been incredibly hospitable to me, too: “Lady Randy” (about Winston Churchill’s extraordinary American mother, Jennie Jerome) and

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“Wharton Between the Sheets” (formerly “Mr. Fullerton,” about Edith Wharton’s passionate, unexpected midlife affair) premiered here. I’m now at work on “Madame Mozart, the Lacrymosa,” inspired by a short story by Gerald Elias about Mozart’s wife.

This play is a commission from Great Barrington Public Theater that I’m workshopping with the dream team of Ryan Winkles and Tara Franklin, acting under the direction of Judy Braha, with Larry Wallach consulting on the music. The future of any play is always uncertain and I don’t know whether it will be produced—

but I do know these people can make the words of any playwright sing.

The origin of the idea It always starts with a woman. Then some variation on the question: How dare she?

I’m a historian at heart and love digging up women’s stories—especially stories of women over 45. A woman who breaks the rules always gets my attention (it’s even better if she’s underestimated). History’s full of them: if you were a woman of intelligence, drive, and sensuality, society would do everything in its power to make sure you were none of those things. The

R AI N • SH I N E

But is it true?

I’m writing plays, not lectures. And please God, not sermons.

I look for emotional truth. Which isn’t always the same as factual truth, though it’s lovely when the two coincide. I’ve found— and I feel heretical saying this—that I can’t let the history box me in. Timelines will conflate, facts will be left out or finessed, characters will be made up. Imaginative flights are necessary; it’s what historical fiction is.

The internal process I have to physically feel the world of my characters. How did their clothes feel on the skin? How did they bathe? How did they travel? What did their hair smell like? What did their children’s laughter sound like?

Were they ever hungry? What did they see when they looked out the window? Once I’m in that imaginative space, I think of an event that happened or might likely have happened, and then try to conjure what people might have said to each other.

Living in the Berkshires has been integral to this fuzzy, intuitive, addictive writing process. Edith Wharton was the easiest to invoke, as I wandered through her pet cemetery, drank wine on her veranda, ate local eggs and tomatoes, and motored through the Berkshire hills, thinking of Ethan Frome and Charity Royall. Jennie Jerome’s in the air here, too (in a nice historical twist, she and Edith were friends); she reputedly attended school in Lenox and later, fleeing London to hide her husband’s insanity, she visited relatives in

Williamstown and sewed purple rosettes for the Williams College baseball team—the first time they used those school colors. It stuck.

Jennie was a Gilded Age girl, one of the first “dollar princesses” (American heiresses marrying impoverished European nobility).

Constanze Mozart’s harder to find here, though there have been evenings where I laid on the lawn at Tanglewood, fell under the spell of her husband’s music, and filled myself with thoughts of her. What must it have been like to be in the room while he composed? What would their daily lives have been like? How could she possibly have survived losing him so young? Suddenly, Constanze’s there.

G R E AT B A R R I N G TO N

JULY 5 •6 •7 Shekina Rudoy

What comes after the draft?

Other people get involved! This is the best part and “Madame Mozart” is in the thick of the collaborative process. Working with director Judy Braha (the best of the best) and GBPT Artistic Director Jim Frangione, I’ve made about a million revisions so far—the show has morphed from being a solo show to a two-hander—but the magic really happens when the actors and musicians get involved. I can’t wait to see what they’ll do!

This is the power of theatrical collaboration.

It’s what keeps me coming back to this crazy, maddening, beautiful art form. B

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conflict’s right there, gold for a playwright.

But I need more to sustain the writing of an entire play. I need relevance. A little anger helps. To that end I take note of the tone with which my woman’s described.

Constanze Mozart keeps appearing as stupid, grasping, and, worst of all, a bad housekeeper.

Jennie Jerome is forever tsk tsk-ed for being too sexual (she had lovers without apology) while Edith Wharton is tsk tsk-ed for being too cerebral to be sexual, too privileged to be vulnerable. I can’t help but notice how little opprobrium is reserved for men who exhibit the same behaviors—then and now.

Cherchez la femme. The play will follow.

A stop in the pet cemetary at The Mount

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voices & views: Memory Lane

The Stars of Stockbridge The best and brightest have long taken the stage at what’s now known as the Berkshire Theatre Group.

Anne Bancroft performing in “The Skin of Our Teeth” in 1966

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THE B • Early Summer 2024

Bill Swan was a handsome actor who played in movies and dozens of television shows—and over the decades, he performed more than any other actor at Stockbridge’s Berkshire Playhouse. We were pals, and he would duck over to my house between performances for a power nap.

Bill was an essential extra man at dinner tables in New York, California, and the Berkshires. He was a raconteur, and many of the stories he told were about being on the boards at the Berkshire Playhouse. Swan trod those boards as the theater grew and prospered (it would become the Berkshire Theatre Festival, now the Berkshire Theatre Group). One of my favorites went like this: As the curtain went up, Bill and another actor stood around the piano and exchanged their lines. Next, Bill was to say the line that would cue the leading lady to enter.

He did.

She didn’t. The two men stood there for an awkward eternity with nothing to say and nothing to do. All of a sudden, the other actor had a bright idea and said, “I’ll go look for her.”

Exit stage left.

Bill was left alone on stage, in front of a full house, without a clue and without a line.

In a panic he said to the audience, “I better go with him.”

Here endeth the tale, but who was the actress who missed her cue? We don’t know and Bill Swan is no longer here to tell us. It could have been Ethel Barrymore, Gloria Swanson, Sigourney Weaver, Anne Bancroft, Eva Le Gallienne, or Cicely Tyson.

It could have been Katharine Hepburn, because all those women performed at what would become the Berkshire Theatre

P H OTO S : B E R K S H I R E T H E AT R E G R O U P

By Carole Owens

“Everyone Has Performed Here” In 2016, Tony and Emmy Award winner Judd Hirsch arrived to perform in “The Stone Witch” and told Artistic Director Kate Maguire, “If you haven’t performed at Berkshire Theatre Festival, you haven’t done theater in this country. Everyone has performed here.” After its run in the Berkshires, “The Stone Witch” moved to New York City.

Above: Cicely Tyson with Hector Elizondo in “The Rose Tattoo,” 1979; Below: Sigourney Weaver with Anne Twomey & John Shea in “Animal Kingdom,” 1982.

Above right: Richard Chamberlain with Lois Nettleton in “Stillborn Lover”; Left: Gloria Swanson in “Between Seasons,” 1961; Right: Al Pacino in “Does a Tiger Wear a Necktie?” 1967.

CHAMBERLAIN: KEVIN SPRAGUE

Group. Her first year at the theater (1930), Katharine Hepburn is said to have rented a single room in a house with six bedrooms, 12 actors, and one bathroom.

As legend has it, she was known for taking long baths. Content in her tub, Katharine sang show tunes, oblivious to any of her housemates’ desire to bathe or need to meet urgencies. Among those who took a dislike to the skinny redhead was George Coulouris (unforgettable in “Citizen Kane”). The animosity finally blew up at dinner. The two actors jumped up, ran after one another armed with knives— butter, not steak, one hopes—both shouting “you will never be a star!”

If you think Kate the Great was selfcentered, self-important, or just rude, remember this. She is said to have stood, speechless, with all but a bowed head, any time Ethel Barrymore entered the room—a supplicant to her idea of true greatness.

There were tales of other women who left indelible images on the minds of Stockbridge folks: Anne Bancroft, hurrying down Stockbridge Main Street searching in vain for an egg cream.

Margaret Hamilton, the wicked witch from “The Wizard of Oz,” knocking on the door of Mary V. Flynn (the grande dame of Stockbridge and its politics) looking for a room to rent—that knock was the first act of a lifelong friendship.

Of course, there were also the men— Jimmy Cagney, Al Pacino, F. Murray Abraham, Thornton Wilder, Frank

Early Summer 2024 • THE B

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WILLIAMS COLLEGE MUSEUM OF ART FEBRUARY 16–JULY 14, 2024

15 Lawrence Hall Drive Williamstown, Massachusetts artmuseum.williams.edu Free Admission | Catalogue Available John Quincy Adams Ward, The Freedman, 1863

voices & views: Memory Lane

Langella, Richard Chamberlain, Billy Miles, and many more.

From 1928 to the day before COVID shut things down, the actors who would become the best and the brightest all came to Stockbridge. Many returned year after year. Why? Well, summer stock was a vibrant place to learn and test oneself. And local playwright Bill Gibson (most famous for “The Miracle Worker,” 1959) said it was the building itself that drew people here.

That building, now known as the Berkshire Theatre Group’s Fitzpatrick Main Stage, was designed in 1887 by the architectural firm of McKim, Mead & White. It was a grand example of Gilded Age architecture. It was not built as a theater, however, but as a 19th century casino—a place for teas, exhibits, plays, and games.

An elite club for summer residents.

In 1927, the building was 40 years old and in disrepair. Financier Walter Leighton Clark, sculptor Daniel Chester French, Dr. Austen Riggs and The New-York Tribune’s theater critic Walter Prichard Eaton bought it, moved it, and opened it as the Berkshire Playhouse. The rest, as they say, is history. B Carole Owens is an author of 12 books, including “The Berkshire Cottages: A Vanishing Era,” and more than 100 magazine articles for Parade Magazine, Boston Globe Magazine, Ladies’ Home Journal, and New England Travel and Leisure. She lives in Stockbridge and writes a regular column in The Berkshire Eagle.

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The iconic Playhouse—now known as the Fitzpatrick Main Stage—has been the home of great regional theater for 96 years. It is currently undergoing restoration. The target date for reopening is prior to the theater’s 100th birthday, in 2028. Be a part of saving history and continuing a proud tradition of culture. For more information on ways to support the restoration project, please contact Tricia DeHart or Vladimir Zeleny in BTG’s Development Department at 413-448-8084.

P H OTO : B E R K S H I R E T H E AT R E G R O U P

Restoring a Classic

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New This Season: Mandy Gonzalez | Jason Mraz | Hannu Lintu | Leila Josefowicz Featured Favorites: Beethoven | Stravinsky | Brandi Carlile | John Williams | Yo-Yo Ma

2024 SEASON • Tickets on sale at tanglewood.org

voices & views: Pops’ Corner

Meet Wanda Houston Often called the diva of Berkshire County, this singer has performed all over the world— but calls our stages home.

JULY 2 — AUGUST 10

By Pops Peterson

4

T 1— AUGUS

JULY 2 — 14

JULY 5 — 14

P H OTO : T H E B E R K S H I R E E A G L E

I first saw Wanda Houston sing at Napa, a restaurant that used to be on Main Street in Great Barrington, about 20 years ago. Mark and I would go there every weekend to see her because she was just that smooth and sassy. As the years have gone by, Wanda’s name recognition has grown and she’s practically ubiquitous in our live music scene, always garnering great acclaim.

When it was time to book entertainment for our wedding in 2010, we looked no further. She and her band serenaded our guests with a set of American Songbook and jazz standards, and she even let me sing a solo, “You Send Me.” More recently, when I needed a backup singer for my music video, “Never Too Late

to Get Your Party On,” I was thrilled she said yes. My producer’s eyes lit up like fireworks when I told him Wanda would be joining us—Jackson Whalan is an accomplished record producer, and his attitude towards her was practically reverent.

I had no idea what to do with the backups, but good musicians are magicians.

Between us we came up with the lyrics, harmonies, and even background chatter and noises, not only efficiently, but with a tremendous amount of fun and craziness.

Although we hardly knew one another, we had each other rolling with laughter all afternoon and all that mirth wound up on the track. I have never had more fun in my life, because Wanda brings the party!

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The party has been going strong for decades for this singer originally from Chicago’s West Side, where she started singing in gospel choirs as a young girl.

The oldest of four children born to John and Bessie Houston, Wanda grew up in a very creative family. Her father, director of Garfield Park in Chicago, was an actor who ran a theater company, while her mother, who was director of the largest daycare school in Chicago, was an actress, singer, and choir director.

After studying chemistry in college, Wanda switched to music, earning her degree in opera. After graduating, she spent two decades in Los Angeles, appearing in some Hollywood films and singing at the Sands Hotel in Las Vegas. She toured internationally with the musical “Sisterella,” spending a year in Australia and considered staying there forever.

In the 2000s, she toured with legendary

Pops and Wanda

Motown acts like Martha and the Vandellas and The Platters. She lived and performed all over the United States, Australia, and Europe before settling in the Berkshires. Her move here was a tremendous leap of faith.

“Two friends of mine, who I shared stages with in Chicago right out of high school, had a little theater in Sharon, Connecticut, TriArts at Sharon Playhouse,” Wanda recalled.

“I’d come up from NYC to do their shows, like ‘Ain’t Misbehavin’.’ The drummer from that show invited me to think about staying up here. I asked him why. He said, ‘We could get work!’ I laughed and said ‘Where?’ He said, ‘Let me take you around.’ He took me to The Egremont Inn and I was amazed! There was a scene!”

The business isn’t always easy for the Sheffield resident—the love of the work is what keeps her going. Her faith has also played a major role. “The Lord takes care of me, but I also know that I have a responsibility to bring joy and love. This is what people don’t understand. You gotta love one another. Live and let live, love and be loved!” B To see where Wanda will be performing, visit wandaworld.biz Pops Peterson is the owner of SEVEN salon.spa in Stockbridge and an award-winning artist.

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P H OTO : P O P S P E T E R S O N

voices & views: Pops’ Corner

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voices & views: Summer Delights

A 1979 crowd on the lawn in front of the Shed at Tanglewood

The Call of Tanglewood Our columnist shares her family’s routine for a beautiful evening on the lawn (and you’ll want to borrow these ideas).

It’s a common 5:30 summer conundrum: pull it together and go to Tanglewood or skip it and stay home? I’ve just gotten off work, I’m overheated, and dreaming of watching the squirrels fight over walnuts while I drink a glass of rosé on the back porch. But there’s an opportunity up the road and its call is even stronger as the facts line up in the “pro” column. The weather is

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THE B • Early Summer 2024

clear and dry, the faint breeze driving the mosquitoes away. Yo-Yo Ma is playing Bach.

