Berkshire Shorts celebrates local independent film
Lee — Berkshire Shorts is an evening of independent short films, contests and special presentations made by up-and-coming filmmakers in Berkshire County. The showcase will be held at the October 17 at the Spectrum Playhouse, with showings at 7:30 and 9:30 p.m.
“I was amazed at the energetic, young crowd the show attracted,” said local filmmaker Ben Hillman about last October’s show.
This year’s show will first feature a block of contest entries in “The 30 Day Film Challenge,” a contest in which local filmmakers had 30 days to write, shoot and edit short films with certain criteria provided. The second block will contain submissions from local and independent filmmakers of all different genres, documentary, drama, comedy and animation.
There will also be a special presentation of the unreleased short film The Space Duet of Spider and Gumdrop. The film was made by late Cinéma vérité filmmaker Robert Drew about the space flight of Apollo 9.
The evening will be interspersed with original comedy sketches, fake commercials and surprises.
Berkshire Short’s mission is to give students and independent filmmakers a place to show their films to an audience. They also aim to inspire the youth of Berkshire County and provide an outlet for students to express themselves with film. Creator Patrick Toole is a Berkshire born filmmaker, actor, and musician in Great Barrington. He teaches filmmaking workshops for kids in high school and under, in and around Berkshire County.
The Spectrum Playhouse is located at 20 Franklin Street in Lee. For more information on Berkshire Shorts and a lineup of films and filmmakers, click here.
Tickets are $12 for adults and $7 for students. Sponsors include: The Toole Agency, Guido’s Fresh Marketplace, the Yankee Inn, The Berkshire Film and Media Collaboration, the College Internship Program, Lee Hardware and Rural Intelligence.
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Montessori School Tour Day October 15
Lenox Dale – If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like inside a discovery-based Montessori classroom, you’ll now have a chance to observe classes at The Montessori School of the Berkshires on Wednesday, October 15 at 9 a.m. and again at 10 a.m. Parents who register for a tour will also receive a free book, “Montessori Madness.”
“Visitors taking part in the tours will discover the Montessori advantage and learn how Montessori education focuses on children actively participating in their learning,” said Todd Covert, Head of School. “Parents will see how our environment is designed to meet each student’s unique needs, interests, abilities, and development, with children progressing at their own pace.”
The Montessori School of the Berkshires is open to students aged 15 months through eighth grade. There are immediate openings in the toddler program and early childhood programs, with limited openings for elementary and adolescent programs.
Following the tradition of Dr. Maria Montessori, the School’s mission is to inspire children to develop independent thinking, self-assurance, inner discipline, and a love of learning in an authentic Montessori environment. Well-known, former Montessori students have included actor George Clooney; Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin; Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos; Washington Post owner and editor Katharine Graham; former First Lady and editor Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis; Nobel Prize winner Gabriel Garcia Marquez; country music artist Taylor Swift; and Princes William and Harry.
The Montessori School of the Berkshires at 21 Patterson Road in Lenox Dale, Massachusetts. Interested parents find out more about the Montessori School of the Berkshires and register for the tours online at www.BerkshireMontessori.org or by calling (413) 637-3662.