WAM Theatre’s Girls Ensemble presents “Miss Labeled”
Lee — The inaugural cohort of WAM Theatre’s Girls Ensemble program will present a public performance of its original theatre piece, “Miss Labeled,” on Wednesday, May 11, at 7:30 pm at the Spectrum Playhouse. “Miss Labeled” focuses on the labels young women feel they are given by society and their peers and explores issues such as bullying, domestic violence, and school dress codes. The performance runs about 40 minutes, is suitable for ages 10 and up, and is free and open to the public.
At this performance the roles will be played by five area actresses: Iris Courchaine, a Lee High School sophomore; Brittany Dorwin, a recent graduate of McCann Technical School in North Adams; Siena Gamberoni, an eighth-grader at Richmond Consolidated School; Isabelle Lapierre, an eighth grader at St. Agnes School in Dalton; and Claudia Maurino, a ninth-grader at Monument Mountain Regional High School in Great Barrington.
The inaugural cohort –– which included Dorwin, Lapierre, and Maurino –– gave its first public sharing of “Miss Labled” on December 11, 2015 at Shakespeare & Company’s Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre, followed by a spring school tour to Lenox Memorial High School, Richmond Consolidated School, and Hoosac Valley High School in Cheshire this spring. An excerpt will also be performed at WAM’s Stars in the Orchards Benefit on Thursday, July 14, at Hilltop Orchards in Richmond.
For more information, contact WAM Theatre at (413) 274-8122 or info@wamtheatre.com.
–E.E.
* * *
‘Shakespeare in Song’ at Hotchkiss School
Lakeville, Conn. — The Hotchkiss School’s Hotchkiss Chorus will present its annual spring concert on Sunday, May 8, at 7 p.m. in the Hotchkiss Chapel. The chorus, led by faculty member Jack Brown, will offer an all-Shakespeare program to honor the 400th anniversary of the poet’s death; all of the selected pieces are settings of his words by 20th century American and English composers. The concert is free and open to the public. For more information, call (860) 435-4423.
–E.E.
* * *
‘Haunting the Kerouac House’ film screening and discussion
Stockbridge – On Tuesday, May 10, at 6:30 p.m., the Stockbridge Library, Museum & Archives will present Stone Court Writer-in-Residence Sion Dayson and French filmmaker Frederic Monpierre presenting their documentary short “Haunting the Kerouac House,” in which a writer suffering from self-doubt gets the chance to live for three months in the house of an iconic author. After screening the 15-minute film, Dayson and Monpierre will discuss the process behind the project and the lessons they learned about each other’s respective art, and will invite questions and comments.
Sion Dayson is an American writer (and recently naturalized French citizen) who has been living in Paris, France for nearly a decade. Her work has appeared in numerous publications and several anthologies and her debut novel, “When Things Were Green,” will be published in April 2017. Dayson has won grants and residencies from the Barbara Deming Memorial Fund, the Kerouac House, and others, and she holds an MFA in Writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts.
Monpierre is a French filmmaker originally from the island of Guadeloupe. After completing his Masters in Cinematography and Audiovisual Studies at the University of Aix-Marseille, he moved to Paris where he has worked in the field ever since. Monpierre has created music videos and short films, including “Les Anges Malicieux” (Mischievous Angels), which was selected as a finalist in the Babelgum Online Film Festival judged by Spike Lee. He has worked for TV channels such as TV5 Monde, France 24, and Usuaiha TV, and is currently seeking a producer for his first full-length feature film.
For more information, contact the Library at (413) 298-5501 or info@stockbridgelibrary.org.
–E.E.
* * *
‘A Matter of Balance’
Great Barrington – Fairview Hospital will present “A Matter of Balance,” a series of eight classes that will increase strength and balance to reduce the fear of falling, on Tuesdays and Thursdays beginning Tuesday, May 10, through Thursday, June 2, from 1 p.m. – 3 p.m. at the Southern Berkshire Volunteer Ambulance Squad.
The classes will be led by Heidi Comalli of Fairview and Melissa Lanoue of the Tri-Town Health Department. Pre-registration is required due to limited class size. For more information or to register, call (413) 854-9929.
–E.E.
* * *
Prescription Drug Take-Back Day recap
Pittsfield — On Saturday, April 30, 1,096 pounds of unused, unwanted, and expired prescription, over-the-counter, and controlled medications were collected at designated drop off points throughout Berkshire County. The countywide prescription drug roundup was a collaborative effort among Berkshire United Way, Pittsfield Prevention Partnership, Berkshire Health Systems, Northern Berkshire Community Coalition, Community Health Programs, Railroad Street Youth Project, Berkshire Opioid Prevention Collaborative, Berkshire District Attorney David F. Capeless, and local police departments.
According to Nataly Garzon, coordinator of positive youth development for Berkshire United Way, county youth are obtaining prescription drugs from medicine cabinets in homes so it is essential to dispose of medications that are no longer needed. Based on Prevention Needs Assessment Survey data, 434 Berkshire teens abused left over prescription drugs for recreational purposes in 2015.
Said Northern Berkshire Community Coalition volunteer Lois Daunis, “We want to remind the community that many of our police stations in Berkshire County have 24/7 drop boxes where medications can be dropped off any time.” Pittsfield, Adams, Dalton, Egremont, Great Barrington, Lee, Lenox, North Adams, Sheffield, and Adams are among the towns with participating stations.
For more information, contact Nataly Garzon at (413) 442-6948 x15.
–E.E.