The kids are all home, and they actually want to do something together. And I know it’s time to give in, to mobilize, to screw that top back on the rosé and throw the bottle in the bag with the rest of whatever impromptu and imperfect picnic is there in my kitchen. Load up the blanket and chairs.

Head over there, and make sure to slow down as we pass the folks fishing off the side of the road on Stockbridge Bowl. Drop the kids and the cart at the top of the sloping lawn of the Lion’s Gate lot while we squeeze our car between the other Subarus.

Tonight, we have answered YES to the call of the great lawn. We’ve walked away from the stress of the day and the undone

P H O I TO : WA LT E R H . S C OT T

By Alana Chernila

breakfast dishes to take our place in all this beauty. By the time we stake our claim on a tiny plot, the grass has nearly disappeared under blankets and makeshift tables. The spots under the biggest trees are gone, as are the ones with a view into the shed or adjacent to the Jumbotron. (One of the unwritten rules is that enough space is allowed between blankets to create pathways for other folks and their carts as they select their own spots.)

“The music makes the stars and candles glow more brightly, the quilted blanket softer, the evening breeze cooler. ” We unfurl the blanket some ways back from the Shed, knowing that the ideal view at Tanglewood is a 360-degree affair. We are primed for the best people watching with an unfettered view of the sky. The sun has already set somewhere over West Stockbridge and we can spy a few candles being lit across the lawn, so we pile our stuff on the blanket and head off for what we like to call “the stroll.”

We pretend we have somewhere to go, feigning direction towards the bathrooms at the back or the food court, but we’re just wandering, taking in everyone else’s setups. The young family on an old quilt, unwrapping sandwiches and reaching into a bag of potato chips. The group of friends up from New York with their catered white linen feast. The man on a low beach chair with a thermos of soup and a book. Some blankets are joined to create flower-patterned flotillas in the great green lake. These often correlate to the most ornate setups, with low tables, candelabra, whole cooked fish, and salads that show off the best summer gardens have to offer. We return to our own, more modest setup with heads full of plans for what to bring next time.

Years ago, on a trip to Istanbul, I lugged home a little plywood table with short legs made for rolling pastry, and although

voices & views: Summer Delights

Alana Chernila is the author of three cookbooks and her work has been published in several magazines. She serves as the marketing and communications director for Guido’s Fresh Marketplace.

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THE B • Early Summer 2024

Five Steps to Becoming a Tanglewood Pro:

1

Pull together your kit, and have it at the ready. There are plenty of

2 3 4

Treat it like a tiny vacation. I like to take my cue from the poor cell

ready-made options out there, or you can create your own. Ours includes an old king-sized quilt, our Turkish table, a tablecloth, cloth napkins, a stack of melamine plates, plastic cups, silverware, a tiny cutting board and knife, and a tea light and lighter. Bonus points for one of those amazing lightweight folding carts, some of which even convert into tables. We don’t have one ourselves, but one summer we borrowed one from friends and it was a game changer.

Arrive early and take advantage of the grounds. Go explore the maze, take in each and every tree (it’s called Tanglewood for a reason), and make sure to give yourself plenty of time for “the stroll.”

service and leave my phone stowed in a bag. It’s a great place to read, draw, or just space out and take in the sky.

Know your ticket options, and take advantage of the free and reduced-ticket events. There are ticket deals for Berkshire residents

and more. We also love to attend the morning rehearsals and performances, which are quieter, even more affordable, and sometimes even free. Some of my favorite recent Tanglewood moments have been on the smaller lawn of Ozawa Hall on Sunday mornings with bagels and the New York Times.

5

Open yourself to music outside of your comfort zone. We typically decide to go to Tanglewood even before we know what’s playing. It’s a great venue for popular music shows, but I find that the grounds hum differently when the music is classical. I especially love the Tanglewood Music Center (TMC) shows, student showcases, and programs highlighting newer composers. Even if classical music isn’t your thing, this is the perfect place to give it a try. B

P H OTO : S T E P H A N I E Z O L L S H A N

I’d never used it for its created purpose, it became the foundation of our Tanglewood kit, a perfect size and height for a picnic. We cover it with a tablecloth and lay out the spread of cheeses from the fridge, baguette and cookies picked up along the way, a crisp and cold cucumber sliced and sprinkled with salt. The rosé goes into plastic glasses that look like stemware—a splurge from years ago that we only use here. My husband had promised a Tanglewood-friendly activity, and out comes our old Deluxe Scrabble board, the one that spins on a lazy Susan and holds the tiny letter tiles in place. In order to see the game as it begins to get dark, he sets up a pair of freestanding toilet paper holders and strings a garland of fairy lights between them.

I imagine him dreaming this up earlier in the day, plotting to steal the toilet paper holders out of the bathrooms without my noticing.

How is the Tanglewood lawn, the most distinguished and lovely of all Berkshire settings, also like a campsite? Because, on each blanket, among each group, everyone creates beauty in their own way. You don’t have to look at the Shed or the screens.

You don’t have to sit or look at anything at all. Rest in your way. Busy yourself in your way. Stay low and quiet, in deference to your neighbors. Wave to the folks you know, welcome the folks who’ve never been here before.

The music becomes so achingly beautiful.

It makes the stars and candles glow more brightly, the quilted blanket softer, the evening breeze cooler. My husband, after taking two-and-a-half fugues to decide on his move, places all seven of his tiles on the board and gasps. A well-deserved “shhhhhhh” from the neighbors in our makeshift summer society jerks him back into awareness of his surroundings, of the joy and calm of hundreds of people starting to pull themselves under their blankets or slide their socks back on as the chill comes in. The music, the summer, the meal. It’s all fleeting.

And all meant to be relished while we’re here.

Inndelible character

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voices & views: Theater Preview

It’s Showtime!

World premieres, musical revivals, and powerful dramas— our theater critic lets you in on his picks of the season.

By Jeffrey Borak

“Shake It Up” is the title of a Shakespeare cabaret slated for a limited run (July 2–7) at Shakespeare & Company’s Tina Packer Playhouse in Lenox—but to me, the title feels somewhat emblematic of the Berkshires summer theater season as a whole. Several of the companies are trying new things and amid this bounty of remarkably diverse theater, there are several shows that I’m particularly looking forward to seeing. Just thought I’d share, and in no special order.

Shakespeare & Company Lenox | shakespeare.org

In addition to the cabaret, which will involve the prodigious antic talents of Jacob MingTrent, who played Puck in last season’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” my attention is drawn to two new plays: Carey Crim’s

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“The Islanders” (July 25–August 25), a world premiere directed by Regge Life, a masterly theatermaker whose stunning production of “Topdog/Underdog” in Shakespeare & Company’s 2019–20 season packed a powerful gut punch; and the regional premiere of “Flight of the Monarch” (August 3–25) by Great Barrington Public Theater’s artistic director Jim Frangione.

GBPT’s associate artistic director Judy Braha is directing and the two-hander will be performed by Corinna May and Allyn Burrows. The production says much about the ways in which Berkshires-based theaters are reaching out to one another.

Williamstown Theatre Festival Williamstown | wtfestival.org

The historic festival is in the process of rebranding itself. The first indication of what that means won’t be seen until the 2025 season but this summer, in her final season as interim artistic director, Jenny Gersten is opening a space, CenterStage, that has hardly been seen by festival theatergoers but has been the heart of Williams College’s theater department.

In addition to one of the two solo shows scheduled this summer at the festival, this 150-seat, venue behind the MainStage at the ‘62 Center for Theatre & Dance will house the world premiere of “Pamela

Palmer” (July 23–August 10) by the wildly inventive, oh-so-smart David Ives. Tony Award winner Walter Bobbie, who directed the long-running Broadway revival of “Chicago,” will direct.

Berkshire Theatre Group, Unicorn Theatre

Mark Basquill, both of them survivors of clergy abuse. Barry is directing this autobiographical solo play about an adolescent actor cast as Jesus in a play directed by a pedophile priest. It’s been developed at Chester, where it had a workshop performance last summer.

Stockbridge | berkshiretheatregroup.org

Mac-Haydn Theatre

David Auburn’s directing credits at Berkshire Theatre Group, where he is Associate Artistic Director, include a 2018 production of Robert E. Sherwood’s 1934 drama, “The Petrified Forest” in the Fitzpatrick Main Stage. This summer, Auburn (himself a Pulitzer Prize winning playwright for “Proof”) turns to another Sherwood play—the 1939 Pulitzer Prize winning “Abe Lincoln in Illinois.” Auburn will be using 11 actors to portray the play’s 30-plus characters.

Chatham, New York | machaydntheatre.org

Barrington Stage Company Pittsfield | barringtonstageco.org

While this popular theater that specializes in musical revivals will be producing “All Shook Up,” built around the songs of Elvis Presley, the show I’m eagerly anticipating is a Mac-Haydn debut, “Something Rotten” (August 15–September 1). This musical imagines what Shakespeare’s career might have been like had he had competition from two brothers named Nick and Nigel Bottom. I missed this Broadway hit when it was in New York, on tour, and last summer when it was produced at the Sharon Playhouse in Connecticut. Can’t wait.

See you on the aisle! B

Alan Paul’s second season as artistic director begins mid-June with the big, audienceinviting Jerry Herman-Harvey Fierstein musical “La Cage aux Folles.” But the shows drawing my attention most are the two that Paul will be directing. One is “Next to Normal” (August 13–September 8), the 2010 Pulitzer Prize-winning musical about a woman struggling with bipolar disorder and the effects of her struggle on her family.

Paul’s production will make use of live video feeds from seven cameras mounted at various angles around and on the Boyd-Quinson stage. Earlier in the season (June 25–July 20), on the more intimate St. Germain Stage, Paul will direct Ben Powers’ “A Tender Thing,” a what-if play that imagines what Romeo and Juliet might have been like had they lived into old age and not died tragically in their youth.

P H OTO : B E N G A R V E R

James Barry and Tara Franklin’s second season as co-artistic directors includes “Unreconciled,” (July 4–14) performed

by Jay Sefton and written by Sefton and

Discover it all with a subscription to The B! berkshireeagle.com/theb 800-245-0254

2024 piano concert series From July 16 - 27 Performances by Oxana Yablonskaya, Leonel Morales, Michel Bourdoncle, and Hotchkiss Piano Portals Young Artists ``` ```

For more information and updated event listings:

bit.ly/2024-summer-concerts

July 20, 7:30 p.m.

The Frank Gala Concert featuring Fabio and Gisele Witkowski and the Fine Arts Quartet

Chester Theatre Company Chester | chestertheatre.org

It’s the people, places and past that make the Berkshires beautiful.

Jeffrey Borak has been writing about and reviewing theater for The Berkshire Eagle for 37 years. What he loves most about theater here is its immediacy, its intimacy, and its energy.

ALL CONCERTS ARE FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

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voices & views: The Scene

Going Through Stages A singer who’s settled here shares what it’s like to perform in our intimate and authentic venues.

By Lara Tupper

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Lara and Bobby perform in the living room-like setting of The Dream Away Lodge.

Couples slow dance. It feels like I’m singing to friends. I like the Den’s oldtimey décor, too: red tin ceiling and white stone chimney. I think of travelers coming through during the past 251 years.

I’m lucky to collaborate with incredible musicians, including my husband, Bobby Sweet, a seventh-generation musician from Becket. I’m biased, but Bobby’s seven albums are filled with achingly beautiful songs, several about growing up here. (Many can be heard on TV shows and in films.) He’s traveled widely—on nationwide tours with Arlo Guthrie, on

The Lion’s Den

B A N D : C O U R T E SY O F L A R A T U P P E R ; L I O N ’ S D E N : @ R L I L I O N S D E N

I used to be a lounge singer on cruise ships. (For the gory details, refer to my autobiographical novel, “A Thousand and One Nights.”) But then I got serious.

No more sequins. No midnight buffet. I went to grad school and became a creative writing instructor at a large university in New Jersey.

Ten years later, burned out, I moved to the Berkshires to work at Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health. There I discovered kale, meditation, and the wonder of swimming in Lake Mahkeenac. One early July evening, I took a dip and heard echoes from Tanglewood, right next door. The light was fading. I was buoyed by summer, by the new life I’d carved. When James Taylor began his Berkshire anthem, “Sweet Baby James,” it felt like a nudge. I remembered how much I loved to sing.

I found I could stitch together my passions, as many creatives do here. (The Berkshire quilt, I’ve heard it called.) I began to teach independently and finished writing two books, gigging with tunes from the Great American Songbook and rock/ folk harmony bands of the 1970s.

One benefit of performing in the Berkshires is that I’m less likely to get seasick. Another is the generous attention span of audience members. At first, this was disconcerting, especially in cozy listening rooms like the Gateways Inn (Lenox) or The Lion’s Den at The Red Lion Inn (Stockbridge). From behind the microphone, I could see every expression at every table, i.e. exactly who was listening and who was more invested in their chocolate cake.

I’ve come to prefer these intimate venues. At The Lion’s Den, for instance, listeners call out requests and sing along.

P H OTO : @T H E E G R E M O N T B A R N

musical pilgrimages to Argentina and Ireland—but, most impressive to me, he’s performed in nearly every venue in Berkshire County.

The Dream Away Lodge (Becket) has been Bobby’s stomping ground since the 1980s. The 200-year-old farmhouse is at the end of a long, woodsy road. (“Where am I?” said my friend, dazed, like Dorothy landing in Oz, if Oz were October Mountain State Forest.)

The music room has a funky livingroom vibe, crowded with mismatched stools and ottomans. (“The ottoman empire,” Bobby jokes.) Some claim it was a brothel and a speakeasy during the Great Depression. In any case, it feels as though many have let loose and enjoyed themselves here.

The Barn (South Egremont) is rich in history, too. Known as the Robbie Burns House during the 1970s and ‘80s (an infamous roadhouse), the barn dates to the 1830s. Current owners Jenny Rubin and Nick Keene have made The Barn a hip, popular venue for local and touring musicians. When I’ve performed there, I’ve felt like a rock star, which is to say, there’s something about The Barn’s stage that invites genuine focus and enthusiasm from the crowd. It’s become a space for true music fans. (Note—Rubin and Keene are selling The Barn, but it has a full lineup this summer and they hope the new owners will keep it going as a music venue.) *

The Egremont Barn

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voices & views: The Scene “Berkshire musicians show up for each other as audience members and as impromptu guests onstage. There’s camaraderie rather than competition. I’m part of a collective here.”

