Complexions Contemporary Ballet to make Pillow debut with David Bowie-inspired ‘STAR DUST’
Becket— From August 9th through August 13th, Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival presents the dynamic company, Complexions Contemporary Ballet, making their Pillow debut.
For nearly three decades, New York-based Complexions Contemporary Ballet has been thrilling audiences around the globe with its full-throttle, high-intensity performances on five continents and in over 20 countries, committed to its mission of “bringing unity to the world one dance at a time.” Their foremost mission is to create dance that removes boundaries, continually evolving to reflect the movement of the world – and all its cultures – as part of an interconnected whole. The diverse and inclusive company reinvents ballet with a mix of methods, styles, and cultures that engages and delights.
Complexions will make its Pillow debut with a program featuring “STAR DUST”, a one-act tribute to the genre-bending innovation of rock star David Bowie that features many of Bowie’s iconic hit songs.
The performances run from August 9th through August 13th in the Ted Shawn Theater at Jacob’s Pillow on George Carter Road in Becket. Tickets start at $60. Performances are preceded by a free 15-minute pre-show talk. A free post-show talk with the artists will follow the Friday matinee performance. Tickets and more information can be found by visiting Jacob’s Pillow online.
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Ilana Glazer live at MASS MoCA
North Adams— On Saturday, August 5th, MASS MoCA presents Ilana Glazer.
One half of the dynamic duo that brought you the cult hit show “Broad City”, the comedian, director, producer, writer, and actress Ilana Glazer takes the Hunter Center stage for a night of raunchy, quick-as-lightning humor you won’t want to miss.
llana Glazer is a creator and comedian who co-created and co-starred in the critically acclaimed series “Broad City”. Her debut stand-up comedy special, “The Planet is Burning” is on Amazon Prime, and her film “False Positive”, which she co-wrote and starred in, was produced by A24 and available on Hulu. Most recently, you can see her in “The Afterparty” on Apple TV+. Ilana is also the co-founder of the non-profit Generator Collective, which was founded in 2016. Generator Collective defines minimal civic engagement and aims to humanize policy through people-powered stories on social media.
The event is on Saturday, August 5th at MASS MoCA on MASS MoCA Way in North Adams. Tickets and more information can be found by visiting MASS MoCA online or by calling the box office at 413-662-2111, extension 1.
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Norman Rockwell Museum presents its ‘5th Annual Art of Brewing Festival’
Stockbridge— On Saturday, August 12th from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., the Norman Rockwell Museum presents its “5th Annual Art of Brewing Festival”, an afternoon of sampling some of the best regional brews and local food. The festival celebrates regional craft beers and other brewed products together with the illustration art that makes these creative offerings delicious to the eye and tongue. Pub trivia, food trucks, lawn games, music, and the museum’s summer exhibitions round out the afternoon.
This year’s regional brewery participants include Aeronaut Brewing Co., Berkshire Brewing Company, Berkshire Cider Project, Berkshire Mountain Distillers, Big Elm Brewing, Dare Bottleshop and Provisions, Hot Plate Brewing Co., Roaring 20’s Brewery, Shire Beer Co., Sena Farm Brewery, Vanished Valley Brewing Co., and Wolf Hollow Brewing Company.
Organizer Bailey Girvan, senior development officer at Norman Rockwell Museum said, “It’s a celebration of the inventive and playful illustration art that brings beer cans and bottles and other brewed products to life.”
The festival is on Saturday, August 12th from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Norman Rockwell Museum on Glendale Road in Stockbridge. Tickets are $40 and $30 for members. Each ticket buyer receives 10 drink tickets to redeem for sample pours; additional full pours will be available. Valid ID with proof of age (21+) required to participate in beer tasting. All ages welcome for music, lawn games, and art appreciation. Participants will receive a free commemorative beer glass and other great gifts. Tickets and more information can be found by visiting the Norman Rockwell Museum online.
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Shakespeare & Company will host a book signing, pre-show reception, and post-show talkback with Patti Hartigan, author of the forthcoming biography ‘August Wilson – A Life’
Lenox— On Saturday, August 12th at 12:30 p.m., in tandem with its production of August Wilson’s “Fences”, Shakespeare & Company will host a book signing, pre-show reception, and post-show talkback with Patti Hartigan, author of the forthcoming biography “August Wilson – A Life”.
“August Wilson – A Life” is the first authoritative biography of August Wilson, the most important and successful American playwright of the late 20th century. Hartigan is an award-winning theater critic and arts reporter who spent many years on the staff of “The Boston Globe”. Early in her career as a theater critic for “The Boston Globe” she met Wilson at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center and would interview him several times over the course of two decades until his death in 2005, just after his sixtieth birthday.
