PS21 to offer a full lineup of summer programming beginning in May
CHATHAM — Performance Spaces for the 21st Century (PS21) recently announced a lineup of more than 45 socially distanced performances, classes, workshops, and encounters to be held from May through September 2021. The season will include music, opera, contemporary circus and processional arts, all held in PS21’s open-air Pavilion Theater and on its 100-acre campus. Tickets will go on sale Saturday, April 10.
The lineup is as follows:
Modern Opera Fest, May 29–September 4: Three new and recent operas, “The Extinctionist,” “Pan,” and “Ipsa Dixit,” will offer intimate stagings with emotional power.
Theater and Dance, June 18–August 15: “The Dark Master,” from Japan, is a journey into “the deepest abysses of the human psyche” (Le Monde); Paul Taylor Dance Company will be in residence and performing new and old works; “Somatopia,” is a new dance theater piece; and “I am every woman” offers monologues directed by Nicole Ansari.
Chamber Music, June 8–September 12: Enjoy performances by the Escher String Quartet, the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, and four PS21 House Blend concerts, bridging the old and new, and programmed by pianist Alan Feinberg, PS21’s music advisor.
PS21 Chatham/Pathways, May 29–October 31: Participatory workshops, community engagement and education, and performances again form the heart of PS21’s Pathways, the site’s popular pas de deux between nature and the arts. Taking place on the expanded network of trails that link the PS21 fields to neighboring Crellin Park, Pathways 2021 highlights include circus arts, dramatic and dance practice and performances, educational and environmental walks, and a new site-specific art installation.
Movement Without Borders, May 13–September 8: Offerings include yoga with Sondra Loring, Pilates with Peggy Wallin-Hart, and dance with Adam Weinert. Additional Master Classes with visiting artists, including the Paul Taylor Dance Company, also will be held throughout the summer.
Programs for Young People, August 9–15: PS21 will host The Wooster Group Summer Institute, a chance to participate as chorus members in Modern Opera Fest’s “Pan,” and other immersive workshops, classes, and encounters with the arts and nature.
SoundScape, September 17–19: PS21 and Basilica Hudson celebrate regional partnerships and the end of summer with the 10th anniversary edition of SoundScape, for the first time outdoors on the PS21 campus.
—A.K.
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Chez Nous’ Community Night pop-up takeout to benefit VIM Berkshires
LEE — Chez Nous’ next Community Night pop-up takeout, on Thursday, April 8 and Friday, April 9, will benefit WAM Theatre. The menu will consist of: Hot-smoked salmon salad with capers, Granny Smith apples, greens, and creamy horseradish dressing; Franckie’s jerk chicken with green sauce, slaw and polenta fries; and lemon-ricotta strawberry shortcake.
The price for the dinner is $45 and 20% will go to WAM. In addition, 30% of every wine purchase will be added to the total for the night. Pickup will be from 5-6:30 p.m.; please specify date and time for pickup when you place your order. Chez Nous was able to donate over $1,000 to Volunteers in Medicine through its last pop-up event and an anonymous donor.
—A.K.
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Berkshire Theatre Group announces outdoor summer events
PITTSFIELD — Berkshire Theatre Group (BTG) today announced a lineup of immersive outdoor experiences slated for summer 2021, with a complete season cast announcement to be released at a later date.
BTG’s Artistic Director and CEO Kate Maguire said, “In 2021, we will produce live theatre once again, creating immersive outdoor experiences on multiple stages in Pittsfield and Stockbridge. Each production and performance was selected with the setting in mind.”
“The Importance of Being Earnest,” Oscar Wilde’s “trivial comedy for serious people,” will be set outside under a tent on a three-quarter thrust stage, from June 18–July 10, on the grounds of BTG’s Stockbridge campus. The production will be directed by Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winner David Auburn.
For “Nina Simone: Four Women,” audiences will be in the Courtyard of the Stockbridge campus. The production will be directed by Gerry McIntyre and will feature Tony and Grammy Award nominee Valisia LeKae as Simone. The play meditates on Simone’s transition from a singer to an activist, and deals with the sometimes undiscussed issues of colorism among black women.
“The Wizard of Oz” welcomes back the well-loved community production and will be a reimagined musical full of world travelers, festive carnivals, and spectacular sideshows for families, outside under the Big Tent on the grounds of the Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield.
In addition to these productions, the Colonial Concert Series has added performances by Tony Award winner Kelli O’Hara on Friday, June 25 and Saturday, June 26 at 7 p.m., and Tony Award nominee Norm Lewis on Friday, July 2 and Saturday, July 3 at 7 p.m.
More details about the fall and winter season, including additional concerts at the Colonial, the play “Shirley Valentine” this fall in Stockbridge, and the BTG premiere of Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas The Musical” at the Colonial this holiday season, will be announced at a later date.
A portion of sales for the Tuesday performances of “The Importance of Being Earnest” and “Nina Simone: Four Women,” and the Saturday performance of Norm Lewis in concert will go to The Actors Fund and Black Theatre United.
Tickets for all summer season productions will go on sale Friday, April 2 at 10 a.m. BTG is offering a 10% discount on tickets for all front-line workers. Tickets may be purchased online or by calling (413) 997-4444. Ticket office hours are every day from 12–5 p.m., or on any performance day from 12 p.m. until curtain. In-person ticket sales will resume in Pittsfield at The Colonial on April 19 and in Stockbridge at The Fitzpatrick Main Stage on June 7.
—A.K.