During warmer months, it’s a treat to perform outside at the Devonfield Inn (Lee) for their summer music series (June to October). Owners Doug Bagnasco and Jim DeBlasi started the free concerts in 2020 in response to pandemic closures. Bobby and I have been thrilled to hold summer residencies ever since.

Devonfield has a peaceful, picnic vibe.

Guests can use the inn’s Adirondack chairs or bring their own seats (and beverages). We sing under a small canopy, facing the inn, so the audience can take in the view (a grove of birch trees framed by a vast meadow with walking trails). It feels like a mini Tanglewood.

Which brings me back to the gift of that summer evening, 14 years ago, as I heard James Taylor’s voice and vowed to use mine again. B

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Bobby and Lara outside the Devonfield Inn Lara Tupper is the author of three books and founder of Swift Ink Stories, which offers writing workshops and private manuscript development. She is also a crooner who has traveled the world. Her latest album is “This Dance.” laratupper.com

P H OTO : S E N TA B R O D E U R

BERKSHIRE

WORKFORCE BOARD

Early Summer

Forest Nocturne Kathryn Freeman Mill River Oil on panel, 24" x 36" Contributing artist in the Cassilis Designer Showhouse. See page 91. kathrynfreeman.com

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PH OTO: JESSE WENDELK EN

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Ali Louis Bourzgui:

From the

BERKSHIRES to BROADWAY

BY F E LIX CA R RO LL

Back on March 28, Ali Louis Bourzgui, a shy, heart-throbby, 24-year-old crowned with a whirlwind of dark, curly locks, stepped out from the subway and onto one of the world’s most iconic crossroads—42nd and Broadway, in Manhattan.

Within a few hours, he would yield to the inevitable: his dreams coming true. That evening, he debuted in the title role in “The Who’s Tommy,” at the Nederlander Theatre in the heart of the Times Square theater district.

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teachers, mentors, family, and friends had told him throughout his childhood, from his early days of hamming it up at home, through his years as a breakout performer in regional productions and at Pittsfield High School.

“They put it out into the universe— ‘You’re going to be on Broadway someday’—and from a young age, that was my goal, the thing I have always been working toward, and I kind of never had too much of a doubt,” said Bourzgui.

He hastened to add, “I just didn’t think it would come this soon.”

The New York Post has written of the “star-making performance from 24-yearold Ali Louis Bourzgui as the Pinball Wizard that’s the most exciting New York stage debut in years.”

The New York Times referred to “Ali Louis Bourzgui’s cool portrayal.”

Des McAnuff, co-author of the book for “The Who’s Tommy” alongside Pete Townshend and director of the original 1993 Broadway production as well as the current one, said Bourzgui “is without question a star. You can’t teach that. You can’t even direct that.”

All that, yet here Bourzgui is in an interview from his apartment in Harlem making a shout out to Mrs. Burgess—the Allendale Elementary School teacher who first introduced him to music education. And Larry Bayles and Gaylan Palmer, his middle school theater and chorus teacher, respectively.

“And Kate Maguire [artistic director and CEO of Berkshire Theatre Group], and, and—so many people.”

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PH OTOS: MATTHEW MURP HY & EVAN ZIMMERMAN

“YOU’RE GOING TO BE ON BROADWAY SOMEDAY,”

Ali in the starring role of “Tommy” at Broadway’s Nederlander Theatre in 2024.

Clearly, he’s filled with gratitude, for people and place.

“I cannot help but to think constantly about home in the Berkshires,” he said.

“I was fostered and held in the most perfect breeding ground for nature and art. I am woven out of the fabric of the Berkshires.”

That fabric was intricately laced.

The child of an Irish-Italian American mother, Rita Giovanetti, a Pittsfield native, and her husband, Abdelali Bourzgui, a Moroccan immigrant, Bourzgui was raised Muslim in a home with a broad worldview. As a young child, he learned to speak Arabic phrases such as “good morning,” “good night” and “thank you.” His father is a huge fan of John Wayne westerns. His Aunt Rose was a tap dancer. The family routinely went to performances at Jacob’s Pillow, Tanglewood, and other local cultural institutions.

Bourzgui’s own “performances” began with magic shows in the living room whereby he could make his stuffed animals “disappear.” He and his younger brother, Driss, would perform scenes from Disney movies. The audience—his parents, his extended family—would go “Woo!” One day, while in sixth grade, Bourzgui heard an announcement over the loudspeaker: Berkshire Theatre Group was holding auditions for “The Wizard of Oz.” “So, I went with my mom to the Colonial Theatre, and I took two steps into the building and realized, ‘What am I doing? I want to leave. I don’t want to do this.’ I started freaking out,” he recalled.

“My mom was like, ‘No, we came here.

You’re going to see this through.’”

He was cast as a munchkin.

“From that point forward, he had a singular focus and drive,” his mother said.

“My husband and I nurtured Ali’s drive and encouraged him in all his efforts, but Ali was always driving the bus.”

His childhood theatrical credits include roles in Berkshire Theatre *

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Ali performing in Berkshire Theatre Group’s production of “Seussical” in 2014.

Favorite Stops in the Berkshires Group’s “Oliver!” and “Seussical,” among others. At Pittsfield High School, he played the lead roles in “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” “Footloose,” and others, before heading off to Ithaca College to earn a bachelor’s in fine arts in musical theater.

The stage instantly had become his refuge, he said, offering comfort when he yearned for connection and acceptance.

“I was always a bit of a drifter,” Bourzgui said. “I definitely had friends, but I was never really part of ‘a group.’

So when I started doing these shows, I found it was really much easier for me to connect with others. I was just so shy throughout middle and high school.

So, when I performed, then I got to be a different character. And I felt really free and confident in the shoes of other people. As I kept doing it, and as it became more of a job through college, I

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MASS MoCA “It’s one of the first places I go when I come home. I’ve traveled all over the United States, and I think MASS MoCA is the best modern art museum in the country.”

Monument Mountain “This is one of my happy spots, my favorite hike in the Berkshires. I love sitting at the top and watching the sunset.”

Tanglewood “It’s just magical. I go any chance I can get.”

No. Six Depot Roastery & Café “I love walking around this area in West Stockbridge. And there’s the little sculpture park, TurnPark, there too.”

discovered that, also, at the root of it, I just love telling stories.”

He added that amidst the typical teenage struggles to fit in, his unique ethnic background added an extra layer of complexity. Raised in a post-9/11 world and fearing the perpetuation of stereotypes and prejudice towards Arabs and Muslims, he kept that part of his identity—“a beautiful culture,” he said— hidden from public view until recently.

“One of my mission statements really is hopefully to tell stories about Arab characters or Muslim characters, especially in theater,” he said. “That demographic is the most underrepresented of any culture. All cultures need to tell their stories to make sure that people don’t get dehumanized in any kind of way.”

His journey of self-discovery uniquely positioned him for “The Who’s Tommy,” whose lead character himself experiences profound isolation and alienation. And of course, Bourzgui had the voice and dancing skills to land the gig.

When Bourzgui received the unforgettable call confirming his role as Tommy Walker, he realized the magnitude of the task ahead. Originating from The Who’s groundbreaking rock opera of 1969, the show held immense cultural significance. Bourzgui immersed

The Who at Tanglewood When Roger Daltrey—cofounder and lead singer of The Who—plays Tanglewood this summer, on June 22, it certainly won’t be his first time. Tanglewood began its “Contemporary Trends” concerts (the precursor to today’s Popular Artist and Jazz series) in 1968 and the lineup in 1969 included what The Berkshire Eagle referred to as “a rock group from England called The Who.” And Worcester’s The Evening Gazette reported that the “four member group with two guitars and drums set the pace with their recent release ‘I’m Free,’ and proceeded to bring the crowd to their feet on at least three occasions.” The concert drew 22,000 people (and resulted in traffic problems and noise complaints!).

Ali, as Ren McCormack, in Pittsfield High School’s production of “Footloose” in 2017.

S EU SSI CAL & FOOTLOOS E: STEPHANI E ZOLLSH AN

himself in its various adaptations across concerts, film, and theater, delving into everything related to The Who. He met for an extended period of time with Townshend, even taking in a Who concert in England. The two discussed the relevance of “Tommy” today, drawing parallels between the traumatized, postwar England of Townshend’s youth and the existential questioning and pervasive sense of unease experienced by today’s youth.

“Tommy shuts out the entire world because of his pain, and he just goes into the internal and stares into this endless void of the mirror,” said Bourzgui. “And history repeats itself. Pete has noticed that our generation is doing the same thing, but through our phone, numbing ourselves, distracting ourselves. Des [McAnuff] calls [smartphones] the ‘black mirror.’”

In homage to history and The Who’s devoted fanbase, Bourzgui underwent vocal training to impart a hint of “grit and gravel” to his naturally beautiful voice.

The result echoes Roger Daltrey’s iconic vocals as the original Tommy without veering into mimicry.

The 130-minute performance is a fulltilt burst of high energy and emotion, leaving audiences, cast, and crew simultaneously drained and exhilarated eight days a week.

His parents are frequent attendees.

“My father now has The Who logo as the lock screen on his computer,” Bourzgui said, with a laugh. “My mother really loves it, too. But she gets worried sometimes because it’s kind of a dangerous show. There are some tricks and stuff that she can’t watch. She looks away.” B Early Summer 2024 • THE B

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The bustle of a dress designed

by Jess Goldstein for “Pirates of Penzance” in 2016

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ressing the Part Come inside the costume shop at Barrington Stage Company, where the talented team creates ensembles that bring characters to life.

By Francesca Olsen Photographs by Eric Korenman

c

ostumes are part of the fabric of a show; they bring you into a new place, a new dimension, and let you immerse yourself in the theater. But they need to be just right—or else they may just fall flat.

The artists at Barrington Stage Company (BSC), celebrating its 30th season this year, know this well. “If it goes well, it looks effortless,” said BSC Artistic Director Alan Paul. “But a lifetime of artistry has gone into those decisions, and that’s what makes the theater such a wonderful and unusual place.”

Their costume department is led by Matthew Torbett, who has spent three summers at BSC. He manages a team of seven, working with designers, actors, and the show’s artistic

team to create costumes that are adjusted and scrutinized up until the second they hit the stage. His team works to put together costumes that take audiences into different worlds, like the nightclubs of the French Riviera in “La Cage aux Folles,” which will run June 11–July 6, or outfits that look like everyday wear but tell a sartorial story. “Our job is to bring whatever the designer has in mind to life,” Torbett said. “‘La Cage’ is not without sequins and feathers,” said Paul.

But in a show like “Forgiveness” by Mark St. Germain, a courtroom drama that ends with a vote from the audience (July 30–August 25), costumes need to offer more subtlety.

“Things that may not have the biggest impact on first sight are sending you a subliminal message about a character,” *

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Matthew Torbett in the costume shop

he said. “What would you wear to court knowing you’re going to be asking for official forgiveness?

How do you want the court to see you?”

The costumers’ job isn’t done until the actors are on stage—the costume team is constantly adjusting, changing, and cutting. BSC Associate Artist Sara Jean Tosetti, who has designed costumes for many seasons and also works in opera and TV, has her own “memorial bow wall.”

“Nearly every show, she’s put a bow on something, and then it’s been cut on opening night,” Torbett said. “Things are always changing,” Torbett and his team “work less like a manufacturer and more like a couturier,” creating hand-finished, custom pieces for each performer.

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They sometimes borrow from Barrington’s incredible archive, which has decades of costumes, including gems like the entire costume collection from the Broadway revival of “On the Town,” which launched at BSC in 2013.

In honor of that 30th anniversary, Torbett expects to pull some classic costumes out that fans may recognize, reworking and refitting them for the performance and the actor. There’s one particular layered gold dress, originally made for the witch from “Into the Woods” that keeps getting sliced. “It’s like…oh, well, I guess it’s going to lose another layer this year,” Torbett said.

Drapers are the ones who work with designers to create a pattern; “they turn 2D into 3D,” Torbett

said. “First hands” are the first people who touch the fabric—they’re using the pattern to cut materials that become a costume. Stitchers sew everything together. There’s also an additional sixperson wardrobe team that gets everything ready for showtime and coordinates offstage costume changes that need to happen in seconds flat.

This is legacy work; Torbett learned from veteran costumers, who learned from the generation before them. “It’s really special to me as a maker to be able to have this knowledge,” he said. “It’s connective to the costume makers of the past; we’re all using the same techniques.”

Working collaboratively, Torbett’s team draws on those skills to figure out the details.

“How should we build it? what is the hem technique? what fabrics should we use to give us movement and the feel that we want?” Barrington Stage has attracted top talent to the Berkshires since its inception. This season, Torbett will work with professional costume designers including Tosetti and Emmy Award winner Jen Caprio, and actors including Debra Jo Rupp, Christopher Innvar, and Mark H. Dold, who will star in BSC’s production of “Boeing, Boeing.” “We’re going to be building some fun things for her,” Torbett said of Rupp.

And there’s no feeling like seeing your work shine on opening night, “no matter what the stressors have been,” said Torbett. “That’s why it’s all worth it.” *

The costume shop is in the Wolfson Center on North Street, along with rehearsal and office space.

PHOTO: BEN GARVER

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The Icons Six ensembles worthy of their own standing ovations

On the Town 2013 Barrington Stage Company houses all of the costumes from the Broadway production of “On the Town” in its stock! This costume was worn by Alysha Umphress. She’s a BSC Associate Artist and will be performing her cabaret here this summer.

A Little Night Music 2022 This hand-painted dress was made for the 1998 production, and brought back for 2022 (Julianne Boyd’s last show as artistic director), when it worn by Emily Skinner, now on Broadway in “Suffs.”

Costume design by Sara Jean Tosetti (BSC Associate Artist)

Costume design by Jess Goldstein

Follies 2005 Matthew’s favorite set in the BSC stock!

