Made in the Berkshires festival
Pittsfield — Berkshire Theatre Group will present the sixth annual Made in the Berkshires festival celebrating local art and artists Friday, Nov. 11, through Sunday, Nov. 13, at the Colonial Theatre as well as at the Unicorn Theatre in Stockbridge.
Made in the Berkshires will feature cutting-edge theatrical works performed as staged readings along with live music, film, short stories and dance. New and innovative pieces as well as established works will be presented by local Berkshire County playwrights, actors, directors, musicians and performers. By featuring the offerings as performance blocks, Made in the Berkshires will allow audiences to enjoy the breadth and depth of the artistic talent that has landed in Berkshire County while celebrating the best in the visual and performing arts. Professional artists and artists-in-the-making will gather to share their talent with the Berkshire community. The festival will once again be curated by local artists Hilary Somers Deely and Barbara Sims.
Tickets to Made in the Berkshires range from $15 to $50. For tickets and a complete schedule of events, see the Berkshire Edge calendar or contact the Colonial ticket office at (413) 997-4444.
–E.E.
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Multicultural BRIDGE annual awards ceremony
Stockbridge — On Thursday, Nov. 17, Multicultural BRIDGE will honor Natalie Shiras, Eugenie Sills, and Marcia Savage with the newly created Peggy McIntosh Equity and Justice Award in its annual awards ceremony at Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health. The Cultural Competence, MaryAnn and Bob Norris Community Stewardship, Youth Activist, and Servant Leadership awards will also be given. The evening will include dinner, music, dancing, and a celebration of the award recipients’ collective work.
McIntosh is a former associate director of the Wellesley Centers for Women and the founder and senior associate of the National SEED Project (Seeking Educational Equity & Diversity) on Inclusive Curriculum. McIntosh will give a keynote speech titled “Coming to See Privilege Systems: The Surprising Journey.” She will also offer a pre-ceremony workshop based on her work called “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack,” during which she will discuss the impact of racial privilege and bias.
The event will begin with yoga classes at 4:15 p.m. followed by a buffet dinner in the dining hall starting at 5 p.m. McIntosh will deliver her workshop at 5 p.m. The awards ceremony will take place at 7 p.m. and a dance party with the Wanda Houston Band will cap off the evening at 8:15 p.m. The $100 cost of the event includes dinner, the workshop, the awards ceremony, and dancing. Minus the workshop, the event is $60. Group discounts are available. For more information or to register, call Kripalu at (866) 200-5203.
–E.E.
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Candlelight solidarity gathering
Great Barrington — Rogue Angel Theatre will present a candlelight solidarity gathering on Saturday, Nov. 12, from 5 to 6 p.m. on the lawn of the Mason Library.
Rogue Angel Theatre’s goals for the event are as follows: “May we stand in the darkness and light flames of solidarity, interdependence, resiliency and love. May we hold flames for the grieving and the fearful, the angry and the inspired. May we stand in shared commitment to healing, to intolerance of bigotry, to innovation in cocreation of our future, to claiming our power. May we stand together and embrace the great potential for awakening held within this collective moment. May we look into one another’s eyes and know that we are here, and we are waking up.”
All are welcome to attend and to bring a candle and a friend.
–E.E.
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Sandisfield Art Center: Michael Hoberman to speak on Berkshire Jewish history
Sandisfield — The Sandisfield Jewish History Book Project will present nationally known historian Michael Hoberman in a talk about the history of Jews in small-town New England at the Sandisfield Arts Center on Saturday, Nov. 12, at 11 a.m.
Hoberman will draw on oral history research from his scholarly work, “How Strange It Seems,” to discuss the mostly untold story of Jewish farming communities in the Berkshires in the early 1900s. He also will devote attention to his more recent book, “New Israel/New England: Jews and Puritans in Early America,” which explores the relationship between Jews and Puritans in the colonial and Revolutionary War period.
For more information about the event or the history book project, contact Sandy Parisky at (860) 798-1091 or at Sandy@SanfordParisky.com or Joanne Olson at (718) 966- 3543.
–E.E.
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Dr. Paul Donovan publishes book on history of North Adams Regional Hospital
North Adams — Longtime practicing physician Paul Donovan has written and published “North Adams Hospital: A Historical Perspective, Part II: 1910-1956,” the second of a three-part series on the history of North Adams Regional Hospital (NARH), which closed in 2014. Part Two covers the years of 1910–1956, following the history of the hospital through the construction of a new building that opened in October 1955.
Dr. Donovan was a member of the NARH medical staff from 1989–2014. He was director of emergency services from 1991–1993 and 2000–2011, and served as president of the NARH medical staff from 2008–2010. He is board-certified in emergency medicine and sports medicine and has authored many publications in those fields. He maintains offices in North Adams and Bennington, Vermont, and serves as team physician for Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts and as a teaching assistant at Williams College. He resides in Stamford, Vermont with his wife and family.
The book can be purchased at Berkshire Emporium, Water Street Books in Williamstown, and through the North Adams Historical Society. Copies are also available to borrow from local libraries. Comments regarding the work are welcomed and the author can be reached at emsportmed2015@gmail.com.
–E.E.
