Berkshire Theatre Group announces audition schedule
Pittsfield — Berkshire Theatre Group (BTG) has announced auditions for its 11th annual community theatre production as well as auditions for the BTG Plays! 2016-2017 Touring Show, “Danny Dollar Millionaire Extraordinaire: The Lemonade Escapade” by Ty Jackson. The title of the 11th annual community theatre production will be to be announced at a later date.
Audition information is as follows.
Annual Community Theatre Production:
Berkshire Theatre Group’s 11th annual community theatre production will be directed by Travis G. Daly with music direction by Mark Gionfriddo. BTG seeks child and adult actors, musicians, backstage crew, technical support, usher staff, and parent volunteers to participate in the production. The roles and positions are open to members of the Berkshire community third grade through adults.
Rehearsals will begin in June.
Student auditions will be held during the first three hours of each session and the last hour will be for adults. Adults should be prepared to sing only 16 bars of a song and bring the accompanying sheet music that is in the key in which they prefer to sing. Students should be ready to learn songs from “Beauty and the Beast.” Callbacks will take place as needed.
“Danny Dollar Millionaire Extraordinaire: The Lemonade Escapade”:
“Danny Dollar Millionaire Extraordinaire: The Lemonade Escapade” by Ty Jackson, adaptation by E. Gray Simons III, will be directed by Travis G. Daly. BTG seeks 10 child and adult actors, seventh grade and up, to participate in a non-musical touring production that focuses on an African-American family. The show will tour during the school year and play an average of one show per week. It will have performances during the school day, occasional week-long engagements, and occasional weekends. The roles and positions are open to members of the Berkshire community.
Rehearsals will begin in the fall of 2016.
Actors will be asked to read sides from the book and/or play.
Auditions for both shows will take place Wednesday, February 3, from 6 p.m. – 10 p.m. and Thursday, February 4, from 6 p.m. – 10 p.m. at the Colonial Theatre, 111 South St.
Appointments are necessary to audition. To schedule an audition time slot or obtain further information, call (413) 448-8084 x23.
–E.E.
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‘Bob and the Trees’ available online
Sandisfield — Local director Diego Ongaro’s award-winning first feature film “Bob and the Trees” is now available on through iTunes, Google Play, and Vudu. The movie, which was filmed on location in Sandisfield and made mostly with Berkshires financing and talent, debuted at Sundance Film Festival and has racked up awards everywhere from Karlovy Vary in the Czech Republic to the Woodstock Film Festival in New York. The movie gives a celebratory if unflinching portrait of one logger’s life as he tries to keep his family business afloat through a particularly rough winter in the Berkshires. The Hollywood Reporter called the film “…reveal(ing) an overall tone of unsentimental empathy that’s too often missing from outsider perspectives.”
–E.E.
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Winter Sundays at Ramsdell Public Library
Housatonic — Paper is the theme for Week Four of Winter Sunday Afternoons at Ramsdell Public Library. On Sunday, January 31, “Fold It, Cut It, Place it” will be taught in a series of mini-classes for different ages and abilities from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. “Between The Folds: The Science of Art, the Art of Science,” a one-hour documentary showing fine artists and scientists from MIT and NASA who have devoted their lives to the medium of modern origami, will be screened at 2:30 p.m. The.
The library will be open for business as usual from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. with a special display on paper-folding, Sunday papers to share, and coffee and snacks. All events are free and the public is welcome. For more information call the Library at (413) 274-3738.
–E.E.
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Pittsfield Coalition quality-of-life listening sessions
Pittsfield — Residents of Pittsfield are invited to participate in listening sessions and community conversations to be held throughout the month of February. The goal of the sessions is to gather input from community members about barriers to quality of life in Pittsfield. Residents are asked to attend and share their thoughts on how to improve life for their households in Pittsfield. Feedback from residents will provide guidance for the Working Cities: Pittsfield Initiative, a grant-funded community development project.
Listening Sessions and Community Conversations will take place:
Wednesday, February 3, 11 a.m. – noon at the Ralph Froio Senior Center
Monday, February 8, 5:30 p.m. – 7 p.m. at Morningside Community School
Tuesday, February 9, 4:30p.m. – 7 p.m. at the Berkshire Athenaeum
February date and time to be determined at Conte Community School
The Working Cities: Pittsfield Initiative team is a diverse coalition of community, education and business organizations collaborating to apply for a large grant from the Boston Federal Reserve. The Initiative is led by the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission and Central Berkshire Habitat for Humanity. To ensure the grant serves the community, all residents, particularly those who feel disadvantaged, are asked to provide input on how to improve the City of Pittsfield.
–E.E.
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‘Creative Conversations Across Differences’ at Race Brook Lodge
Sheffield — Race Brook Lodge will host “Creative Conversations Across Differences,” a day workshop led by collaboration consultant Rosa Zubizarreta, on Wednesday, February 3, in the Lodge’s barn.
Participants will spend the day exploring listening practices that create shared understanding. The workshop is open to all, from beginners to advanced practitioners. Insights and practices from the workshop can be taken home to enhance relationships and self-understanding.
The workshop is available on a sliding scale and registration is online. Contact Race Brook Lodge for more information at (413) 229-2916.
–E.E.
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BCC to host Robert Burns celebration
Pittsfield — The Jonathan Edwards Library at Berkshire Community College (BCC) will host a Robert Burns celebration on Friday, January 29 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. The program will feature an open poetry slam followed by a formal Presentation of the Haggis. Berklee College of Music Celtic band Rolled Oats will provide jigs and reels.
The event is free and open to the public. FORUM Credit is available for BCC students. For more information contact Karen Carreras-Hubbard at (413) 236-2153.
–E.E.