Costume design by Alejo Vietti (BSC Associate Artist)

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Into the Woods 2019 Little Red’s costume was worn

by Dorcas Leung (pictured below).

She’s now starring on Broadway as Georgie in “The Notebook.”

Costume design by Jen Caprio (BSC Associate Artist)

Pirates of Penzance 2016 As Mabel, Scarlett Strallen wore this confection of a dress, its ruffles and ribbons characteristic of Victorian era fashions.

Costume design by Jess Goldstein

PRODUCTION PHOTOS: NIGHT MUSIC & INTO THE WOODS: DANIEL RADER; PI RATES AND FOLLIES: K EVI N S PRAGU E; B ROADWAY: S COTT BARROW

Broadway Bounty Hunter 2016 Jeff McCarthy, now a BSC Associate Artist, is pictured here as Mac Roundtree.

Costume design by Bobby Frederick Tilley

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Enjoy the view.

Stockbridge, Massachusetts Visit thetrustees.org/naumkeag for hours and programming.

MOMENTS IN TIME

PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Head backstage at Tanglewood for candid, captured moments with some of the legendary stars that have made their mark on this very special place.

P H OTO : C O U R T E SY O F P E T E R W E I S S E N S T E I N & B S O

Leonard Bernstein prepares himself backstage for a performance at Tanglewood, 1977

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2

1: Leonard Bernstein, at piano, rehearses with singers for the August 1951 performance of Beethoven’s “Missa Solemnis”; 2: Head of costumes and makeup for the opera department, Leo Van Witsen, applies makeup on BMC student Marjorie McClung for the opera “Griffelkin,” 1956; 3: Duke Ellington, Arthur Fiedler, and Richard Hayman laugh together during a recording playback session, circa 1965.

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E L L I N G TO N : C O U R T E SY O F P E T E R W E I S S E N S T E I N & B S O

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JAMES TAYLOR: PAUL MAROTTA; MITCHELL & JOPLIN: H E I N Z W E I S S E N S T E I N , W H I T E S TO N E P H OTO

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4: John Denver, 1973; 5: Janis Joplin and Erich Leinsdorf at Tanglewood, 1969 (Joplin reportedly refused to perform until the police left the stagefront area because she said that they spoiled the atmosphere); 6: James Taylor and Yo-Yo Ma, 2013; 7: Tim Hardin and Joni Mitchell, 1969.

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8: NBC “Today” show camera crew films a string quartet on the lawn, 1962; 9: Serge Koussevitzky walking to his car outside the backstage area behind the Shed, 1948; 10: Andris Nelsons enjoying a quiet moment on the Tanglewood lawn, 2014.

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ANDRIS NELSONS: MARC O BORGGREV E

8

HONEY DRIZZLED and BARBEQUE SIZZLED

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THE ALT OF IT ALL With Solid Sound, TOURISTS, and, of course, Wilco, John Stirratt—the band’s bassist—has embraced the art of the unexpected. He gave us the scoop on his Berkshires-based passion projects.

PHOTO: MIK AEL JORGENSE

By Tony Gervino

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A

bout 8,000 people per day are expected to attend Solid Sound, the music, art, and comedy festival taking place in North Adams in late June.

And there are six additional people who may just enjoy the biannual

event most of all: the members of Wilco, one of the greatest and most idiosyncratic rock bands of this or any era, who have curated the event from its start in 2010.

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under the country music banner and, more recently, “Cousin,” which is described most accurately as being in Wilco’s genre-flattening wheelhouse. Unsurprisingly, their loyal fans, who have flocked to both albums and have never met a Wilco ticket presale they didn’t like, have been scooping up all available tickets for the band’s just-launched summer tour.

“The music is so much fun to play live,” said Stirratt. “Jeff is continuing to produce such great work. I look at myself all the time and think, ‘I can’t believe I get to play with the people I love to play with, all these years later.’”

Stirratt, a Louisiana native who has settled with his family in southern Maine, has been performing with Tweedy since the early ’90s, first as the bassist in Uncle Tupelo, a legendary band that created its own genre, alt-country. Wilco was born from that band’s dissolution and, as a founding member, Stirratt has

toured regularly, which certainly provides him the bona fides to help build a festival lineup. That doesn’t mean that it comes together easily.

“You can just imagine the chaos of us throwing all these names into the pot and seeing what works,” he said with a smile.

The band’s attachment to the Berkshires predates Solid Sound, coinciding with two significant developments: the first time Wilco played to a rapturous, sold-out crowd at Tanglewood in 2008, and when its thenlongtime manager Tony Margherita settled

A big Wilco welcome at Solid Sound (above).

TOURISTS CABINS are rolling out— these purposebuilt structures are designed and handmade in North Adams.

CABI N: NIALL C RONIN: WILC O SI GN: BONNI VIER S NYDER

“It’s always such a rich and rewarding experience for the band and for me, personally,” said bassist John Stirratt. “Solid Sound is so different from any other festival.”

For starters, it’s held on the MASS MoCA campus, itself a world-class destination and bastion of diverse artistic expression, which sets the tone for the weekend.

The music lineup features two performances by Wilco, as well as Wilcoapproved headliners, near-headliners, legends, cult favorites, and newcomers from every corner of the sonic landscape. For every top touring act like Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, the festival has musical icons like Young Fresh Fellows, Iris DeMent, and Nick Lowe & Los Straightjackets (who performed a fiery set at Tanglewood last summer). And in a flex move, the band coaxed Miracle Legion, a cult band that has played sparingly over the past 25 years, to perform a set.

Wilco is a group of musical polymaths— principal songwriter and leader Jeff Tweedy, Stirratt, Nels Cline, Pat Sansone, Glenn Kotche, and Mikael Jorgensen— and these band members will also be performing with their side projects. For Stirratt and Sansone, it’s The Autumn Defense, a dreamy, textured country act that has released several albums; for Cline and Kotche, it’s experimental jazz with Saccata Quartet. Most of the members will also be playing solo sets or impromptu jam sessions with other acts—which is what happens whenever Wilco’s members are hanging around.

Within the past couple of years, Wilco has released two exceptional albums—a double LP, “Cruel Country,” that falls firmly

HODGMAN: COURTESY OF JOHN HODGMAN

in Northampton, moving much of the band’s back-of-house operations to the Berkshires.

Stirratt’s ties to the area, however, are especially strong, as he is the co-founder and part owner of TOURISTS, a 46-room hotel that opened in North Adams in 2018. Stirratt and his partners set out to establish what he calls a “bunkhouse feel”—combining the amenities of a full-service hotel with the aura of a campground. One example: the hotel boasts a large communal fire pit with Sing for Your Slumber music performances and s’mores.

Stirratt, who refers to TOURISTS as “a hotel and an idea,” learned a lot about living on the road in his 30-plus years of touring.

“Being a hotelier is kind of surreal because most of my hospitality experience revolved around having a band crash house in the college town,” he said, laughing.

“We always felt that North Adams was going to be a destination—the biggest challenge was convincing people from the city or South County to turn the duration of stay into a weekend thing—three nights instead of zero nights.”

To do so, Stirratt and his partners created programming with in-room massages, craft classes, and guided hikes, including one promisingly entitled Wildcrafted: Foraged Cocktails, as well as many others that offer visitors exposure to the area’s natural splendor and local vendors.

Stirratt and his partners are currently planning two new projects: TOURISTS HOMES is a series of renovated, original houses located on Massachusetts Avenue in North Adams; they will have the look and feel of a hotel, with amenities and with yards (open for guest stays this summer).

TOURIST CABINS are prefabricated with the company’s aesthetic, so the TOURISTS experience will be available at different properties (pre-orders start soon).

With these moves, Stirratt & Co. will continue to provide an alternative to traditional brick-and-mortar hotels and motels for travelers that may want a less expected and far more rewarding experience than the norm.

Similar to a certain band and an upcoming music festival. B

COME FOR THE COMEDY John Hodgman—writer, actor, and humorist— puts together a stellar lineup of funny people for Solid Sound. And it all started because of Twitter.

By Amy Conway

T

hese days, John Hodgman, who has a podcast called Judge John Hodgman and a New York Times Magazine column by the same name, divides his time between Brooklyn and coastal Maine. But he spent much of his childhood in Western Massachusetts, and the area has been another home base for him. In fact, the first time he went to Solid Sound, it was as a fan.

“I remember being out there in the field, getting totally mind-blown by Wilco,” he said. There are train tracks nearby, and “in the middle of this incredible set, this long freight train came through and screeched this loud, sort of industrial wail. It felt like, well, it felt like the end of a Wilco song because you know, Wilco does a lot of that, right?”

This was 2010, when Twitter was just “an amusing, relatively new application that could foster occasional fun collisions of interesting people,” said Hodgman. He tweeted out about the freight train wail that sounded like Wilco—and someone in the Wilco camp saw it and thought it was funny.

That led to a connection between Hodgman, who was on “The Daily Show” at the time, and Jeff Tweedy, who would ask him to put together a comedy lineup for the next Solid Sound. The John Hodgman Comedy Cabaret was born. Hodgman now co-hosts with Jean Grae (“an incredibly funny person”), and collaborates with Julie Smith Clem, of the production company Pretty Good Friends, on putting it all together.

When it comes to choosing the performers, “you know when you have two good friends from different areas of life and you want them to know each other?

I had two best friends—the comedy world in New York City and this incredible community around North Adams.” He likes to put them together: “I’m looking for my favorite funny people who I want to see this remarkable alternate dimension that Wilco conjures.”

This year, that means familiar fan favorites Eugene Mirman, Todd Barry, and Dave Hill as well as new faces Brittany Carney and Sydnee Washington.

“Even if they’ve never heard of the Solid Sound Festival, they immediately get the vibe and have a great time,” he said. “And it gives me the opportunity to come back and check in with my friends in the 413.”

What does Hodgman love about the Berkshires? “The Berkshires are beautiful, they’re terrific, they’re gorgeous. But I’m a Franklin County guy.”

John Hodgman’s Comedy Cabaret takes place on Saturday, June 29. solidsoundfestival.org

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EAST COAST REFINISHING ARCHITECTURAL METALS

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GUILLAUME LETHIÈRE JUNE 15–OCTOBER 14, 2024 Discover more than 100 paintings, drawings, and sculpture in the first major exhibition ever presented on the Caribbean-born artist who became a leading figure in revolutionary France.

WILLIAMSTOWN, MASSACHUSETTS CLARKART.EDU Guillaume Lethière is made possible by Denise Littlefield Sobel.

Guillaume Lethière, Woman Leaning on a Portfolio (detail), c. 1799, oil on canvas. Worcester Art Museum, Massachusetts, museum purchase, 1954.21. Photo: Worcester Art Museum/Bridgeman Images

413-445-7878

Off Duty

BY NEIL TURIT Z

PORTR AITS BY STEPHANIE ZOLL SHAN

T HE AT E R: @ A DA M ST HE ATER; GREYLOCK: @GREYLOCKWORKS; LA CAGE: @BARRINGTONSTAGE; JACOB’S PILLOW: ROSE EIC HENBAUM; B EER: ROEJANBREWI NGCO; FI RE: LIS EO+C O, MONTCLAI R UNI VERSITY DRE A M AWAY: T HEDREAMAWAYLODGE; LIGHTHOUSE: WIKIPEDIA; THE MOUNT: JULIE HAMMILL; BAGELS: BAGEL & BREW; F LOW ERS: @TI NYH EARTSFARM; COC KTAIL: @COOP ERSDAUGHTERSPI RITS

We asked some of our talented local leaders what they’re hoping to see, do, and eat this season when they’re not at work. You’ll want to use their recs to inspire your own beautiful Berkshires summer.

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Matthew White

Owner Hillsdale General Store and HGS Home Chef

hillsdalegeneralstore.com

Walks in the Park Hillsdale, NY Roeliff Jansen Park—where the farmers market is—has great pathways through the farmland where you’re looking at this iconic ridge, which of course is the Berkshires. We love to take our two dachshunds for walks there. We keep them on the leash! hillsdaleny.com/roeliff-jansen-park

Roe Jan Brewing Co. Hillsdale, NY Sensing a theme? The beer garden in the aformentioned park is in a restored historic building in Hillsdale, right at the rail trail. Nice restaurant, state of the art brewery. Their beer is amazing, and they have two beer gardens, both of which are covered, so they’re open rain or shine.

Dog friendly, too! roejanbrewing.com

Summer CSAs Hillsdale, NY & Hudson, NY

Tiny Hearts (tinyheartsfarm.com) is an organic flower farm (PBS actually just did a feature on them) and we also get terrific organic vegetables from MX Morningstar. (mxmorningstarfarm.com)

Biking on the Harlem Valley Rail Trail Copake-Hillsdale Farmers Market A spectacular farmers market that has grown by leaps and bounds, it’s on a 300-acre farm in Roeliff Jansen Park—the most picturesque setting ever—under a big covered barn, so it’s open rain or shine. copakehillsdalefarmersmarket.com

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Dutchess & Columbia Counties

It’s a relatively flat road, great for biking.

You go through backyards and farms and wild woods and everything. It’s just a beautiful way to see the region from a different perspective, and it ends at the Roe Jan Brewing Co., too. hvrt.org

TOMATOES : C OPAK E HILLSDALE FARMERS MARK ET; FLOWERS: @TINYHEARTSFARM; BEER: @ROEJANBREWINGCO

Just looking at the Hillsdale General Store, you can feel the history.

Built roughly 160 years ago, it’s the centerpiece of the New York hamlet, itself a National Historic District.

That’s part of what led owner Matthew White to buy the decaying old building 13 years ago and return it to its trading post origins (a very stylish rendition). Five years later, he opened HGS Home Chef, a kitchen store where he’s held more than 450 cooking classes since it opened.

When he moved here, White had no interest in opening a new business, much less two. “It’s sort of insane,” he said with a laugh, “but I’m in it now.”

