Rosanne Cash is one of the many performers participating in the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center's virtual 'Moving People, Moving Mountains' party Sunday, Oct. 11. Photo courtesy Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center

Bits & Bytes: Mahaiwe virtual party; Mark Plotkin talk; ‘Kabuki 2’ at Lauren Clark Fine Art; ‘From Sharon to Spoon River’

Plotkin studied with ethnobotanist Richard Evans Schultes at Harvard in addition to the Yale School of Forestry, and earned his doctoral degree from Tufts University.

Mahaiwe to present ‘Moving People, Moving Mountains’ fundraiser

Great Barrington — The Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center will celebrate its 15th anniversary Sunday, Oct. 11, at 7:30 p.m. with the online celebration “Moving People, Moving Mountains,” which will honor founder Lola Jaffe with performances by Brian Stokes Mitchell, Emanuel Ax, Rosanne Cash, Michael Feinstein, Paul Taylor Dance Company, John Pizzarelli and Jessica Molaskey, China Forbes of Pink Martini, Jason Danieley, the Fab Faux, and more. The event will also feature special tributes and surprise guests.

Emanuel Ax. Photo courtesy Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center

“This is an apt time to reflect on the Mahaiwe’s founding, which reminds us that this is not the first moment of struggle,” said Mahaiwe executive director Janis Martinson. “The Mahaiwe was launched when there were holes in the roof and the economy was rocky. But Lola knew what this aging building, given life, could mean to the southern Berkshires. She put years into realizing that dream and building a movement that would sustain what she began. With this party, we celebrate our founder and her founding vision, and commit ourselves to her legacy, no matter the current obstacles.”

The event is being produced and directed by Jeremy Handelman of Off The Leash Productions.

The event is free and open to the public. Held in lieu of the Mahaiwe’s annual fundraising gala, donations of all amounts will be gratefully accepted. For more information or to register, see the Berkshire Edge calendar or contact the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center at (413) 528-0100.

–E.E.

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Scoville Memorial Library to host Amazon River talk by Mark Plotkin

Image courtesy markplotkin.com

Salisbury, Conn. — On Thursday, Oct. 8, at 7 p.m., the Scoville Memorial Library will host a virtual talk by ethnobotanist Mark Plotkin, Ph.D., on his new book, “The Amazon: What Everyone Needs to Know.”

Plotkin studied with ethnobotanist Richard Evans Schultes at Harvard in addition to the Yale School of Forestry, and earned his doctoral degree from Tufts University. He is also the author of “Tales of a Shaman’s Apprentice,” “Medicine Quest,” “The Killers Within” and others.

According to Plotkin: “the forest contains approximately 390 billion trees, plays a vital role in stabilizing the global climate by absorbing massive amounts of carbon dioxide — or releasing it into the atmosphere if the trees are destroyed. We know that droughts in both Brazil and Southeast Asia have been linked to Amazonian deforestation, as have changing rainfall patterns in the U.S., Europe, and China.”

The talk is free and open to the public. Registration is required. For more information or to register, see the Berkshire Edge calendar or contact the Scoville Memorial Library at 860.435.2838 or scovlibn@biblio.org.

–E.E.

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Lauren Clark Fine Art to exhibit ‘Kabuki 2’ metal sculpture

‘Wait Here No. 9 with Red Line’ by Joe Wheaton. Photo courtesy Lauren Clark Fine Art

Great Barrington — Lauren Clark Fine Art will present the exhibit “Kabuki 2” new work in metal sculpture by Joe Wheaton, beginning Friday, Oct. 9, with a virtual tour and discussion with the artist, which will be available to view throughout the show at the gallery and online.

Wheaton described the show in the following way: “During the 2nd Bush administration I started the Kabuki series. It seemed to me that in Washington the administration was talking out of both sides of their mouths. Saying one thing and doing the opposite, they were naming their projects with inspiring titles that were suggestive of positive programs while actually targeting and undermining these same programs. Mostly social welfare, education and military initiatives. Little did we know how far this could go and how quickly. Kabuki 2 is where we are now. Inside out. The individual pieces in this series are not political statements, but I feel compelled to register my frustration that we are squandering this, though far from perfect, Democracy.”

The show runs through Saturday, Oct. 31. For more information, contact Lauren Clark Fine Art at (413) 528-0432.

–E.E.

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Nonprofits partner for ‘From Sharon To Spoon River’ cemetery tour

Sharon, Conn. — In an effort to collaborate and offer a unique theatrical and historical experience, the Sharon Playhouse, the Hotchkiss Library, the Sharon Historical Society and the Historic Sharon Burying Ground will present “From Sharon to Spoon River” Saturday, Oct. 10, with six tours, beginning on the hour starting at noon.

The event will begin at the Hillside Cemetery on Cemetery Road and will feature over 20 actors performing both original monologues and stories from “Spoon River Anthology” by Edgar Lee Masters. Audience members will follow a tour guide, who will recount tales and history of the cemetery while escorting the group to various locations for the performance. A reception with refreshments will follow on the Sharon Town Green.

The event is free and open to the public. Donations are appreciated and reservations are required. All current local and federal guidelines for social distancing will be followed and attendees will be required to wear masks. For more information or to register, see the Berkshire Edge calendar.

–E.E.