Emerging from extensive research and interviews with friends, collaborators, actors, and family members, Hartigan’s original research challenges longtime assertions made by Wilson about his family’s history and reveals the toll of success on his personal life. It is a full and overdue portrait of a complicated man’s utter devotion to his art and the people around him.
Through his brilliant use of vernacular speech, Wilson developed unforgettable characters who epitomized the trials and triumphs of the African American experience. He said that he didn’t research his plays but wrote from “the blood’s memory,” a sense of racial history that he believed African Americans shared.
“To arrive at this moment in my life, I have traveled many roads, some circuitous, some brambled and rough, some sharp and straight, and all of them have led as if by some grand design to the one burnished with art and small irrevocable tragedies.” – August Wilson
The free book-signing is on Saturday, August 12th at 12:30 p.m. at Shakespeare and Company on Kemble Street in Lenox. The book will be released early at The Bookstore in Lenox. Patrons will have the opportunity to meet Hartigan and have their books signed at the free signing and reception. The pre-show book signing will include a cash bar and light hors d’oeuvres. Tickets to Shakespeare & Company’s 2 p.m. production of August Wilson’s “Fences” must be purchased separately. For more information visit Shakespeare and Company online.
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The Stockbridge Library presents an author talk with Adam Shatz in conversation with James Lasdun
Stockbridge— On Saturday, August 12th from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m., the Stockbridge Library presents an author talk with Adam Shatz in conversation with James Lasdun.
Adam Shatz ’s “Writers and Missionaries” is an erudite and incisive work of intellectual elucidation and biographical enquiry that demands that we interrogate anew the relation of thought and action in the struggle for a more just world.
Through a close reading of the lives and works of some of the greatest intellectuals of recent times, Adam Shatz asks, “Do writers have an ethical imperative to question injustice? How can one remain a dispassionate thinker when involved in the cut and thrust of politics? And, in an age of horror and crisis, what does it mean to be a committed writer?”
The talk is on Saturday, August 12th from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Stockbridge Library on main Street in Stockbridge. For more information, visit the Stockbridge Library online.
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Becket Arts Center annual member show and George “Pop” Sweet exhibit
Becket— On Saturday, August 5th from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., the Becket Arts Center will hold a free opening reception for artists participating in its annual member show.
At the same time, in the Art Lounge, visitors can enjoy an exhibit dedicated to George “Pop” Sweet, a legendary fiddler and square dance caller.
The member show reception is on Saturday, August 5th from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Becket Arts Center on Brooker Hill Road in becket and will continue Thursdays through Mondays through August 21st and the “Pop” Sweet exhibit will close on September 11th. Both shows are free. For more information, please visit the Becket Arts Center online.
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Free kids’ ‘Paint & Sip’ and scavenger hunt in Downtown Pittsfield
Pittsfield— On Friday, August 4th at 5 p.m., Downtown Pittsfield, Inc. will host a free kids’ “Paint & Sip” and scavenger hunt at the outdoor seating area between 37 North Street (Hot Harry’s) and 53 North Street (Marketplace Cafe).
This free animal-themed Paint & Sip is best suited for children ages five to 12, although younger and older children are welcome. All materials, instruction, snacks, and juice will be provided. Children are welcome to drop in anytime over the course of the event, and all children must be accompanied by an adult.
For the art-themed scavenger, children who complete the hunt will receive a coupon for a free ice cream. Children can pick up a copy of the hunt at the kids’ Paint & Sip beginning at 5 p.m. They must return no later than 8 p.m. with a completed scavenger hunt to claim their prize.
The events are on Friday, August 4th at 5 p.m. as part of the First Fridays Artswalk. For more information, visit First Friday Artswalk online or call 413-443-6501.
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Monument Mountain Regional High School’s Mountainside Preschool is now accepting applications for the 2023-2024 school year
Great Barrington— Monument Mountain Regional High School’s Mountainside Preschool is now accepting applications for the 2023-2024 school year. Program hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., following the Berkshire Hills Regional School District Calendar. Children need to be two years and nine months of age to begin attending and may be put on a waiting list to attend when they reach that age. Tuition will be prorated as applicable. Families who qualify for free and reduced lunch will receive a 75% discount on tuition. Monthly payment plans are available. To express interest in the program, please email Doreen Hugh (doreen.Hughes@bhrsd.org) or call 413-528-3346 extension 3100.