Tammy Dillon

Hudson Hall Hudson, NY Two summer highlights are Holly Treddenick’s stunning ode to firefighters, “In the Fire,” a combination of circus, movement, music, and storytelling (June 15), and the American premiere of drummer Bobby Previte’s “No Bells, No Whistles—A Concert for Solo Drum Set” (July 27). hudsonhall.org

Executive Director Hudson Hall When Tammy Dillon first became executive director of Hudson Hall in 2013, only a couple rooms were open and the rest of the place was, in her words, “a total wreck.” She oversaw a major refurbishment starting in 2016, and a year later, even though it was far from finished, “we just decided, what the hell? We’re gonna open.”

In the years since, Hudson Hall has become one of the region’s foremost cultural centers, featuring New York State’s oldest surviving theater. hudsonhall.org

Cocktails at Cooper’s Daughter Claverack, NY

Lift your spirits at this family-friendly (yes, you read that right) open-air cocktail garden with great food trucks and a fire pit. coopersdaughter.com

BOMBYX Center for Arts and Equity Northampton, MA It’s this tiny church, and if it seats more than 200, I’ll fall off my chair, but the concerts they’re bringing to this little venue founded by abolitionists are nothing short of laudable. bombyx.live

LIGHTHOUSE: WIKIPEDIA; COC KTAIL: @COOPER SDAUGHTERSP IRI TS; FI RE: LIS EO+C O, MONTCLAIR U NI VERSITY

Hudson-Athens Lighthouse There are only seven Hudson River lighthouses left, including this National Historic Landmark between Hudson and Athens, New York, which is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year. Take a trip on the Hudson Ferry (hudsonferry.co), or rent a kayak (hudsonpaddles.com) at the Henry Hudson Riverfront Park.

The Egg Albany, NY New Executive Director Diane Eber hasn’t been there long, but she blew it out for the Eclipse and did a big free event out on the plaza—films, concerts, the whole thing. Watch The Egg. She’s going to crack it open! theegg.org

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Off Duty

The Plastic Bag Store, MASS MOCA North Adams This installation pulls together aspects of both the visual arts and the performative arts. Using puppetry, film, and sculpture, it’s meant to highlight the impact of plastic on our lives.

Through September 2. massmoca.org

Maud Mandel

President Williams College

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The Williamstown Theatre Festival Williamstown The Festival was a bit disrupted by COVID-19, but this season it’s back in full force, and they’re doing really experimental, new thinking about their programming and their approach to the entire festival. I’m excited about a lot of things, but I especially love the Cabaret. wtfestival.org

This will be an exciting exhibit.

Glassmaking is sort of a pet interest.

My husband and I often go when we’re in a place where we can actually watch it being made. July 4–October 27. clarkart.edu

Hike to the top of Mount Greylock (again) Adams I do love to hike, but I don’t have a lot of time during the year. This summer, I’ll hike parts of the Appalachian Trail, too.

Our own Hopkins Forest (hmf.williams. edu) in Williamstown has a nice hour and a half loop, just to get out and about.

WTF: EMILIO MADRI D; P LASTI C BAG STORE: @MASSMOCA; GLASS : THE CLARK

Maud Mandel has made an impact in her six years at Williams College. To name just a couple of the initiatives under her stewardship, Williams became the first school in the nation to launch an all-grant financial aid program, and the plans for a new Williams College Museum of Art are well underway and projected to open in 2027. And when she’s not on campus, she takes full advantage of everything the Berkshires has to offer.

“It’s such a beautiful place, and I love the cultural vitality of the region.”

Treasures from the Corning Museum of Glass at The Clark Williamstown

Chad Smith

Jacob’s Pillow Becket I’m looking forward to joining several friends from Los Angeles at Jacob’s Pillow to see the incredibly talented young artists from the USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance on July 24. jacobspillow.org

CEO Boston Symphony Orchestra Chad Smith might be new in his role, but the BSO and Tanglewood are not new to him. Though he’s still in his first year running one of the world’s most prestigious orchestras, he studied music in Boston at New England Conservatory, and attended Tanglewood’s summer program in 1994 and was a fellow in 1997. Now, after years running the Los Angeles Philharmonic, he’s back, and he’s the boss. “I never thought that I would leave Los Angeles,” he said, “but when this job opened up, there was something compelling me to explore this. Symphony Hall and Tanglewood have a very deep and profound connection for me. It’s something that I’ve carried with me for a long time.” bso.org/tanglewood

Barrington Stage Company Pittsfield

I’m excited to see “La Cage aux Folles” at BSC this summer. I actually performed in it! I studied vocals at the Tanglewood Music Center, and the last “show” I did was “La Cage” at the North Carolina Theater in 1999, in the role of Jean-Michel. barringtonstageco.org

Dare Bottleshop & Provisions Lenox & Great Barrington

An amazing wine shop, with a location in downtown Lenox and another off the main drag in Great Barrington.

Owners Ben and Mary Daire offer some of the most interesting organic wines and a highly curated selection. darebottleshop.com

Bagels and Pizza Lenox

L A C A G E : @ BA R R I N GTO N STAG E ; JAC O B ’ S P I L LOW: R O S E E I C H E N BAU M ; JA M E S TAY LO R : G I L L I A N J O N E S- H EC K

After spending so many years in Los Angeles, I especially appreciate east coast bagels and pizza. Bagel & Brew (@bagelandbrew) in Lenox is a regular go-to. Another local spot is Boema’s, where the wood-fired Neapolitan-style pies are the best around. (pizzeriaboema.com)

Tanglewood Lenox Of course, there’s Tanglewood. We have a wonderful program this summer, including two nights celebrating the legendary John Williams, an appearance by Beck, Brandi Carlile, a visit from the Boston Ballet dancing on stage at The Shed, and, of course, James Taylor on July 4, for his 50th anniversary show here, which is extraordinary. bso.org/tanglewood

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Off Duty Greylock Works North Adams

Yina Moore Artistic Director Adams Theater

Yina Moore first came to the Berkshires as an architectural consultant, so of course it makes sense that she would eventually become the artistic director for the Adams Theater. Wait, what? “Long story short,” she explained, “I was a career changer. Going from 12 years in finance to three and a half years in architecture, and then I came here and the Berkshires inspired me.”

After an attempt to buy the Mohawk Theater in North Adams, Moore took over the dilapidated Adams Theater in 2021 and, through collaborations with schools, colleges, and local artists of all stripes, has turned it, in the broadest and most inclusive sense, into a true community theater. adamstheater.org

Being an architecture nerd, I cannot help but fall in love with all the design elements that went into the nine-acre campus of fellow architects Sal Perry and Karla Rothstein’s creation. Greylock Works is a design-focused, craftsmanshipfocused, and people-focused enterprise. greylockworks.com

The Plant Connector North Adams A neighborhood plant and lifestyle shop like no other, Plant Connector has something for everyone, both locals and visitors. Co-owner Emilee Yawn not only has a great eye and deep knowledge of plants and decor, she also developed a robust calendar of classes and workshops.

I cannot wait to visit the new store in Pittsfield! theplantconnector.com

Eagle Street in North Adams (with a cup of tea at Heart’s Pace)

Eagle Street is a jewel in North Adams, with several new galleries and boutiques. I enjoy walking from the north end to the south end, and finish with a cup of tea at Heart’s Pace, run by a dear collaborator, Beau Barela. hearts-pace.com

Biking on the 12.7-mile Ashuwillticook Rail Trail through the towns of Cheshire, Lanesborough, and Adams—this was my favorite thing to do with my family in the Berkshires during the pandemic, and we have carried on the habit ever since. And the best thing is, the back door of the Adams Theater opens right onto the Rail Trail. mass.gov/locations/ashuwillticook-rail-trail

The Adams Theater Adams We are known to be an intense collaborator on everything—from the performing arts to community festivals to local schools, and this summer we will add a new dimension to our collaborative pursuits: a culinary program! Partnering with local chef/food experience maker Tu Le, we will present show-specific menus from week to week, and highlight a roster of local food makers. adamstheater.org

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TEA: @HEARTS_PAC E; PLANTS : @PLANTCONNECTOR

Ashuwillticook Rail Trail

Rio Café Great Barrington I am a big breakfast fan, regardless of the hour, and the huevos rancheros at Rio Café are the best. Their friendly service and casual outdoor seating make it a perfect spot for a low-key summer outing. riocafegb.com

Susan Wissler

Visiting Local Nurseries

TENNIS: @BOUSQUETSPORT; FLOWERS: COUNTRY CAR ETAKER GARDEN C ENTER / GARDEN MAGI C, INC.; ASHI NTU LLY: BERKSH IRE EAGLE

Gardening is another favorite pastime. In general, I don’t care for shopping, but I can spend hours poring over the latest varieties of annuals and perennials that the season has to offer. My go-to nurseries are Ward’s (wardsnursery.com) and Country Caretaker (countrycaretakers.com). Both have knowledgeable staff and a great selection.

Executive Director The Mount It’s hard to imagine now, but not so long ago, The Mount, the legendary home of Edith Wharton, was on the verge of foreclosure. “It was a very slow move back,” said Executive Director Susan Wissler. “We were regarded pretty much as a stuffy, historic house museum, so we took down the velvet ropes, invited the public and other organizations to use the property for programming to create vibrancy, and just really changed the culture of the place.

We worked very hard at getting the community to have a sense of ownership and affection for the property. We›ve been on a kind of community high ever since.” edithwharton.org

Bousquet Sport Pittsfield When I am off duty, I’ll be hitting the tennis courts as often as I can. A rigorous game of singles is the perfect anti-venom for long hours in the office in front of the computer. Bousquet Sport has some of the best indoor and outdoor courts in Berkshire County. bousquetsport.com

Ashintully Gardens Tyringham The ruins of the great mansion Ashintully in Tyringham are one of my favorite spots.

Insider tip: don’t take the garden path but find the original carriage road; a dramatic view awaits you! thetrustees.org/place/ ashintully-gardens

The Mount Lenox Our free outdoor jazz series is returning to The Mount this summer. This community favorite was shuttered during COVID and is being revived as the Sounds of Summer music series, June 13, July 11, and August 8, at 5:30 p.m. We will have a food truck and drinks will be available at our Terrace Café. These will be big, joyful happenings! edithwharton.org

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Off Duty

Mac-Haydn Theatre, Chatham, NY We love the unique and intimate atmosphere of the Mac, and while it’s always hard to get to plays while we’re producing ourselves, we make sure we see something at the Mac. Their productions of “Something Rotten” and “The Fantasticks” are on our list! machaydntheatre.org

Co-producing Artistic Directors Chester Theatre Company

This is WAM Theatre’s 15th anniversary benefit performance and celebration—a site-specific, one-night-only show at The Mount, created and directed by WAM’s new Artistic Director Genée Coreno, on August 18. wamtheatre.com

The mission of the Chester Theatre is simple: provide contemporary theater in an intimate setting, offering audiences fresh perspectives on vital issues.

Now in its 35th year, the company is led by husband and wife team James Barry and Tara Franklin, who are entering their second year at the helm. They’ll produce five plays this summer (with a combined total of 12 actors!), two of which are world premieres. Barry and Franklin met at the Berkshire Theatre Festival back in 2000, and both have acted at Chester. “It was my favorite place to work as an actor,” Barry recalls. “Every time I worked at Chester, it felt like what I was supposed to be doing as an artist.” chestertheatre.org

Barrington Stage’s Devised Theatre Ensemble, Pittsfield The new Devised Theatre Ensemble program gives high school students an opportunity to create and perform an original familyfriendly musical for the public (July 26–28 at Berkshire Community College). We know a couple of young artists participating and can’t wait to see what they come up with! barringtonstageco.org

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The Dream Away Lodge, Becket

Belltower Records, North Adams

We can’t wait for the Dream Away this year. We’re thrilled for the new team running it as they write the next chapter of this Hilltown legend together. It’s always been one of our favorite places to get dinner and drinks and experience some great music, and it’s only 15 minutes from Chester Theatre Company! thedreamawaylodge.com

I’m an avid record collector [James], and Belltower’s selection and prices can’t be beat. They program incredibly diverse in-store performances by local and touring musicians as well as a series of Sunday concerts they curate at The Clark in Williamstown. If you make it to MASS MoCA for Solid Sound, they’ll be serving as the festival’s on-site record store, too! belltowerrex.com

FANTASTIC KS: @ MAC HAYDNTH EATRE; B ELLTOWER: @B ELLTOWER_R ECORDS

James Barry and Tara Franklin

Fragments of Outside, WAM Theatre, Lenox

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TAKING CENTER STAGE Chef Stephen Browning has opened his own restaurant— and he’s done it his own way.

WRITTEN BY ANN VOLKWEIN PHOTOGRAPHS BY LINDA CAMPOS

When No Comply Foods opened in Great Barrington this spring, it added a shot of laidback authenticity and food-forward, chefdriven adrenaline to the local food scene. The walls are lined with skateboards, art donated by friends, and other mementos reflecting owners Stephen and Julie Browning’s passion for ‘90s punk and their New Jersey roots. It’s creative and cool but unpretentious, a relaxed space crafted for their community with an eye to showcasing local talent, from chefs to artisans to farmers.

Steve’s menu, which changes daily, rotates a tightly curated, eclectic roster: fresh littleneck clams in a pool of ramp pesto; Turkish eggs with Japanese sweet potato, labneh and chili oil; loaded Chicago dogs with freshly made relish.

You can expect “simple, big flavors, and good ingredients,” said Steve.

Julie runs the front of house, and is often behind the counter with friend and restaurant design consultant Kate Skinner.

Steve bridges front and back, cooking alongside longtime protégé Dimitri Koufis.

Taking over the former Sweetish Baker location at 258 Stockbridge Road, Steve and Dimitri crafted the interior revamp—one carefully placed, sustainably sourced tile at a time. “It’s a miracle that we did this,” said Steve. “We did it as DIY as we could, and we salvaged a lot of stuff. It’s all reused.”

Although this is Steve’s first time as a chef/owner, he is well established in the food world. He was the founding chef of Great Barrington’s Prairie Whale, helming the kitchen of the restaurant from 2012 to 2022. Prior to his move to the Berkshires, as a classically trained Culinary Institute of America graduate, he ran through an impressive list of gigs in New York— Lutece, 21 Club—before emigrating to Brooklyn’s food scene. He and his mentor, Eric Lind—the underrecognized “godfather of Brooklyn cuisine,” says Steve—landed at the pioneering, farm-to-table Flatbush Farm. This was 2006,

during the early heady days of Brooklyn’s food renaissance.

