The Foundry announces winter/spring season events
WEST STOCKBRIDGE — In January, The Foundry temporarily closed out of an abundance of caution amidst the rise of the Omicron COVID variant. The shutdown made it necessary to launch a GoFundMe to keep the venue from permanently closing. After raising more than $12,000, The Foundry will reopen and fulfill its mission to offer a platform for diverse, unique artists. Music, comedy, and dance fill every weekend from February through May.
Coming in from out of town are Brooklyn favorites Pinc Louds lead singer Claudi Saturday, March 26, shapeshifting drag yenta Josephine Network Saturday, March 12, and post-gender eruption of power SUO Saturday, May 14. Also on the schedule: Soul blues artists Alexis P. Suter Saturday, April 2 and Muddy Ruckus Friday, Feb. 25; cellist and singer Helen Gillet Saturday, March 6; Russian-American violinist Yevgeny Kutik with collaborative pianist Max Levinson Sunday, March 6; seven-piece band The Big Takeover Saturday, Feb. 26, and more.
Comedy takes the stage with Eryca Nolan’s Project Herlarious Friday, March 25, and the West Stockbridge Wisdom Lodge Comedy Night Fundraiser Saturday, Feb. 19.
To view the full schedule and purchase tickets, click here.
—A.K.
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OLLI to present free virtual talk on Ukraine
PITTSFIELD — The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at Berkshire Community College (BCC) will host an online discussion with former Ukraine resident and New York Times journalist James Brooke on Thursday, Feb. 10 at 7 p.m. The event is free and open to all. Click here to register.
While Vladimir Putin seeks to drag Ukraine back into the Russian empire, Ukrainians have moved on. Turning their back on Russia, they overwhelmingly vacation, study, and work in the European Union, helped in part by visa-free travel. Thanks to eight years of Russian military attacks on Ukraine, Ukrainian national identity is at record highs. Ukraine has Europe’s second largest army. Ukrainian is the language for all kindergarten to university instruction. For the first time since 1685, the Orthodox Church of Ukraine is no longer controlled by Moscow. As Putin approaches his 70th birthday this October, he is tormented by the fear that his legacy will be: the first czar in three centuries to lose Ukraine.
James Brooke, a Lenox native, is a lifelong foreign correspondent. For 24 years he reported for The New York Times — from West Africa, Brazil, Canada, and Japan/Korea. After the Times, he was the Moscow bureau chief for Bloomberg and then the Moscow-based correspondent for Voice of America. After eight years in Russia, he moved to Ukraine. For six years in Kyiv, he founded and edited internet-based newsletters on Ukraine’s business and investment opportunities and conditions. Last fall, after reporting from 80 countries, he moved from Kyiv to Lenox with his family.
—A.K.
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Registration open for Riotous Youth summer theater program
LENOX — Registration is open now for Riotous Youth, Shakespeare & Company’s summer theater program for children and teenagers, slated to run from Tuesday, July 5–Friday, Aug. 19.
These one-, two-, and three-week programs, tailored to different age groups, introduce students ages seven to 17 to Shakespeare’s language, stories, characters, and themes, using imaginative and playful methods.
Financial aid is available. To ensure the health of our Shakespeare & Company community, all Riotous Youth and Riotous Company participants who are eligible must be vaccinated against COVID-19.
For more information, contact Education Programs Administrator Megan Marchione at mmarchione@shakespeare.org or 413-637-1199, Ext. 172.
ONE-WEEK SESSIONS
July 25–29: ages 6-8
August 15–19: ages 7-12
In the Wild & Whispering Woods: a fast-paced, one-week exploration of Shakespeare’s characters as they encounter all manner of unexpected hijinks, love, and mysterious creatures in the woods, using text from “As You Like It,” “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” and “The Winter’s Tale.” Cost: $425.
TWO-WEEK SESSIONS
These programs are designed to incorporate voice, movement, and acting to allow students to explore Shakespeare’s text emotionally, physically, and intellectually. Participants then create a performance-piece based on their experience of the play, to share with audiences on the final day of the session. Cost: $800*
July 5–15: “Much Ado About Nothing”
Session A: ages 7-9
Session B: ages 10-12
Session C: ages 13-15
July 18–29: “Macbeth”
Session D: ages 7-9
Session E: ages 10-12
Session F: ages 13-15
August 1–12: “The Tempest”
Session G: ages 7-9
Session H: ages 10-12
Session I: ages 13-15
*July 5–15 tuition is reduced to $725; no class on Monday, July 4.
THREE-WEEK SESSION
August 1–19: ages 13-18
Riotous Company: This three-week, advanced program is designed to provide an opportunity for young actors to take the next step in their training. Actors who are heading into 9th–12th grade who have participated in Riotous Youth for at least two sessions, or have equivalent experience in other Shakespeare & Company Education programs, are eligible to apply. Classes include ensemble building, voice, movement, clown, fight, and acting. At the end of the three weeks, students will perform scenes chosen specifically for them from a number of Shakespeare’s plays. Cost: $925
—A.K.
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Spencertown Academy awarded major grant by NYS Council on the Arts
SPENCERTOWN, N.Y. — Spencertown Academy Arts Center announces a grant award totaling $49,500 from the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) to support the recovery of the non-profit arts and culture sector. Following New York State’s $105 million investment in the arts for FY2022, NYSCA has awarded more than $80 million since June 2021.
The award comes as Spencertown Academy celebrates its 50th anniversary as an organization and the 175th year since the Academy was built as a school 1847.
The venue’s new projects include partnerships with related non-profit arts groups, such as Kids Need Music, which raises funds to purchase instruments for use by underprivileged students so that they can participate in their school music programs. As an outreach to professional writers, a five-day writers’ conference is being planned. Academics, agents, and published writers will lead sessions in both craft and career management. The Academy is now in the position to offer scholarships providing access for all, and is planning specific outreach to encourage young people and people from underrepresented communities to apply.
—A.K.
