The Norfolk Library presents the Greenwoods Puppet Festival
Norfolk— On Friday, October 13th and Saturday, October 14th, the Norfolk Library presents the Greenwoods Puppet Festival.
The festival opens on Friday, October 13th at 3:45 p.m. with a screening of Heather Henson’s “Handmade Puppet Dreams”, a traveling film series that promotes independent artists exploring their handmade craft specifically for the screen. The featured film is family focused and is comprised of twelve engaging puppet shorts, setting the stage for the lively performances of the Puppet Festival. There will be a snack before the film, and parents and children can meet the weekend puppeteers at the film’s conclusion.
On Saturday, October 14th, the festival continues with “Sleeping Beauty”, presented by the Tanglewood Marionettes at 10 a.m., “Alice or the Red King’s Dream”, presented by Dream Tale Puppets at 1 p.m. The Big Puppet Parade will traverse the village green to allow viewers to witness the beautiful movement of puppetry at 3 p.m., and “The Ice River” presented by Galapagos Puppet Theater will conclude the festival at 4 p.m.
The free festival is on Friday, October 13th and Saturday, October 14th at the Norfolk Library on Greenwood’s Road East in Norfolk. There will be a hospitality tent on the Library lawn. Reservations required. Registration and more information can be found online.
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Paul Giamatti and Stephen Asma live taping of new podcast, ‘Chinwag’, at MASS MoCA
North Adams— On Saturday, October 14th at 8 p.m., award-winning actor Paul Giamatti and Professor of Philosophy Stephen Asma will do a live taping of their hit new podcast, “Chinwag”, at MASS MoCA.
This special episode will have our hosts diving deep into Nostradamus, clairvoyants, and prophets, plus a few wild and unexpected tangents.
The live taping is on Saturday, October 14th at 8 p.m. in the Hunter Center at MASS MoCA on MASS MoCA Way in North Adams. Tickets are $55 on the day of the event and $45 in advance. An $85 preferred ticket is available which includes a chance to meet Paul and Stephen after the show for a photo, a signed show poster, and museum admission on the day of the event. Tickets and more information can be found online.
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The Berkshire Bach Society opens its 34th season with a Harpsichord Festival
Great Barrington— On Saturday, October 14th at 4 p.m., the Berkshire Bach Society opens its 34th season with a Harpsichord Festival that explores English, German, and French harpsichord repertoire from the 17th and 18th centuries.
Dutch harpsichordist Mariken Palmboom plays works by Sweelinck, Bull, Gibbons, Purcell, and J.S. Bach. A Stockbridge resident since 1997, Palmboom was educated in Holland where she worked with many pioneers of the period instrument movement including legendary harpsichordist Gustav Leonhardt.
“We’re delighted to open our season with a Harpsichord Festival,” said Terrill McDade, Interim Executive Director of The Berkshire Bach Society. “The harpsichord is iconic and the Festival gives us the chance to showcase its versatility and especially to grapple with one of the most intriguing aspects of Baroque music—tuning and how it differs from what is typically used today. The idea of equal temperament came to dominate European music after Bach’s time. If you’ve ever wondered how people tuned before Bach, here’s your chance to hear the difference and all the wonderful, unique colors that early Baroque composers expressed in their music. It is unexpected to the ear trained in equal temperament—but also revelatory.”
The concert is on Saturday, October 14th at 4 p.m. at Kellogg Music Center at Bard College at Simon’s Rock on Alford Road in Great Barrington. Tickets are $45. There is a discount for members and youth under age 18 are free. The performers will host a post-show Q&A in which they’ll talk about tuning and other issues. Tickets and more information can be found online.
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Arts Alive! presents an intimate poetry reading with award-winning authors Doug Anderson and Nathan McClain at Chesterwood
Stockbridge— On Saturday, October 14th at 4 p.m., Arts Alive! presents an intimate poetry reading with award-winning authors Doug Anderson and Nathan McClain at Chesterwood.
Doug Anderson has written about his experiences in the Vietnam War in both poetry and nonfiction. He is the author of the poetry collections “The Moon Reflected Fire” (1994 – winner of the Kate Tufts Discovery Award) and “Blues for Unemployed Secret Police” (2000). In 2009 he published his memoir, “Keep Your Head Down: Vietnam, the Sixties, and a Journey of Self-Discovery”. His most recent book is “Horse Medicine” (2015). Anderson’s awards include a grant from the Eric Mathieu King Fund of the Academy of American Poets, a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship, and a Pushcart Prize.
Nathan McClain is the author of two collections of poetry “Previously Owned” (2022 – longlisted for the Massachusetts Book Award) and “Scale” (2017). He is a recipient of fellowships from The Frost Place, the Sewanee Writers’ Conference, and Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference, and he is a Cave Canem fellow. His poems and prose have appeared in Plume Poetry 10, The Common, Guesthouse, Poetry Northwest, and Zócalo Public Square, among others.