Steve’s views of food started to shift as he shook off the Wall Street customer cobwebs and started cooking for people he might actually want to hang out with. “It felt more punk than not. And it was there that the neighborhood restaurant thing struck me.”

When he moved over to Diner and Marlow & Sons—co-owned by Mark Firth and Andrew Tarlow—he felt an even bigger shift. “I started working there with these young kids who were kind of ‘no comply,’ not following rules. They were younger than me, and they saw me as someone who knew how to do everything because I was classically trained, but I was looking at them like, ‘what did you just make?’ It really changed the way I cook.”

When Firth decided to move to the Berkshires full time, he invited Steve to join him in opening the Prairie Whale, which quickly became known for showcasing outstanding locally raised and grown meats and produce. Steve is proud of the food and kitchen community that he created at the Prairie Whale, and envisions No Comply Foods as a place that leans further into

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celebrating the area’s vibrant local resources and talent.

By creating a space for farms or chefs to highlight their ingredients or host events, his intention, he said, is to “give artistic freedom to those who work with us. I want resident chefs to come here to refill my battery as well as the community’s battery.”

Post COVID, he said, “I had burnout and I fell out of love with the industry a little bit. The work-life balance was out of whack for me and my team. So I started to ask myself, ‘What do I want my next ten years to be?’ We were making sustainable food but the system was not sustainable.”

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Why No Comply?

The name is a reference to a skateboarding trick. Just before COVID hit, Steve felt it was an okay time to risk the injury and get back on his board. He mastered the No Comply pretty quickly, Julie said, encouraged by Library Skate Shop founder Damon Vorce (@libraryskateshop).

The newly minted “No Comply Steve” named his startup company accordingly, and began offering his golden milk, Caesar dressing, hot honey, za’atar, and chili crisp at local farmers markets (now they’re sold at his checkout counter). “Skateboarding again changed my brain a little bit. I don’t think I’d be doing this if I hadn’t [gotten started again],” Steve said.

In this chapter, Steve has also made it his mission to fix some of what he sees as broken in the restaurant industry, such as wage disparity between the front and back of house, and the hierarchy, explaining, “We want to be part of the change, part of the best foot forward.” To that end, he has deliberately streamlined service to counter ordering and a number system, and eliminated tipping. He’s the serious chef who also brings your order to your table.

As Julie points out, “Community is worth it, and being able to create an environment where people in the restaurant world are treated fairly and paid fairly is far more important

to us than us ever having a lot of money.”

Similarly, added Steve, “We’d rather people come consistently than charge more. We want to be there for like-minded people.”

His menu has evolved—he’s been known for his expert handling of local meats and is now more vegetarian friendly. “As you grow as a chef and an artist, it’s natural that you become more vegetable centric later in life… eat more olive oil than butter, stuff like that. Being a chef can be a little like being a musician, where you make hits and then you don’t want to play the hits anymore.” Julie chimed in: “He’s been married to a chicken for 20 years.”

It wasn’t until their early twenties that they began dating, but Steve and Julie became friends in high school, during Saturday detention, bonding over a mutual love of Mike Park’s Asian Man record label and his punk group Skankin’ Pickle. Steve was part of the skater crew and Julie was the outsider who wore fishnets and Converse and was really into “Rocky Horror.” She is technically moonlighting at No Comply,

Supporting Cast

Dimitri Koufis started working with Steve in 2016 and now he takes over the menu for a night each week, sometimes adapting Greek recipes, exploring Middle Eastern flavors, baking fresh focaccia for eggplant parmesan sandwiches, or flipping smash burgers.

Julie and Stephen Browning are ready to take your order.

Kate Skinner helped Steve and Julie plan No Comply’s workflow and feel, combining found and salvaged pieces through the consideration of color palette, lighting, and table placement. “One of my favorite moments was when I had this idea one night and I called Steve in the morning and said, ‘I think we need a lava lamp.’ He said, ‘I just ordered a lava lamp.’ I was like, we are in sync.”

and loves her day job as a special education teacher at Housatonic Valley Regional High School. Her career, in teaching and outreach, has been dedicated to helping underserved, disadvantaged people who have been outcast by society. “I felt like there were no adults in my school system who took any interest or cared or even thought I would ever be anything. I wanted to be that one person who cared.”

The skateboarding ethos—all about creativity and individuality—runs through everything at No Comply. When working in Manhattan, Steve would skate to work, “skitching” a ride on a UPS truck from Penn Station to 50th Street, but he paused more serious skateboarding so as not to risk

injury. “I think I put a lot of that energy from skateboarding into cooking because it’s creative. You can go to a skate spot with five skaters and everybody is going to do something different; like in cooking, you can take the same ingredients, and everyone is going to put their own spin on it.” For Steve, the DIY, skate, and punk energy go hand in hand with cooking.

“Line cooks were often punks or misfits; some people might see skateboarding as a red flag, but to me it shows dedication.

It’s punishing, it’s the perfecting of one thing. It takes a certain personality. You get into that zone, and you chase getting it perfect.” B

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Tillett Textiles

Elena Letteron

Artist Laura Christensen

Show & Tell

Go behind the scenes at the Construct Designer Showhouse in New Marlborough—and hear what inspired the creative team working on its transformation.

Irwin Feld

P HOTOS: STEP HANI E ZOLLSH AN

Wingate Ltd.

By Amy Conway

Jess Cooney Interiors

Hammertown

Carrie Herrington and Hanna Herrick

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C

assilis Farm, a Gilded Age estate dating to 1890, is being transformed by Construct—the leading nonprofit provider of affordable housing and related services in the southern Berkshires—into 11 affordable housing apartments for Berkshire families.

But first—the property will open as a Designer Showhouse with the theme “Nature in the Berkshires.” By creating this event for the public, the project will highlight the talents of local designers, artists, and landscapers. But more crucially, it will introduce people to Construct’s important mission and bring awareness— and funds—to their work.

We got a sneak peek as the designers were hard at work, and we’re sharing some of their ideas and inspiration here. The result will be fleeting—the Showhouse will be on view in June and then dismantled for work to begin on the housing (planned for 2026). “You’ll never be able to see it again,” said Hinda Bodinger, co-chair (with Laura Jordahl) of the project committee. “It’s going be apartments, which is fabulous, but everybody wants to see a Gilded Age estate.” Get there before it’s gone.

s Wingate Ltd. We are creating an area similar to what Cassilis may have looked like when the Willits/Bloodgood family—the original owners—lived there and raised Hackney ponies.

Timed tickets are available for Fridays through Sundays in June. constructberkshires.org

The Designers Barrington Outfitters barringtonoutfitters.net C. Herrington Home + Design cherringtonhome.com Carly Jane Design carlyjanedesign.com

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s Danielle Sweet When it comes to decorating, love is a feeling, not a look.

Danielle Sweet Interiors daniellesweetinteriors.com

Harry Heissmann harryheissmanninc.com

Jess Cooney Interiors jesscooney.com

Tillett Textiles t4fabrics.co

Gallery315home gallery315home.com

Irwin Feld Design irwinfelddesign.com

Pryor & Peacock pryorandpeacock.com

Wingate Ltd. wingateltd.com

Germain Interiors germaininteriors.com

Jennifer Bianco Design at Scout House jenniferbiancodesign.com

Staged Ryte stagedryte.com

Tune Street tunestreet.net

Hammertown hammertown.com

Laura Jordahl, committee co-chair t Elena Letteron, Germain Interiors Our imaginary client is someone who loves the outdoors, is an avid collector, traveler, and artist. Our room’s earthy palette and natural materials create a backdrop for the things our client collects and appreciates.

Irwin Feld Design My theme is “midnight picnic oasis”—I love nothing more than a beautiful, warm summer night, dining al fresco under a canopy of stars. I am completely transforming my room, creating a dark, dramatic, and soothing space.

Jennifer Bianco Design at Scout House I like to embrace a small space with a dark, deep color. It instantly creates a cozy feeling that is both warm and welcoming.

s Pryor & Peackock We are filling our space with living plants, and we created two new nature-inspired pieces of furniture for the room.

The Artists Laura Christensen laurachristensen. wordpress.com

Gail Gelburd gailgelburd.com

Robin Tost robintost.com

Ann Getsinger anngetsinger.com

Bob Watkins artnet.com/artists/ bob-watkins

Shawn Fields shawnfields.com

Kate Knapp kateknappartist.com

Kathryn Freeman kathrynfreeman.com

Pops Peterson popspeterson.com

The Landscapers Helia Native Nursery helianativenursery.com Whalen Nursery whalennursery.com

Steven R. Coe Jr. @divergent_colors

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s Staged Ryte Imagine a space where every corner is alive with the buzz of imagination—a cozy bed nestled under a canopy of twinkling fairy lights, inviting dreams of enchanted forests.

s Carly Jane Design My color palettes are designed around tones that you see out your window—rich browns, earthy greens. I wanted “the parlour” to be a space that was moody and sparked conversation.

s Jess Cooney Interiors A haunted secret garden overtakes our gentleman’s library. A rich, stately backdrop, timeworn artifacts, and the persistence of the natural world converge in our overgrown library.

Harry Heissmann Inc. & PM Design The inspiration came from [Albert Hadley’s] famous strawberry bedroom that he created for clients in Florida in the 1970s—as well as the strawberry season. The room is called “Strawberry Fields.”

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MOOD BOARDS: COURTESY OF THE DES IGNERS; ALL P HOTOGRAP HS: STEPHANI E ZOLLS HAN

s Hammertown Drawing on and celebrating the history of the property, we strove to include pieces that spanned decades, as if they had been collected by the (fictional) owners over time.

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Happenings Music Previews, Gala Guide, and More Goings-on This Summer

Nathalie Joachim Trio The Clark Williamstown The Haitian-American vocalist, flutist, and composer performs an eclectic style of music incorporating her ancestral roots on July 17.

NATHALIE JOACHI M TRI O: ERIN PATRIC E O’ BRI EN, C OU RTESY NONES UC H

happenings: Summer Music Preview

By Seth Rogovoy

Mahaiwe, Great Barrington Saturday, June 22 The piano-playing pop-rock singer-songwriter Ben Folds combines the storytelling chops of Bruce Springsteen with the pop melodicism of Billy Joel.

Folds will take audience requests at the Mahaiwe via paper airplanes in what is sure to be an entertaining, intimate concert.

It’s time for dancing in the streets—and in the theaters, nightclubs, arts centers, museums, barns, and ski areas.

We have so many places to hear an eclectic variety of musical sounds ranging from pop, rock and folk, to blues, jazz, experimental, and more.

From my perch as a professional observer of the Berkshire summer music scene for decades, it seems like this summer in particular there is an explosion of popular music concerts. What follows is just a small, highly curated sample of some of the best that’s on offer.

Revisit some old favorites—and take a chance on some unfamiliar acts who may become new favorites.

ARTURO O’FARRILL AND THE AFRO LATIN JAZZ ORCHESTRA PS21, Chatham, NY Saturday, June 15

Like his pioneering father, Chico O’Farrill, Arturo O’Farrill’s name is synonymous with big-band Latin jazz, carrying on the tradition of his father and Tito Puente and speaking to modern audiences.

KEB’ MO’

Mahaiwe, Great Barrington, Saturday, June 15 Kevin Moore aka Keb’ Mo’ has not garnered a closetful of Grammy Awards for no reason – the Nashville-based singer, songwriter, and guitarist cooks up a highly personal stew of blues, folk, country, and jazz and delivers it all as a well-seasoned, entertaining meal of a concert.

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Solid Sound, MASS MoCA, North Adams Friday-Sunday, June 28-30

Wilco may be the headliner at Solid Sound, but don’t overlook The Autumn Defense, a Wilco offshoot led by John Stirratt and Pat Sansone. They boast a dreamy melodicism recalling the Beatles and 1970s Laurel Canyon folk-pop.

Look for them on Sunday.

STEVE FORBERT JON BATISTE

Tanglewood, Lenox Friday, June 28 Whether he is conducting his own symphony at Carnegie Hall; collaborating with the likes of Lana Del Rey, Stevie Wonder, Willie Nelson, or Roy Hargrove in the recording studio; or leading a latenight talk show band “(The Late Show with Stephen Colbert”), in any number of musical styles, five-time Grammy Award winner Jon Batiste is the very incarnation of American music.

YOUNG FRESH FELLOWS DAYNA KURTZ

Solid Sound, MASS MoCA North Adams Friday-Sunday, June 28-30

Singer-songwriter Dayna Kurtz began blending folk, pop, jazz, and blues nearly a decade before anyone had heard of Norah Jones, whom she counts as a friend, supporter, and sometime collaborator.

Kurtz boasts a husky, rich alto, which alternately purrs and explodes.

The Young Fresh Fellows, formed

by Scott McCaughey in 1981 in Seattle, were one of the first alt-rock bands before the term was even invented. They went on hiatus in the mid-1990s at the height of their popularity when McCaughey became the “fifth member” of R.E.M., but their wry power-pop never went out of style. Look for them at Solid Sound on Saturday.

The Foundry, West Stockbridge Sunday, June 16

THE AUTUMN DEFENSE

The Barn, South Egremont Friday, June 28 Steve Forbert burst out of Greenwich Village folk clubs and downtown punk clubs to national fame in 1979 with his Top 20 hit, “Romeo’s Tune,” years before anyone described the kind of music he writes and plays as Americana or roots-rock.

ARI HEST

Park Theater, Hudson, NY Friday, June 28 Grammy Award-nominated singer-songwriter Ari Hest boasts a rich, expressive voice with a wide range and performs on guitar and keyboards. His pop-friendly folkrock should appeal to fans of Marc Cohn and Jackson Browne.

GLORI WILDER

Dream Away Lodge, Becket Friday, July 5 If you like Norah Jones, Amy Winehouse, and Fiona Apple, you won’t want to miss soulful singer-songwriter Glori Wilder when she performs at this legendary outpost of cool, underground music.

