Artists’ reception at Claire Teague Senior Center
Great Barrington — The Claire Teague Senior Center will hold an artists’ tea on Friday, April 15, from 3 p.m. – 5 p.m. to celebrate the opening of an exhibit by local artists. The event is free and the public is invited to attend.
Painter and educator Eunice Agar has curated a loan exhibition of work by prominent local artists including Anna Arthur-Sgalia, Ricky Bernstein, Karen Dolmanisth, Elsa Karr, Elizabeth Kasevich, Kate Knapp, Michael Lavin Flower, and Eunice Agar. The exhibit also includes art on permanent display by Ruth Champigny, Nancy-Fay Hecker, Dean Inglis, Mimi McDonald, Frank Packlick, Doris Gray, Stanley Phillips, and Leonard Weber.
For more information call the Senior Center at (413) 528-1881.
–E.E.
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BTG to present ‘Mirror, Mirror’
Stockbridge — Berkshire Theatre Group (BTG) will welcome the student-run, student-acted production “Mirror, Mirror” by Sarah Treem, directed by Monument Mountain Regional High School student Caroline Sprague, at the Unicorn Theatre on Thursday, April 14, at 7 p.m. and Friday, April 15, at 7 p.m.
“Mirror, Mirror” centers on a private high school in Durham County, N.C. In a blend of magical imagery, fairy-tale allusions, contemporary dramatic dialogue, and philosophical monologues, the production deals with issues of body image, sexual orientation, racism, and the struggle of the high school experience.
Director Caroline Sprague said, “Mirror, Mirror is the culmination of my internship with Berkshire Theatre Group, as well as my first shot at directing a show independently. After several years of exploration in stage management, directing, marketing and acting, I get to put my training to the test with a project I really care about: a student-run, student-acted show about students. My hope is that Mirror, Mirror can serve as a model for future student-run productions and can show the community the full power of collaboration between self-motivated and artistically ambitious high school students.”
The “Mirror, Mirror” cast is made up entirely of high school students: Noah Bailey, Lucy Schwartz, Cullen Taylor, Brendan Kavanah, Peter Teutsch, Kate Parks, Claudia Maurino, Megan Lacombe, Toby Keenan, Evan Silverstein, Maia Vlcek (stage manager) and Ella Long (costume director).
Tickets to “Mirror, Mirror” are $10. The show contains mature content that may not be suitable for children under the age of 14 and parental discretion is advised. For tickets and more information, see the Berkshire Edge calendar or call the Colonial ticket office at (413) 997-4444.
–E.E.
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Multicultural BRIDGE to screen documentary on race
Pittsfield – On Saturday, April 16, from 1 p.m. – 3 p.m., Multicultural BRIDGE will present a screening of the first two parts of the documentary series “Race: The Power of an Illusion” at the Berkshire Athenaeum.
The screening will be the first in Multicultural BRIDGE’s Toward Racial Justice series and will be followed by a discussion of the historical significance of race and racism with Multicultural BRIDGE’s director and CEO Gwendolyn VanSant and Youth Coordinator JV Hampton-VanSant. Email jv@multiculturalbridge.org for more information.
–E.E.
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Swing dancing at Shire City Sanctuary
Pittsfield — Shire City Sanctuary will host a night of swing dancing with the Lucky 5 jazz band on Friday, April 15, from 8 p.m. – 11 p.m. with free swing dance lessons from 7 p.m. – 8 p.m.
The Lucky 5 blends swing and gypsy jazz to create a unique, foot-stomping blend of music that appeals to a wide range of music lovers. The band is comprised of highly seasoned touring musicians who have been part of the Hunger Mountain Boys and Lauren Ambrose and the Leisure Class, and have traveled, performed, and recorded with artists such as Peter Gabriel, Tony Bennett, Neko Case, Iris Dement, and others.
Tickets are $12 in advance and $15 at the door with 25 percent off for Shire City Sanctuary members. See the Berkshire Edge calendar for tickets and more information or call Shire City Sanctuary at (413) 236-9600.
–E.E.
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‘Two Years of Song’ at the Whit
Pittsfield – Samantha Talora and Ron Ramsay will present “Two Years of Song,” a celebration of the time the two have spent as a musical duo, on Saturday, April 16, at 7:30 p.m. at the Whitney Center for the Arts.
Since pairing their musical talents in April of 2014, vocalist Talora and pianist Ramsay have given more 150 performances in the Berkshires and beyond. The anniversary concert at the Whit will feature Michael Gillespie on woodwinds and guitar, and the musical selections will range from celebratory to sentimental with work ranging from the Great American Songbook to Broadway and contemporary and popular hits.
Tickets are $20 and include post-show sweets. A tapas menu, beer, wine, and soft drinks will be available for purchase. For more information or to make reservations, call (413) 212-4459 or email info@samandron.com.
–E.E.
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Landscape design talk
Salisbury, Conn. – On Saturday, April 16, at 4 p.m., the Scoville Memorial Library will present landscape designer and horticulturist Larry Weaner in a talk entitled “Setting the Process in Motion: The Self-Proliferating Landscape” at the Salisbury Town Hall, 27 Main St. The event is free and open to the public.
Larry Weaner has been creating native landscapes throughout the eastern United States since 1977 via his firm Larry Weaner Landscape Associates. Weaner’s talk will explore the principles and protocols for creating dynamic, ecologically rich landscapes where nature does much of the planting and will utilize detailed case studies to demonstrate how practical plant proliferation strategies can be applied at diverse scales from intimate garden to large, multi-acre landscapes.
For more information contact the Library at (860) 435-2838.
–E.E.