The reading is on Saturday, October 14th at 4 p.m. at Chesterwood on Williamsville Road in Stockbridge. Join the authors for a post-show complimentary glass of Prosecco on the piazza. Tickets are $15 and for members and youth under age 18. Tickets and more information can be found online.
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WordXWord’s ‘Poets Creating Conversation 2.0’ at The Mount
Lenox— On Sunday, October 15th at 5 p.m., The Mount presents WordXWord’s “Poets Creating Conversation 2.0” surrounding the topic of “WORK”.
Not for the faint of heart, Poets Creating Conversation 2.0 throws out a single word and asks poets to respond.
The free event is on Sunday, October 15th at 5 p.m. at the stables at The Mount on Plunkett Street in Lenox. It will be held rain or shine. For more information, visit The Mount online.
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RA presents Real Abstraction’ with new work by Mark Olshansky and Allison Reimus
Great Barrington— Opening on October 14th, RA (Real Abstraction) is excited to present their third exhibition “Real Abstraction” with new work by Mark Olshansky and Allison Reimus, an exhibition that engages and subverts stereotypes of gender, age, fine art, and craft.
Mark Olshansky has been creating intricate abstract needlepoint for over 50 years. His unique method of automatic stitching is akin to the surrealist methods, though Olshansky uses no preemptive sketch whatsoever. Allison Reimus comes from three generations of crafters, breaking with tradition to create museum scale paintings free of the gendered language previously domesticated at and left at home. Both artists supplant out culturally conditioned ideas of feminine and masculine in their use of materials to create contemporary works of art that are unique in vision and tactility.
“The side-by-side presentation of Olshansky and Reimus at RA Gallery is an inspired combination. They are separated by six decades in age, and a gulf of life experience…Both are superb colorists, skilled at achieving painterly effects in non-paint materials. Olshansky works with 3-ply Persian wool, separating the factory-made yarns into separate strands and then re-twining them, as if he were mixing a palette. Reimus’s wide-ranging repertoire of materials means that she is combining colors from different universes, Winsor & Newton oils alongside findings from Michael’s craft superstore.” -From “REAL ABSTRACTION”, an essay by Glenn Adamson.
The exhibit runs through October 29th and is on view Thursday through Mondays from noon to 5 p.m. at RA on Railroad Street in Great Barrington. There is an opening event on Sunday, October 14th from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. More information can be found online.
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North Berkshire Contra Dance monthly community contra dance with live fiddle music by “Three Potatoes Four” and caller Quena Crain
Williamstown— On Saturday, October 14th from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m., North Berkshire Contra Dance will hold its monthly community contra dance with live fiddle music by “Three Potatoes Four” and caller Quena Crain.
Quena Crain, who calls all over New England (and far beyond), brings an infectious joy to the dance hall. This comes through in her fun calling and easy teaching style which is beloved by all age groups, from elementary school to well past retirement.
Music will be provided by the band Three Potatoes Four, the lively harmonic fiddle duo Rebecca Weiss and Gianna Marzilli Ericson supported by Becky Hollingsworth on piano. All three musicians played for many years with the beloved late David Kaynor of Greenfield Massachusetts, and you’ll hear his influence in both harmony and foot-lifting rhythm.
The dance is on Saturday, October 14th from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. in the community hall of the First Congregational Church on Main Street in Williamstown. Admission is pay-as-you-can; $12 to $20 is suggested. Barter, especially help with clean-up) is also welcome. New dancers and families with children are encouraged to arrive by 7:30 p.m. for instruction in the basics. More information can be found online.
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Crandell Theatre presents ‘Kid Flicks Before Bedtime’ with a free showing of ‘Minions’
Chatham— On Friday, October 13th at 5 p,m., Crandell Theatre presents “Kid Flicks Before Bedtime” with a free showing of “Minions” (PG | 91 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy), voiced by stars Sandra Bullock, Jon Hamm and Michael Keaton.
Come dressed as a Minion in a yellow shirt and blue overalls, and join the lovably silly tribe of Minionkind as they search for their evil overlord! Ever since the dawn of time, the Minions have lived to serve the most despicable of masters. From the T-Rex to Napoleon, the easily distracted tribe has helped the biggest and the baddest of villains. Now, they’ll earn a shot to work for a new boss, the world’s first female supervillain, and try to save all of Minionkind from annihilation.
The free showing is on Friday, October 13th at 5 p.m. at Crandell Theatre on Main Street in Chatham. Thanks to a generous grant from Hudson Valley Foundation for Youth Health, tickets are free for all. Children will also receive a snack and a surprise gift. More information can be found online.