DAY NA KU RTZ: ZACK SMITH; JON BATISTE: JONNY MAR LOW, COURTESY BS O; AUTU MN DEFENSE: MAE MORENO, COURTESY PITCH PERFECT PR

SUMMER MUSIC PREVIEW

BEN FOLDS

VIE UX FA RKA TO URÉ : KISS DIO UA RA ; T HE PRE T E N DE RS: CO URT E SY BSO; BECK: POONEH GHANA, COURESTY BSO; BILL CHARLAP: PHILIPPE LEVY-STAB; GLENN JONES: JESS E S HEPPARD, C OURTESY TH RILL JOC K EY; EMILY ROBB : JESSI CA KOU RKOUNI S

LUCY KAPLANSKY

VANCE GILBERT

NATHALIE JOACHIM TRIO

Guthrie Center, Great Barrington Saturday, July 13

The Clark, Williamstown Wednesday, July 17

Singer-songwriter Lucy Kaplansky came out of the Greenwich Village folk scene in the early-1980s that produced the likes of Suzanne Vega and Kaplansky’s sometime duo partner Shawn Colvin. Kaplansky has a vulnerable voice perfectly suited for her intimate portraits and love songs and her wellchosen cover tunes.

Vance Gilbert set out to be a jazz and R&B vocalist, but quickly stumbled upon his storytelling and songwriting talent. He’s headlined at folk festivals and opened for stars ranging from Arlo Guthrie to Anita Baker to Southside Johnny. It comes as no surprise that Gilbert warmed up audiences for George Carlin, as Gilbert himself could easily have had a career doing stand-up comedy.

The Haitian-American vocalist, flutist, and composer performs an eclectic style of music incorporating her ancestral roots blended with indie-pop, rock, and new classical that has garnered her a Grammy Award nomination for Best World Music album.

Guthrie Center, Great Barrington Saturday, July 6

Litchfield Jazz Festival Washington, CT Saturday, July 27

Grammy Award-winning pianist Bill Charlap has been a leading figure in small chamber jazz since forming a trio in 1997. Bassist David Wong and drummer Kenny Washington join Charlap—who has performed with a who’s who of jazz—to revisit pop and jazz standards of the mid-20th century.

KAT WRIGHT

The Stationery Factory, Dalton Saturday, July 13 Kat Wright’s music is a sultry blend of soul, rock, and jazz, and she sounds like a cross between Norah Jones and Amy Winehouse. Western Mass.-native Sasha K. A warms up the crowd with a set of original folk-rock songs, accompanied by his wife, Courtney, on cello.

Race Brook Lodge, Sheffield Thursday, July 11 As the son of Ali Farka Touré, the pioneer of African “desert blues,” Vieux Farka Touré is to the manner born. The singer-composerguitarist brings his unique, soulful fusion of blues, rock, and North African music to this gem of a venue in Southern Berkshire.

SOCALLED

Yidstock, Yiddish Book Center Amherst Thursday-Sunday, July 11-14 Josh Dolgin aka Socalled is a pioneer of klezmer/hip-hop fusion, and he will be bringing his sounds to the annual, four-day Yidstock: The Festival of New Yiddish Music, with his band Gephilte. Look for him on Saturday.

BECK

Tanglewood, Lenox Tuesday, July 23 Singer-songwriter Beck’s genre-defying blend of rock, soul, folk, pop, funk, hiphop and psychedelia was so unprecedented when he burst on the scene in 1994 that the “alternative rock” category was practically coined just for him. The multiple Grammy Award winner is one of the most exciting live performers in popular music.

VIEUX FARKA TOURÉ

ADAM EZRA GROUP THE PRETENDERS

Falcon Ridge Folk Festival Goshen, CT Friday-Sunday, July 26-28

Five years ago, Chrissie Hynde brought her band, the Pretenders, along with her phenomenal catalog of hits and her stillsuperhuman vibrato, to MASS MoCA for a concert attendees are still raving about. Here’s hoping lightning strikes twice.

Named best Americana act at last year’s New England Music Awards, Adam Ezra Group has talents in common with Beck (musically) and Tom Waits (vocally). That’s undoubtedly what attracted John Oates to co-writing with Adam Ezra and why Jakob Dylan chose the group to warm up crowds for The Wallflowers on a recent tour.

Tanglewood, Lenox Tuesday, July 16

BILL CHARLAP TRIO

GLENN JONES and EMILY ROBB

The Clark, Williamstown Sunday, July 28 This fascinating double bill presents two wildly divergent approaches to the guitar. Glenn Jones plays acoustic guitar in the American primitive style pioneered by John Fahey.

Emily Robb, on the other hand, explores the tonal and textural varieties of electric guitar and amplification to create Minimalist-like pulsating drones.

What unites the two players is a love of their instrument and their fervent devotion to mining its sonic possibilities.

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happenings: Summer Music Preview

Mahaiwe, Great Barrington Friday, August 9 Ever since they were introduced to the world via Paul Simon’s landmark “Graceland” album, the South African choral and dance group Ladysmith Black Mambazo has been entertaining audiences globally, picking up five Grammy Awards along the way.

SAMARA JOY

Mahaiwe, Great Barrington Thursday, August 1 Having been named Best New Artist at the 2023 Grammy Awards (as well as winning the award for Best Jazz Vocal Album for “Linger Awhile”), Samara Joy is one of the hottest names in jazz right now. She has already drawn comparisons to heroes including Sarah Vaughan and Ella Fitzgerald, and is well on her way to making her mark with her own gospel-drenched vocals.

And don’t forget these

HOMEGROWN TALENTS MISTY BLUES

Adams Theater, Adams Saturday, June 15 For about a quarter-century, Misty Blues has been churning out an eclectic blend of blues, funk, and soul. Led by Williams College graduate Gina Coleman, the group will perform its “Roadhouse Revival Gospel Blues” program, featuring classic and original compositions drawn from their 15 albums, including the recently released “Silver Lining.”

THE NIELDS NONA HENDRYX

Bard Spiegeltent Annandale-on-Hudson, NY Saturday, August 17 Nona Hendryx is best known for being one-third of the trio Labelle, who had a massive hit with the funky, suggestive “Lady Marmalade” fifty years ago.

Hendryx launched her solo career in 1977 and has continued to make socially and politically conscious art-rock, new-wave, dance music, and funk, and embracing multimedia technology.

Hancock Shaker Village Pittsfield, July 5

Bang on a Can LOUD Weekend MASS MoCA, North Adams Thursday-Saturday, August 1-3 This three-day festival is a highlight of the summer cultural season, with an eclectic lineup ranging from new-classical to Minimalism to avant-garde to downtown rock. Cellist Maya Beiser is bound to be one of the hot tickets, performing her singular reinvention of Terry Riley’s minimalist manifesto “In C.”

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The Stationery Factory, Dalton Thursday, July 18 Berkshire native Evan Lanoue grew up listening to the Beatles, John Mayer, and Chris Stapleton, and is a triplethreat on acoustic guitar, electric guitar, and keyboards.

Lanoue boasts a haunting voice on his original tunes, backed ably by G. Winnard on drums and Dan Esko on bass.

WHISKEY TREATY ROADSHOW

Mountain Day Festival, Bousquet, Pittsfield Saturday, July 20

PS21, Chatham, NY Monday, August 19

A saxophone-lover’s dream come true, this evening of music features a double bill of saxophone-based music. The Konus Quartett, of Switzerland, will perform Klaus Lang’s gorgeous, ethereal “Drei Allmenden.”

Gelsey Bell (voice) and Erin Rogers (saxophone) will perform “Skylighght,” a collaborative duet they composed, described as “an intimate search for a sonic and physical meeting of voice and saxophone.”

EVAN LANOUE

The Nields, led by sister vocalists Nerissa and Katryna Nields, have been making intelligent folk-rock since the early 1990s. Based in the Pioneer Valley, the Nields have performed so often in the Berkshires over the decades they practically have guestresident status here.

KONUS QUARTETT and GELSEY BELL & ERIN ROGERS MAYA BEISER

styles and songs of Robert Johnson and Blind Willie Johnson as well as her original compositions in the blues and gospel traditions.

ROBIN O’HERIN

Becket Arts Center, Becket Saturday, July 13 Roots-music singer-guitarist Robin O’Herin has been a steady presence on the Berkshire music scene for several decades, drawing blues fans with her virtuoso presentations of Delta and Piedmont blues in the

The Whiskey Treaty Roadshow is a decade-old rootsmusic supergroup formed by five mostly Western Massachusetts-based singersongwriters. Together, Tory Hanna, Billy Keane, Chris Merenda, Greg Daniel Smith, and David Tanklefsky make an instantly familiar sound that recalls early Americana groups including The Band, the Allman Brothers, and the New Riders of the Purple Sage.

SAMARA JOY: MEREDITH TR UAX; MAYA BEIS ER: BOYANG HU; NONA HENDRYX: MARC BAPTISTE, COURTESY BARD; ROBIN O’HERIN: COURTESY ARTIST; WHISKY TREATY: COURTESY A RT IST

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Family Fun

Pittsfield Fourth of July Parade

PARADE: BE N GARVER; JAC OB ’S P ILLOW: JAMIE KRAUS ; TANGLEWOOD: STEPH ANI E ZOLLSHAN

Theater, music, art, and more— these shows and events will entertain toddlers to teens (and parents, too!).

By Kate Abbott

Outdoor Stage at Jacob’s Pillow

Tanglewood

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happenings: Family Fun

OPEN HOUSE DAY AT AMP American Mural Project Winstead, CT Saturday, June 8

With the American Mural Project (AMP), artist Ellen Griesedieck has created the largest indoor collaborative artwork in the world, a 3-D mural 120 feet long and five stories high, celebrating working Americans. Throughout the summer, kids and teens can enjoy workshops in art, theater, music, STEAM, and more. americanmuralproject.org

WHAT, ME WORRY? THE ART AND HUMOR OF MAD MAGAZINE

Norman Rockwell Museum Stockbridge June 8–October 27 Explore the unforgettable art and satire of MAD, from its beginnings in 1952 as a popular humor comic book to its emergence as a beloved magazine that spoke truth to power and attracted generations of devoted readers through the decades. nrm.org

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Solid Sound Festival, North Adams

BERKSHIRE MOUNTAINS FAERIE FESTIVAL

SEÁN DAGHER: SINGING SEA SHANTIES

Bowe Field, Adams Saturday, June 15

The Foundry, West Stockbridge Sunday, June 16

The annual festival celebrates winged beings, playfulness, and natural wonders—including a village made of moss, natural elements, and whimsy. @berkshiremtnsfaeriefestival

Enjoy family-friendly nautical songs sung by Seán and accompanied by the audience, Seán’s bouzouki, and his Canned Crew. Later in the summer, clowns and a storytelling workshop join the lineup. thefoundryws.com

HUDSON VALLEY REPTILES & RESCUE

Stissing Center, Pine Plains Saturday, June 15 Get up close and personal with some amazing creatures while you learn about their unique behaviors, habitats, and conservation efforts.

Later in the season, enjoy familyfriendly events centered around “mad science” and Greek history. thestissingcenter.org

IMAGING WOMEN IN THE SPACE AGE

Berkshire Museum, Pittsfield June 15–September 8 This inspiring exhibit showcases the achievements of America’s pioneering and current female astronauts. berkshiremuseum.org

JUNETEENTH WITH THE LEGENDARY INGRAMETTES First Presbyterian Church Hudson, NY Sunday, June 16

As part of PS21’s Pathways program, The Legendary Ingramettes, Richmond’s “First Family of Gospel,” bring their roof-raising harmonies to Hudson in celebration of Juneteenth. ps21chatham.org

THE OUTDOOR STAGE AT JACOB’S PILLOW

Jacob’s Pillow, Becket Wednesdays–Sundays June 26–August 25

Nationally and internationally known artists perform in a

friendly and casual space. Later in the season, enjoy family music and dance classes, a free community day on August 16, and Jacob’s Pillow On the Road popping up in Pittsfield and Great Barrington. jacobspillow.org

MEL BROOKS’ “YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN” Colonial Theatre, Pittsfield June 27–July 21

Berkshire Theatre Group presents a reimagining of Mel Brooks’ classic comedy, sending a contemporary Dr. Frederick Frankenstein to Transylvania as he inherits his family’s estate. berkshiretheatregroup.org

SOLID SOUND FESTIVAL MASS MoCA, North Adams Friday–Sunday, June 28–30

Across three days and four stages, Wilco curates their biennial festival with live music and comedy, family fun for all ages, local food, camping, naturalist activities, and more. massmoca.org

FAERI E F ESTI VAL & SOLI D SOUND: STEPHANI E ZOLLSH AN

Berkshire Mountains Faerie Festival, Adams

Sharon Playhouse Youthstage

SHARON PLAYHOUSE YOUTHSTAGE

KIKI VALERA Y SU SON CUBANO

Young stars perform in a homegrown musical adventure, using their voices, bodies, and minds to bring a story to life on stage. sharonplayhouse.org

Fourth-generation descendant of La Familia Valera Miranda, master cuatro player Kiki Valera continues the tradition of their music with Spanish and African origins, call and response and high-energy percussion. ps21chatham.org

Sharon Playhouse, Sharon, CT Saturday, June 29

47TH ANNUAL FREIHOFER’S SARATOGA JAZZ FESTIVAL

Saratoga Performing Arts Center Saratoga Springs, NY Saturday–Sunday, June 29–30

PS21, Chatham, NY Saturday, July 6

Over two days and on two stages, 22 artists will perform everything from jazz, funk, and blues to indie and pop. This event also includes food vendors, a fine arts fair, and family fun. spac.org

THE CIRCUS ARTS CONSERVATORY PRESENTS

FOURTH OF JULY PARADE SHARON PLAYHOUSE: TH E SHARON PLAY HOUSE, ALY MOR RI SSEY; THE C LARK : GI LLI AN JONES-HEC K

Pittsfield Thursday, July 4

North Street will be filled with the music of marching bands, the antics of performers, and the smiles of friendly faces. A road race along the parade route will be held at 8:30 a.m., before the parade kicks off at 10 a.m. pittsfieldparade.com

CAPTAIN NEMO’S ADVENTURE ACADEMY

Mahaiwe, Great Barrington Saturday, July 6

Dive into “20,000 Laughs Under the Sea,” a madcap homage to Jules Verne’s famous maritime hero. This engaging theatrical experience features sound effects, slapstick hijinks, magic, bubble-play, and full-audience participation. mahaiwe.org

The Clark, Williamstown

DROP-IN ARTMAKING The Clark, Williamstown July 11–August 29

In celebration of its summer show, “Fragile Beauty,” the Clark will explore glass, light, color, and transparency. Kids can make an ornamental glass object to take home and add to a collaborative mural led by emerging artists.

