Friday, March 13, 2026

News and Ideas Worth Sharing

BITS & BYTES: ‘Hamlet’ at The Mahaiwe; BIFF presents ‘To Life!’; Lenox Memorial dinner theater; Richmond Consolidated drama club performance; Berkshire Concert Choir welcomes singers

Olivier Award-winner Hiran Abeysekera (Life of Pi) is Hamlet in this fearless, contemporary take on Shakespeare’s famous tragedy.

Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center presents broadcast of London National Theatre’s production of ‘Hamlet’ in HD

Great Barrington— On Saturday, January 31st at 7 p.m., the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center presents a broadcast of London National Theatre’s production of “Hamlet” in HD.

Trapped between duty and doubt, surrounded by power and privilege, young Prince Hamlet dares to ask the ultimate question – you know the one. Olivier Award-winner Hiran Abeysekera (Life of Pi) is Hamlet in this fearless, contemporary take on Shakespeare’s famous tragedy. National Theatre Deputy Artistic Director Robert Hastie (Operation Mincemeat) directs this sharp, stylish, and darkly funny reimagining.

Hiran Abeysekera as Hamlet. Courtesy Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center.

The broadcast is on Saturday, January 31st at 7 p.m at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center, located at 14 Castle Street in Great Barrington. Tickets and more information can be found online.

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Berkshire International Film Festival presents special encore screening of ‘To Life!’ in observance of Holocaust Remembrance Day

Great Barrington— On Sunday, January 25th at 3 p.m., the Berkshire International Film Festival (BIFF) presents a special encore screening of “To Life!” (original German title “Auf das Leben!”) in observance of Yom HaShoah  (Holocaust Remembrance Day.)

Originally shown at BIFF in 2015, the film follows the intertwined lives of Ruth, an aging cabaret singer, and Jonas, a young man facing a terminal illness. Though separated by generations and shaped by vastly different life experiences, the two form an unexpected and profound bond – giving one another renewed purpose and a reason to live. Experience this powerful and life-affirming film, followed by a conversation with award-winning screenwriter Stephen Glantz.

‘To Life!’, still. Courtesy Berkshire International Film Festival.

The screening is on Sunday, January 25th at 3 p.m. at The Triplex Cinema, located at 70 Railroad Street in Great Barrington. The film is in German with English subtitles. Tickets and more information can be found online.

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Lenox Memorial Middle and High School drama department presents ‘Murder on the Menu,’ an interactive murder mystery dinner theater

Lenox— On Saturday, January 31st at 6 p.m., The Lenox Memorial Middle and High School drama department presents “Murder on the Menu,” an interactive murder mystery dinner theater. 

Courtesy Lenox Memorial Middle and High School.

The head of a lucrative family publishing business, Artemus Ward, falls face-first into his spaghetti supper with a knife in his back. Chaos ensues as everyone at the table becomes a suspect. Luckily, an overeager county coroner is dining nearby and ready to launch an investigation. Filled with suspicious motives and unexpected twists, it promises an evening of suspense and laughter. Will you be the one to solve the mystery? Engage with the cast and clues while having a ‘killer’ good time trying to figure out whodunit!

The interactive performance is on Saturday, January 31st at 6 p.m. at Lenox Memorial Middle and High School’s Duffin Theater “Café,” located at 197 East Street in Lenox. A $20 admission includes the show, salad, a pasta dinner, and dessert. For tickets and more information, call 518-567-4731 or email rbannen@lenoxps.org. Tickets are expected to sell out fast. 

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The Foundry presents ‘Campfire Stories,’ Richmond Consolidated School’s drama club performance, directed by Maizy Broderick Scarpa

West Stockbridge— On Thursday, January 29th at 7 p.m. and Saturday, January 31st at 2 p.m., The Foundry presents ‘Campfire Stories,’ Richmond Consolidated School’s drama club presentation, directed by Maizy Broderick Scarpa. 

Maizy Broderick Scarpa. Courtesy The Foundry.

Director Maizy Broderick Scarpa has worked organizations such as Barrington Stage Company., Shakespeare & Company, WAM Theatre, Berkshire Theatre Group, Capital Repertory Theatre, The Broadway Advocacy Coalition, Berkshire Playwrights Lab, Pittsfield Shakespeare in the Park, Hamptons Shakespeare Festival, Nutshell Playhouse, Sandcastle Theatre Co., Rogue Angel Theatre, and NYU Tisch’s Experimental Theatre Wing, among others. Named a “Berkshire County Woman Change Maker” by the Berkshire Eagle for International Women’s Day, Maizy is also a proud member of the Dramatists Guild. Maizy holds degrees in drama and creative writing from NYU/Tisch, where she trained at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting and the Experimental Theatre Wing.

The performances are on Thursday, January 29th at 7 p.m. and Saturday, January 31st at 2 p.m. at The Foundry, located at 2 Harris Street in West Stockbridge. Admission is free with a suggested donation. Tickets and more information can be found online. 

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Berkshire Concert Choir welcomes singers to its spring season

Pittsfield— On Thursday, February 5th from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., the Berkshire Concert Choir will hold registration for singers and its first rehearsal of its spring season. 

Artistic Director Ryan José LaBoy. Berkshire Concert Choir.

The spring concert program “Questions and Answers: American Echoes” will feature a blend of choral and pop-rock music that grapples with questions of American identity and ideals as we mark the 250th anniversary of our nation’s founding. It pairs songs that pose questions with others that provide answers, including classical selections by Moses Hogan, Ysaye Barnwell, and Craig Hella Johnson, and folk/pop songs by civil rights era luminaries Pete Seeger, Bob Dylan, and Marvin Gaye. “It feels meaningful to sing the protest songs I grew up with and think about what they still have to say,” said Berkshire Concert Choir Board President Suzanne Pelton.

The concerts on May 9th and 10th will feature a house band alongside guest conductor Ben Coakley and Artistic Director Ryan José LaBoy. Rehearsals begin on Thursday, February 5th from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at The Common Room at Zion Lutheran Church, located at 74 First Street in Pittsfield. All interested singers are welcome. No audition is required. Registration information can be found online. 

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