PS21 Center for Contemporary Performance presents the world premiere of Julian Brave NoiseCat’s ‘We Survived the Night: A Coyote Story in Four Parts’ at Spencertown Academy Arts Center
Spencertown, N.Y.— On Saturday, February 21st at 7 p.m. and Sunday, February 22nd at 4 p.m., PS21 Center for Contemporary Performance, as part of The Dark, PS21’s fearless winter festival, presents the world premiere of Julian Brave NoiseCat’s “We Survived the Night: A Coyote Story in Four Parts” at Spencertown Academy Arts Center.
Across his genre-defying work, Julian Brave NoiseCat often turns to the narrative arts of his people who tell stories about mythic ancestors like the trickster Coyote to make sense of the world and themselves, cutting through colonial fictions while pushing the boundaries of nonfiction to illuminate vital truths. The “Coyote Story,” an art form once practiced by Indigenous peoples from Central America to Western Canada, is one of the oldest and most significant oral traditions in human history. In this one-man show, NoiseCat brings this dying art off the page and onto the stage through song, dance, and oratory.
Writer, filmmaker, and champion powwow dancer Julian Brave NoiseCat is a multi-hyphenate storyteller and artist from the Secwépemc and St’at’imc nations. His documentary “Sugarcane,” directed alongside Emily Kassie, was nominated for an Oscar in 2025. NoiseCat’s best selling book, “We Survived the Night,” grounds and is the source for this work.
The performances are on Saturday, February 21st at 7 p.m. and Sunday, February 22nd at 4 p.m. at the Spencertown Academy Arts Center, located at 790 NY-203 in Spencertown, N.Y. Tickets and more information can be found online.
***
FreshGrass Institute and Studio 9 present FreshGrass Institute Artist-in-Residence Daniel Kleederman, in concert with special guest Benjamin Jaffe
North Adams— On Saturday, February 21st at 7 p.m., the FreshGrass Institute and Studio 9 present FreshGrass Institute Artist-in-Residence Daniel Kleederman, in concert with special guest Benjamin Jaffe.
After a half-decade as a dedicated collaborator, lead guitarist, and music director for indie darling Bartees Strange, Daniel Kleederman chose to let go of the festival lights and international tours to bring his attention to his own music and path. Releasing “Another Life,” his debut LP, featured as one of NPR’s “Best New Albums” during its release week in early April, was his first order of business. Often drawing comparisons to Jeff Buckley with his emotive, rangy falsetto, Kleederman’s song explorations are grounded first and foremost by his formative relationship with the guitar. Anyone who sees him perform understands his intimate and loving relationship to his instrument. In his hands, the guitar appears both an extension of self and a portal to other worlds.
Benjamin Jaffe is a performing and recording musician. His latest album, made with Vulfpeck’s Theo Katzman, is being released in April of 2026 and his touring work with Kacey Musgraves continues over the next year playing guitar and singing harmony. Jaffe’s former band, HoneyHoney released records on famed folk labels Rounder Records and Lost Highway Records, and he has performed on stages all over the world including “Saturday Night Live,” “The Tonight Show,” and the Coachella and Newport Folk music festivals.
The concert is on Saturday, February 21st at 7 p.m. at Studio 9, located at 18 Veazie Street in North Adams. The doors open at 6:30 p.m. Tickets and more information can be found online.
***
Berkshire Jazz presents ’10 by Satch: The Music of Louis Armstrong,’ a cabaret with New Black Eagle Jazz Band at Proprietor’s Lodge
Pittsfield— On Saturday, February 20th at 7:30 p.m., Berkshire Jazz, as part of Pittsfield’s 10×10 Upstreet Arts Festival, presents “10 by Satch: The Music of Louis Armstrong,” a cabaret with New Black Eagle Jazz Band at the Proprietor’s Lodge.
Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong was one of the most influential figures in the history of American music. With a career spanning five decades, he was a cross-genre sensation, a member of the Down Beat Jazz Hall of Fame, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and the Rhythm and Blues Hall of Fame, as well as a recipient of a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
The New Black Eagle Jazz Band brings faithful recreations of Armstrong’s music to the Berkshires. For more than 50 years, from Symphony Hall to Singapore, the New Black Eagle Jazz Band has been delighting audiences worldwide with its infectious, soulful, and uplifting style of traditional New Orleans jazz. Paying homage to the greatest musicians of the early jazz era, the band has also developed its own eclectic sound, incorporating spirituals and 1920s and 30s popular music. Internationally acknowledged as one of America’s leading exponents of traditional jazz, the band has made scores of recordings of music by Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Jelly Roll Morton, and others.
The concert is on Saturday, February 20th at 7:30 p.m. at the Proprietor’s Lodge, located at 22 Waubeek Road in Pittsfield. Light snacks are included in the ticket price; pub menu and dessert menus will also be available. Tickets and more information can be found online.
***
Du Bois Freedom Center and Berkshire International Film Festival present a screening of ‘BLKNWS: Terms & Conditions’ at The Triplex
Great Barrington— On Sunday, February 22nd at 11 a.m., the Du Bois Freedom Center and Berkshire International Film Festival present a screening of “BLKNWS: Terms & Conditions” at The Triplex.
Adapted from Kahlil Joseph’s renowned video art installation “BLKNWS: Terms & Conditions” is a distinctive cinematic experience that mirrors the sonic textures of a record album, weaving fiction and history in an immersive journey where the fictionalized figures of W. E. B Du Bois and Marcus Garvey join artists, musicians, Joseph’s family, and even Twitter chats, in a vision for Black consciousness.
The special screening of this acclaimed new movie, which has been named one the year’s ten best by The New York Times, will be followed by a talkback, featuring Dr. Saidiya Hartman, Columbia University professor and Berkshire resident, who was a writer on the film and also appears.
The event is on Sunday, February 22nd at 11 a.m. at the Triplex Cinema, located at 70 Railroad Street in Great Barrington. Tickets and more information can be found online.
***
Spencertown Academy presents memoir workshop with Elizabeth Diggs
Spencertown, N.Y.— From February 19th through April 9th, on Thursdays between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m., Spencertown Academy presents a memoir workshop with Elizabeth Diggs.
“The personal memoir has become one of our most popular genres and Liz Diggs is a wonderful teacher,” says Academy Administrator Eve Zatt. “We are so happy to be able to offer this course with her again. In this workshop, explore how to shape and explore your stories. Put pen to paper, fingers to keyboard, and craft the memories you’ve been waiting to tell, with expert tutelage.”
“Sharing your life story with a group of interested members of the workshop is a moving and gratifying experience,” says Diggs. “Every level of writing experience is welcome, and the use of mediums such as photographs, poetry, songs, diary entries, and more are ways to enhance your story if you choose.”
Diggs is a playwright whose plays include “Nightingale,” “American Beef,” “Priceless,” and “How to Plant a Rose,” among many others which were produced off-Broadway and at regional theaters. She was Professor of Dramatic Writing at Tisch/NYU. She is the book writer for the musical “Mirette,” with Tom Jones and Harvey Schmdt, and wrote for the TV drama “St. Elsewhere.” Her honors and awards include a Guggenheim, NEA, Los Angeles DramaLogue award, the CBS/FDG prize, Kennedy Center grant for new American plays, the Edgerton Foundation grant, and runner-up for the Susan Smith Blackburn prize.
The workshop is from February 19th through April 9th, on Thursdays between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m., at Spencertown Academy, located at 790 State Route 203 in Spencertown, N.Y. More information can be found online.
***
Living in Recovery presents fourth annual ‘Breaking Out of the Mid-Winter Blues,’ a substance-free night of live music, connection, and fun
Pittsfield— On Sunday, February 22nd from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., Living in Recovery presents their fourth annual “Breaking Out of the Mid-Winter Blues,” a substance-free night of live music, connection, and fun.
Shake off the winter blues with live music featuring Ed Moran, Ben Kohn, Connor Meehan, and Dan Broad in a warm, welcoming community space. Enjoy jazz, blues, soul, and more!
The concert is on Sunday, February 22nd from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Living in Recovery, located at 75 North Street in Pittsfield. The doors open at 5:15 p.m. Admission is free and everyone is welcome. You do not need to be in recovery to attend: friends, families, allies, and music lovers are all welcome. Youth under age 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. More information can be found online.