On July 14, enjoy a Community Day with free admission for all. clarkart.edu

In the

Berkshires FRI JULY 19 – SUN JULY 28 Circus Arts for the Family

Tickets $25 - $30

Special Camp Pricing Available

CircusArts.org

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ART OMI OPEN STUDIOS

Massachusetts singer-songwriters of rock, folk, and Americana. bousquetmountain.com

Explore the studios of the 2024 cohort of artists-in-residence, with pop-up performances, site-specific installations, and creative activations. artomi.org

TANGLEWOOD FAMILY CONCERT

Art Omi, Ghent, NY Saturday, July 13

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“COMEDY OF ERRORS”

Shakespeare & Company, Lenox July 13–August 18 On the outdoor mainstage, the play begins with two sets of twins separated by a storm at sea, starting a comic series of misunderstandings and mishaps.

This colorful and zany production, set in the seaside Vaudeville of 1912 New York City, is filled with magic and mischief. shakespeare.org

SUMMERSAULTS IN THE BERKSHIRES

Lenox Memorial High School Lenox Friday–Sunday, July 19–28 The professional branch of the Circus Arts Conservatory, which is the creation of South African aerialist Pedro Reis and his wife, circus legend and Queen of the Air Dolly Jacobs, will perform at the school’s Duffin Theater. circusarts.org

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MOUNTAIN DAY AT BOUSQUET

Bousquet Mountain, Pittsfield Saturday, July 20 Enjoy an afternoon and evening with headliners The Whiskey Treaty Roadshow, a collective of

Tanglewood, Lenox Sunday, July 21

Thomas Wilkins, principal conductor of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra and the BSO’s artistic advisor on education and community engagement, will lead the orchestra in a program of music for all ages. On August 2 and 3, John Williams’ Film Night returns and, on August 6, Tanglewood on Parade will end with a beloved fireworks display. bso.org

SWINGIN’ ON THE SILVER SCREEN

Music Mountain, Falls Village, CT Saturday, July 27 The 20-piece Swingtime Big Band returns for its 16th annual concert with a new program of cinematic hits, including birthday tributes to Henry Mancini and Sammy Nestico, and the music of Count Basie, Glenn Miller, and more. musicmountain.org

HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX™ IN CONCERT Saratoga Performing Arts Center Saratoga Springs, NY Saturday, Aug. 3 Relive the magic with the film on the big screen in highdefinition, accompanied by The Philadelphia Orchestra. spac.org

HARRY POTTER: F RANC ESCO D’AMIC O

Outdoor Spaces, Redefined

happenings: Gala Guide

2024 Gala Guide The season is in full swing—support our local organizations while you enjoy the parties!

CATA Gala at Shakespeare & Company, Lenox, May 2024

Pediatric Development Center’s Twilight Tasting

PH OTO: CHR ISTI NA LANE

Thursday, June 6 Balderdash Cellars, Richmond Enjoy noshes from Savory Harvest Catering, Balderdash wines, live music from Jim Witherell, and a not-so-silent auction, and more, all to benefit family support, education, and therapeutic services for young children who are eligible for early intervention services. pediatricdevelopmentcenter.org

Great Barrington Public Theater Benefit Friday, June 7 Bard College at Simon’s Rock, Great Barrington This year’s GBPT gala will support and celebrate Berkshire Voices, where playwrights come together to create and develop new work. Enjoy the start of summer with smallplates and cocktails on the lawn of the Daniel Arts Center, followed by a sneak preview of “Night at the Speakeasy,” the new cabaret spotlighting Janelle Farias Sando, followed by champagne and dessert under the stars. greatbarringtonpublictheater.org

Museum Gone Mad Bash Saturday, June 8 Norman Rockwell Museum, Stockbridge The museum celebrates the opening of its irreverent exhibition “What, Me Worry? The Art and Humor of MAD Magazine” at this costume gala full of art, music, comedy, and laughter. Mingle with creators and entertainers including illustrator Steve Brodner and comedian Kevin Bartini; pose in the MAD & RAD photo booth; enjoy noshes

by Kate Baldwin; and dance the night away with DJ BFG. nrm.org/gala

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happenings: gala guide

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AUGUST 30 – OCTOBER 13 Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre

AUGUST 27 – 29

Outdoors at the Rose Footprint Theatre

Get Tickets: (413) 637-3353

Sunday, June 9 Shakespeare & Company, Lenox This benefit evening will honor cultural diversity and support BIC’s work serving local immigrants.

Enjoy Andean-inspired jazz by Natalia Bernal & the En Diablada Quintet; a short film about people whose lives have been changed

by BIC; and a paddle raise with auctioneer Rachel Orkin-Ramey, plus catering provided by Some Things Fishy. berkshireic.org

SEASON 2024

SHAKESPEARE.ORG

A love letter to Mexico by way of the Berkshires

Berkshire Dream Center: Night of Dreams Gala Friday, June 14 Berkshire Hills Country Club Pittsfield Walk the red carpet for a night to remember that will include dinner, music from Grammynominated singer-songwriter Matt Cusson, guest speakers, a silent auction, giveaways, and more. berkshiredreamcenter.org

Mac-Haydn Theatre Gala Friday, June 14 Mac-Haydn Theatre Chatham, NY Centered around a performance of the iconic “West Side Story,” the party that follows is a chance to meet and mingle with the cast, crew, creatives, and administrators that make this theater run. Enjoy a catered evening and special performances by some of MacHaydn’s stars in highlights from the season ahead. machaydntheatre.org

Berkshire Museum: Behind the Veil Gala

Modern Mexican with a focus on local and sustainable ingredients.

Welcome to our oasis on the MASS MoCA campus. Visit us for hand crafted margaritas, our large mezcal list and natural wines.

1111 Mass MoCA Way, North Adams, MA Mass MoCA Campus 413.346.4467 | casitaberkshires.com

Saturday, June 15 Berkshire Museum, Pittsfield Inspired by the Museum’s current exhibit “The Wild Indoors: The Animal Art of Julie Bell,” guests will enjoy cocktails, dinner prepared

by Chef Peter Platt, wines by Spirited, and a live auction, all to benefit educational programming. berkshiremuseum.org

PS21 Gala: Noli Timbre Friday, June 21 PS21, Chatham, NY The organization’s biggest event of the year, this gala will span the PS21 campus: a cocktail fountain in the orchards, a farm-to-table dinner from James Beard Award nominee Jeffrey Gimmel of Swoon KitchenBar and Bimi’s Canteen under the big tent, a silent auction, and a performance of “Noli Timere” from acclaimed choreographer Rebecca Lazier in the pavilion theater. ps21chatham.org

Jacob’s Pillow Season Opening Gala Saturday, June 22 Jacob’s Pillow, Becket Celebrate the Pillow’s season opening with a cocktail reception, art exhibition, one-night-only performances by Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Caleb Teicher and Conrad Tao, Soles of Duende, the School at Jacob’s Pillow Contemporary Ballet Program, and more, and the presentation of the 2024 Jacob’s Pillow Dance Award to Pam Tanowitz. The performances will be followed by dinner and, of course, dancing. jacobspillow.org

18 Degrees’ Kids 4 Harmony Gala Tuesday, June 25 Seiji Ozawa Hall, Tanglewood Lenox Honoring Drs. Carolyn and Eli Newberger, and featuring guest cellist Owen Young of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, this annual event celebrates the growth and achievements of young musicians while creating access to opportunity. 18degreesma.org

Shakespeare & Company Gala Saturday, June 29 Shakespeare & Company, Lenox This year’s gala celebrates the organization’s Education Program and Founder Kevin G. Coleman, with cocktails and hors d’oeuvres under the Tina Packer Playhouse

tents, followed by a tribute film in the theater with special live appearances. A seated dinner from SoMa Catering in the Rose Meadow, dessert from SoCo Creamery, and dancing to the sounds of DJ Justin Allen will round out the evening. shakespeare.org

Berkshire Opera Festival: A Faustian Fete Sunday, June 30 The Lenox Club, Lenox Guests can look forward to enjoying food and drink, silent and live auctions, and performances from Maestro Brian Garman and special guest soprano Raquel González.

Proceeds from the evening’s festivities will support BOF’s 2024 season mainstage production of Gounod’s “Faust.” berkshireoperafestival.org

BSO Summer Celebration at Tanglewood Friday, July 12 Tanglewood, Lenox Celebrate the Boston Symphony Orchestra in their summer home with cocktails, dinner, and dessert in the tents on the Highwood Lawn, followed by a performance

by Andris Nelsons conducting Stravinsky & Rimsky-Korsakov and featuring The Boston Ballet. give.bso.org/summercelebration24

The Trustees’ Garden Party Saturday, July 20 Naumkeag, Stockbridge Experience the magic of Naumkeag’s extraordinary gardens and rare home while enjoying seasonal cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, and live entertainment.

This annual garden party raises support for the continued stewardship and programming at Naumkeag and all Berkshire region Trustees properties. thetrustees.org

Volunteers in Medicine’s 20th Birthday Party Thursday, July 25 Cottage Farm of the Berkshires Pittsfield For 20 years, VIM has been working toward a society where everyone has an equal opportunity for a healthy life. This summer, they’re throwing a party to celebrate! Guests will enjoy open-fire cooking, cocktails, music, dancing, performances, and more. vimberkshires.org

Fairview Hospital Silver Jubilee Gala Friday, July 26 Gedney Farm, New Marlborough This year’s event will honor Fairview Hospital’s Emergency Department with an evening of cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, music, and games on the lawn. berkshirehealthsystems.org

Berkshire Botanical Garden’s Fête De Fleurs Saturday, July 27 Berkshire Botanical Garden Stockbridge The BBG celebrates its 90th birthday with cocktails around the Center House veranda and fire fountain, followed by dinner under a festive tent, and capped by dancing under the stars to The Beantown Swing Orchestra. A highlight of the night will be a performance

by Galina Detkina and Roman Malkhaysan, U.S. National and World Champion American smooth style ballroom dancers. berkshirebotanical.org/fete

The Best of Times: A BSC 30th Anniversary Celebration Monday, July 29 The Stationery Factory, Dalton Barrington Stage Company turns 30 and marks the milestone with Broadway stars and a tribute to longtime board president Marita Glodt. Enjoy catering from The Swell Party and an open bar complete with specialty cocktails. All proceeds

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Coming Soon!

NewHomemove-inreadybyJune30th,2024!

happenings: gala guide support BSC’s Education Fund, in particular its Playwright Mentoring Project, which received the highest recognition bestowed by the White House for an after school program. barringtonstageco.org

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Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center Gala Thursday, Aug. 1 Mahaiwe, Great Barrington A pre-show reception and dinner will be followed by a performance by three-time Grammy Awardwinning jazz singer Samara Joy. mahaiwe.org

Hancock Shaker Village: Summer in the Berkshires Saturday, Aug. 3 Hancock Shaker Village, Pittsfield Stroll through the Village and enjoy a magical evening, as rolling hills meet a stunning sunset, and cocktails in the garden are followed by dinner from Mezze Catering, music by The Lucky 5, and a night full of stars. hancockshakervillage.org

WAM Theatre’s 15th Anniversary Benefit Celebration

SAVE THE DATE Join us on October 25th, 2024 30th Anniversary Celebration 4:30 - 8:30 PM* 4:30 - 5:30 PM (VIP Hour)

Williams Inn ....and party like it’s the 90s! theme attire welcomed!

Heavy appetizers and cash bar

Visit bfair.org for more information, sponsorships, and registration details

Sunday, Aug. 18 The Mount, Lenox The organization celebrates 15 years with a one-night-only, site-specific performance of “Outside,” created and directed

by WAM Artistic Director Genée Coreno, at The Mount. Audiences will be guided through the grounds by characters, text, an original score, and puppetry in this family-friendly outdoor theatrical experience. Afterwards, toast to WAM with specialty cocktails and summer appetizers

by Jeremy Kenny of Higher Bar Boutique Catering, and a selection of sweet treats. wamtheatre.com

Mark Your Calendars!

Keep an eye on these organizations’ websites for more information on these late summer and fall events.

Bidwell House Museum Saturday, Aug. 17 bidwellhousemuseum.org

Berkshire International Film Festival (BIFF) Gala “Windswept” Sunday, Sept. 1 Private home in West Stockbridge biffma.org

Literacy Network Friday, Sept. 20 Amici Restaurant, West Stockbridge

1Berkshire’s Celebrate the Berkshires September 1berkshire.com

BFAIR’s 30th Anniversary Celebration “Party Like It’s the ’90s” Friday, Oct. 25 Williams Inn, Williamstown

Berkshire United Way: United at the Table Wednesday, Oct. 30 Gedney Farm, New Marlborough berkshireunitedway.org

Keep in Touch!

Don’t see your gala here?

Let us know the details for our next Guide—and send us photos after your event! theb@berkshireeagle.com

last look: From the Archives

There may not be giant colorful balloons in this photo from 1911, but it is indeed the Pittsfield Fourth of July Parade—a longstanding, beloved, and historic tradition, tracing its roots at least as far back as 1801, when an article in the Pittsfield Sun referred to how the “birth-day of our Nation...was celebrated with unusual attention.” And in 1824, the newspaper reported a “numerous and respectable procession” of veterans going through the town (Pittsfield became a city in 1891) on their way to the meeting house for a celebration. Today the Independence Day event is known for its musical performances, deluxe floats, those bright balloons, and its welcoming, hometown feeling. This year’s theme is “Red, White, Blue and You” and the fun begins at 10 a.m., rain or shine, at the intersection of South and East/West Housatonic Streets in Pittsfield.

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The Parade Marches On

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