Paola Prestini’s ‘Houses of Zodiac’ at Mass MoCA
North Adams— On Saturday, July 29th, MASS MoCA presents Paola Prestini’s “Houses of Zodiac”, as part of the LOUD Festival, a fully loaded, three-day festival of an eclectic super-mix of minimal, experimental, and electronic music from July 27th to July 29th.
The immersive event combines Prestini’s solo cello music performed by cellist Jeffrey Zeigler formerly of the Kronos Quartet (and also Prestini’s husband). The performance includes poetry by Anaïs Nin, Pablo Neruda, Brenda Shaughnessy, and Natasha Trethewey, fusing poetry and music with film projections of New York City Ballet soloist Georgina Pazcoguin and Butoh dancer Dai Matsuoka. The end result is a cross-disciplinary exploration of the intersection of mind, body, and nature.
Strings Magazine deemed the studio recording of “Houses of Zodiac”, “one of the greatest and most ambitious solo cello albums of all time.”
The immersive event is on Saturday, July 29th at MASS MoCA on MASS MoCA Way in North Adams. Festival tickets are $129 if purchased in advance and $159 if purchased the week of the festival. All seating is general admission. All festival passes include museum admission. A $225 “preferred” ticket is also being offered which includes reserved seating for Hunter Center main stage events, a t-shirt, a signed poster, and an invitation to “Breakfast with the Founders & Artists” on Saturday morning. For tickets and more information, visit MASS MoCA online.
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Chester Theatre Company presents ‘Guards at the Taj’ written by Rajiv Joseph
Chester— From July 6th through July 16th, the Chester Theatre Company (CTC) presents “Guards at the Taj” written by Rajiv Joseph and directed by Reena Dutt.
India, 1648. Two friends stand guard at the site of one of the most stunning buildings the world has ever seen, the Taj Mahal. They protect it with their lives, yet they are forbidden from looking upon its beauty. While standing guard in the shadows, they trade jokes and shoot the breeze while they follow the shah’s commands. When they are ordered to do the unthinkable, however, they must choose between brotherly love and loyalty as a means to survive.
Ruchir Khazanchi makes his CTC debut, joining Abuzar Farrukh, who was last seen on the Town Hall Stage in 2018. Reena Dutt joins CTC for the first time as director.
“The opportunity to bring this stunning play of brotherhood, joy, and honor to Chester through the backdrop of the Mughai Empire has proven to be an exciting opportunity”, says Dutt. “It truly brings us together through a universal story that transcends culture.” Broadway World said that “Guards at the Taj” is “an enlightening evening of theatre, sucking the audience in at every turn.”
Performances run from July 6th through July 16th at the Chester Theatre Company’s Town Hall Theatre on Middlefield Road in Chester. Ticket information is available by visiting the Chester Theatre Company online or by calling 413-354-7771 Tuesday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
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Ancram Opera House presents ‘Crystal Radio Sessions’
Hillsdale— On Sunday, July 15th at 7:30 p.m., Ancram Opera House presents “Crystal Radio Sessions”, the popular series where professional actors read aloud the work of contemporary writers.
Presented for the 5th year by Ancram Opera House, “Crystal Radio Sessions” is modeled after Symphony Space’s “Selected Shorts” and features fiction, poetry, creative non-fiction, and personal essays by established and emerging writers from the Hudson Valley and Berkshires.
This year’s short stories are “The Yellow” by Samantha Hunt, read by Sandy York, and “Sugar Bath” by Harris Lahti, read by Joey Taylor. In “The Yellow,” loneliness, a car accident, and a resurrected dog bring together two strangers in the suburbs. In “Sugar Bath,” a house flipper and his pregnant wife discover gravestones in the basement of their new house.
Samantha Hunt is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, the Bard Fiction Prize, the National Book Foundation’s 5 Under 35 Prize, and the St. Francis College Literary Prize. She has been a finalist for the Orange Prize and the PEN/Faulkner. Hunt has published five books and teaches at Pratt Institute. Harris Lahti’s fiction has appeared in Southwest Review, Bomb, Archway Editions Journal, Ninth Letter, Blue Arrangements, and elsewhere. He edits for Fence. His debut short story collection, Mental Health Professional, is forthcoming from the new Cash for Gold Books in the spring of 2024.
