Bits & Bytes: ‘The Nutcracker’ at the Colonial; RSYP culinary arts dinner; Ellen Lagemann at Roe Jan Library; disaster relief breakfast fundraiser; holiday art show

Albany Berkshire Ballet to present ‘The Nutcracker’

Pittsfield — The Albany Berkshire Ballet will present its 43rd annual tour of “The Nutcracker” at the Colonial Theatre Saturday, Dec. 2, at 2:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 3, at 1:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.

Set to Tchaikovsky’s timeless music, the story of “The Nutcracker” follows the adventures of Clara and her Nutcracker Prince as they conquer the Mouse King and embark on a magical journey to the Land of Sweets. The production was choreographed by ABB artistic director Madeline Cantarella Culpo. Sets and scenery were created by theater and movie set designer Carl Sprague, and costumes were designed by Rita Watson and Victile Donahue. The production will feature local dance students in special children’s roles alongside the professional dancers of ABB.

Tickets are $23–$43.50. For tickets and more information, see the Berkshire Edge calendar or contact the Colonial ticket office at (413) 997-4444.

–E.E.

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Railroad Street Youth Project to hold annual culinary arts dinner

Monument Mountain Regional High School students Elijah Harris and Charlie Raczkowski, participants in Railroad Street Youth Projects culinary arts apprenticeship program. Photo courtesy Railroad Street Youth Project

Great Barrington — Railroad Street Youth Project has announced that Chris Bonniver, executive chef of the Hermitage Inn in West Dover, Vermont, will be the special guest chef at its annual culinary arts celebration dinner, to be held Monday, Dec. 4, at 5:30 p.m. at Crissey Farm.

The dinner is the culminating event for RSYP’s culinary arts apprenticeship program, which offers apprenticeships for young people under the guidance of local professional chefs in work environments including the Red Lion Inn in Stockbridge and John Andrews Farmhouse Restaurant in South Egremont. Launched in 2006, the program was created by community members Steve Picheny and Steve Root to match the interests of youth with hands-on vocational training. Youth who have completed the program have gone on to attend prestigious culinary schools such as the Culinary Institute of America and have launched successful careers in the food industry. Chefs participating in this year’s program include Main Street Hospitality Group’s Brian Alberg, the Red Lion Inn’s Adam Brassard, John Andrews’ Dan Smith, Mezze Catering’s Daire Rooney.

Tickets are $125 per person and all proceeds will support RSYP’s youth development programs and activities. For tickets and more information, see the Berkshire Edge calendar or contact RSYP (413) 528-2475 or info@rsyp.org.

–E.E.

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Ellen Lagemann to speak on college education in prisons

Ellen Condliffe Lagemann. Photo courtesy Roeliff Jansen Community Library

Hillsdale, N.Y. — Ellen Condliffe Lagemann will discuss her book “Liberating Minds: The Case for College in Prison” and her experience with the Bard Prison Initiative Saturday, Dec. 2, at 4 p.m. at Roeliff Jansen Community Library.

Lagemann is a professor at Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson. As the BPI Distinguished Fellow, she also teaches and advises in the six New York State prisons where BPI operates. A former dean of the Harvard Graduate School of Education and past president of the Spencer Foundation, Lagemann has written and spoken extensively for 30 years in the fields of education and philanthropy. She holds a Ph.D. in history and education from Columbia University and lives in Ghent.

The event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact the Roe Jan Library at (518) 325-4101 or roejancommunitylibrary@gmail.com.

–E.E.

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BCC to host disaster relief breakfast fundraiser

Pittsfield — Berkshire Community College’s recently created Disaster Relief Committee will host a pancake breakfast Sunday, Dec. 3, from 9 a.m. to noon in the main campus cafeteria to raise funds for educational institutions devastated by the recent natural disasters in Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Initially formed in response to Hurricane Harvey’s devastation of Houston, Texas, in August, the Disaster Relief Committee is made up of BCC faculty, staff and students. The committee’s goal is to raise at least $20,000 to be given to educational institutions impacted by the recent disasters.

The breakfast will include pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausage, biscuits, coffee and orange juice. The cost is $10 for adults, $5 for children under age 12, and free for children age 3 and under. For more information, contact Deborah Cote at dcote@berkshirecc.edu.

–E.E.

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‘Top of Dean Hill’ by Keith Emerling, 18 x 24, oil on linen. Image courtesy Richmond-West Stockbridge Artists’ Guild

Artists’ guild to hold holiday art show

West Stockbridge — The Richmond-West Stockbridge Artists’ Guild will hold a holiday art show and sale Friday, Dec. 1, from 3 to 7 p.m.; Saturday, Dec. 2, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Sunday, Dec. 3, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the 1854 Town Hall, 9 Main St. The guild has curated the exhibition to include smaller works and unframed pieces. Featured works will include oils and watercolors of nature, flowers and landscapes by Keith Emerling; whimsical ceramics by Amy Butterworth; oil paintings of landscapes and nature by Karen Carmean; oils and watercolors of New England landscapes by Bill Graulty; hand-built ceramic art forms by Marcie Kammel; watercolors and landscapes by Amy Pressman; wheel-thrown and hand-built functional ceramics by Margie Skaggs; and digital photography by Barb Shea Tracy. For more information, contact RWSAG at info@rwsag.org.

–E.E.