Race Brook Lodge presents ‘Twilight Tales by The Fire: Algernon Blackwood’s ‘The Willows’’
Sheffield— On Thursday, February 15th at 7 p.m., Race Brook Lodge presents “Twilight Tales by The Fire: Algernon Blackwood’s ‘The Willows.’”
Join celebrated British actress and voiceover artist Victoria Finney on the pine grove porch for her candle-lit atmospheric reading of Algernon Blackwood’s supernatural psychedelic horror story, “The Willows.”

Set on a flooding sandbar in the Danube river, “The Willows” lures us into the disorienting inward journey of two campers on a summer canoe trip. Amidst the ceaseless and whispering dance of gargantuan willows along the river’s ancient banks, these two adventurers are ensnared by forces that they don’t understand. Edited and directed by Alex Harvey, this immersive theatrical storytelling experience will saturate audience members in an eerie odyssey to otherworldly realms guided only by the simple elements of sound, light, and spoken word.

Victoria Finney has performed all over the U.K. and Europe with theatre companies including The English Shakespeare Company and Shared Experience. She has appeared in several TV drama series and as a storyteller and Radio Rep actor for the BBC. In New York, she has been part of the Lake Lucille Chekhov project, including the film “I am a Seagull”, and she has performed at The Lincoln Center and off-Broadway.
Editor and Director Alex Harvey is a filmmaker, editor, producer, writer, theater director, musician, end-of-life doula, and the Arts Programmer at Race Brook Lodge. His credits include the feature narrative film, “Walden: Life in the Woods” starring Academy Award nominee Demián Bichir, “The Unsilent Picture,” a black and white silent film starring the world famous clown, Bill Irwin, “I Am A Seagull,” the documentary-narrative hybrid film made by the art collective Lake Lucille Chekhov Project, “SONNET23,” and season four of HBO’s “Boardwalk Empire.”
Born in 1869, Algernon Blackwood was the first pioneer of supernatural fiction and is renowned for his masterful atmospheric settings in his paranormal tales, which submerge readers in the experience of the story itself. Combining elements of mysticism, psychological horror, mythology, and fairytales his work focuses on nature as an overwhelming and terrifying force.
The reading is on Thursday, February 15th at 7 p.m. at Race Brook Lodge on South Undermountain Road in Sheffield. It is appropriate for ages 12 and up. Dinner and lodging are available on site. Tickets are $15 in advance or $25 at the door. Tickets and more information can be found online.
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Great Barrington Arts Market winter market, a curated indoor market featuring local and regional handmade gifts and products
Great Barrington— On Sundays, February 18th, March 17th, and April 21st from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., the Great Barrington Arts Market (GBAM) annual Winter Market, a monthly market featuring the finest regional artisan products, returns to the beautifully restored Saint James Place.
Market managers Kristen Kanter and Molly de St. Andre are both artists who love the idea of helping connect other local craftspeople with a viable market opportunity, and they have grown the Great Barrington Arts Market into a thriving year-round standard. With a rotating line-up of 16 artists each month, GBAM Winter Market offers a chance to shop a finely curated collection of handmade products and support the local artist community at the same time.

The market will be on Sundays, February 18th, March 17th, and April 21st from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Saint James Place on Main Street in Great Barrington. Admission is free. More information can be found online.
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Berkshire School to present Stephen Sondheim’s ‘Into the Woods’
Sheffield— From Thursday, February 15th through Saturday, February 17th at 7:30 p.m., Berkshire School will present the Tony Award-winning musical ‘Into the Woods’ in the Allen Theater.

Stephen Sondheim’s legendary musical “Into the Woods” features the combined stories of many famous fairy tale characters as they find out the answer to the ever-difficult question: What happens after happily ever after?
Directed by Theater Program Director Jesse Howard, the production features local students Luka Davis (Sheffield), Chloe Howard (Sheffield), Ellie Grimmett (Lenox), Diana Splawn (Sheffield), Hannah LaPier (Sheffield), and Jessica Sonner (Salisbury, Conn.)
Expect constant humor, unbeatable music, classic moments, plus a few unexpected twists from well-loved characters including Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, Jack (and his faithful cow, Milky White,) a pair of handsome (but shallow) princes, a wolf, a witch, and more, it’s a familiar, fun, and entertaining night at the theater.
The show runs Thursday, February 15th through Saturday, February 17th at 7:30 p.m. in the Allen Theater at Berkshire School on North Undermountain Road in Sheffield. Reservations are not required. There is a $2 suggested donation at the door. Light refreshments will be available at intermission. More information can be found online.
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Hot Plate Brewing presents Opal Raven’s Night Circus, an evening of the strange and unusual
Pittsfield— On Friday, February 16th at 7:30 p.m., Hot Plate Brewing presents Opal Raven’s Night Circus, an evening of the strange and unusual, as part of Pittsfield’s Restaurant Week.

From entrancing belly dancers and entertaining drag to sensual burlesque and even a little bit of the impossible come to life, Opal Raven’s Night Circus is hosted by Bella Santarella, featuring Opal Raven Cirque with special guests Rosebud Red and Jonathan Vale. Hot Plate Brewing will also be debuting a brand-new beer, which will be available for purchase.
The 18+ event is on Friday, February 16th at 7:30 p.m. at Hot Plate Brewing on School Street in Pittsfield. Doors open at 7 p.m. Seated tickets are $20 and standing tickets are $10. Tickets are required, and advanced ticket purchase is highly recommended. Tickets and more information can be found online.
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West Stockbridge Historical Society and Shaker Mill Books to present acclaimed ‘Beaverland’ author Leila Philip
West Stockbridge— On Friday, February 16th at 7 p.m., kicking off a new series of nature talks, the West Stockbridge Historical Society and Shaker Mill Books present a talk with “Beaverland” author, Leila Philip.
This intimate and revelatory dive into the world of the beaver, the wonderfully weird rodent that has surprisingly shaped American history and may save its ecological future, has been called “inspiring” by The New York Times and “full of charm and wonder” by The Wall Street Journal, “Beaverland” is now available in paperback. There will be a reception and a book signing immediately following the talk.

The talk is on Friday, February 16th at 7 p.m. at the Old Town Hall on Main Street in West Stockbridge. RSVP by emailing the number of guests attending to info@weststockbridgehistory.org.
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Registration open for Shakespeare & Company’s Riotous Youth summer theater program
Lenox— Registration is open for Shakespeare & Company’s Riotous Youth summer theater program for children and teenagers.
Running from Monday, July 1st through Friday, August 16th, these one-, two-, and three-week sessions are tailored to different age groups, introducing participants ages seven to 17 to the language, stories, characters, and ideas in Shakespeare’s plays through imaginative and playful methods. Exercises and games incorporating voice, movement, and acting enable participants to explore Shakespeare’s text emotionally, physically, and intellectually. Participants then create a performance piece based on their experience of the play, which they share with family and friends on the final day of each session.

Running from Monday, July 1st through Friday, August 16th, all sessions are held at the Shakespeare & Company campus on Kemble Street in Lenox. Tuition and more information can be found online or by contacting Riotous Youth Programs Manager Caitlin Kraft at ckraft@shakespeare.org or 413-637-1199 ext. 132.