Sandy York is an actor-singer based in New York City who has studied classical, contemporary, and musical theater at Princeton University (AB), Trinity Repertory Conservatory (MFA) and the New York Shakespeare Festival Lab. She works in theater, film, television, industrials, and commercials around the country and internationally. Joey Taylor is an actor, director, and co-founder of Definitely Human Theatre, which produces contemporary theater in the Hudson Valley. In December 2022 Definitely Human Theatre presented “The Ukraine Plays”, short works by Ukrainian playwrights, at Ancram Opera House to raise money for Ukrainian theater artists.
The session is on Sunday, July 15th at 7:30 p.m. at the the Hilltop Barn at Roeliff Jansen Park on Route 22 in Hillsdale. Tickets are $25 general admission and $15 with a student I.D. tickets and more information can be found by visiting Ancram Opera House online.
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Becket Arts Center presents an outdoor performance by international band Dirty Cello
Becket— On Sunday, July 9th at 5 p.m., the Becket Arts Center (BAC) presents an outdoor performance by the internationally-known band Dirty Cello, as part of BAC’s Music Brings Communities Together Program.
Dirty Cello is cello like you’ve never heard before. Combine the virtuosic wail of Jimi Hendrix with the soul of BB King and add a whole lot of cello and you get the Dirty Cello band. With a cello in place of a lead guitar, the group combines blues, rock, electric, and bluegrass to produce its own unique, high-energy sound.
Dirty Cello performs all over the world, from Iceland to Israel, from Scottish castles to underground caves, presenting an energetic and wild show that’s been described as “funky, carnival, romantic, sexy, tangled, electric, fiercely rhythmic, textured, and only occasionally classical” by Oakland Magazine.
The performance is on Sunday, July 9th at 5 p.m. at the Becket Arts Center on Booker Hill Road in Becket. Lawn chairs, coolers, snacks, and kids are welcome to this free event. For more information, please visit the Becket Arts Center online.
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Chesterwood presents “Spirits of Chesterwood”, a dance project by Berkshire Pulse choreographers inspired by Chesterwood
Stockbridge— On Thursday, July 27th at 4 p.m. and 6 p.m., Chesterwood presents “Spirits of Chesterwood”, a dance project by Berkshire Pulse choreographers inspired by Chesterwood.
“Spirits of Chesterwood” is an intergenerational dance project created by six local choreographers in the Berkshire Pulse community. The works are based on historic photographs of people, places, and captured moments on the Chesterwood grounds. The choreographers met with Chesterwood’s curator, who shared with them the historical photos and research on how the spaces were used and by whom. The resulting performance will celebrate the joy of dance and artistic collaboration between the dance community and a place of historic and natural significance in the Berkshires.
The performances are on Thursday, July 27th at 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. at Chesterwood on Williamsville Road in Stockbridge. Tickets are $25, $20 for members, and free for children age 18 and under. A reception will follow after the 6 p.m. performance. Tickets and more information can be found by visiting Chesterwood online.
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St. Joseph’s Polish Picnic returns after a three year hiatus
Pittsfield— On Sunday, July 16th from noon to 5 p.m., St. Joseph’s Polish Picnic returns after a hiatus of three years due to the pandemic.
The Polish Picnic, a 60-plus year tradition, is one of the last ethnic festivals in Berkshire County and is expected to draw several thousand people. A highlight of the Polish Picnic is the homemade Polish food for sale made by the parishioners of St. Joseph’s Church, including pierogies, kapusta, golumbki, and kielbasa. The Eddie Forman Orchestra will entertain the crowd. There will be raffles, games of chance, and a KiddyLand. There will also be American food and adult beverages for sale.
The picnic is on Sunday, July 16th from noon to 5 p.m. on the grounds of St. Joseph’s Church on North Street in Pittsfield. The Polish Picnic is open to the public and all ages are welcome. There is a one-dollar entry fee to the Picnic which includes chances to win door prizes. Bring a lawn chair to relax and enjoy the music, or get up and dance to the polka!
