February First Fridays Artswalk
Pittsfield — The Feb. 3 First Fridays Artswalk will encompass a dozen art shows featuring more than 20 accomplished regional artists in Pittsfield’s Upstreet Cultural District. The Artswalk will kick off with opening receptions and artists present throughout, plus a free guided walking tour beginning at 5 p.m. at the BRTA Intermodal Center.
The Lichtenstein Center for the Arts will host “10 Spot: Photography,” a collaborative exhibition with Sohn Fine Art Gallery in Lenox, that features 10 artists–Bob Avakian, Zachary Burns, Ken Dreyfack, Susan Evans Grove, Roberto Falck, Ralph Mercer, Rebecca Moseman, Astrid Reischwitz, Carl Rubino and Denise Tarantino – displaying 10 photographs as part of Cultural Pittsfield’s 10×10 Upstreet Arts Festival.
The BOOM Room, 137 North St., will present a collaborative, community-minded evening of music and art featuring a variety of BOOM musicians including Tom Conklin, Liv Cummins, Alan Monasch, John Bigelow, Sandy McKnight and others, and has instituted a new art wall which will feature work from BOOM member Rosemary Starace’s ongoing series “The History of the Dining Room Table.”
Shire City Sanctuary will show “Viva La Resistance!,” an exhibit of handmade posters, banners and placards from the region’s women’s marches in its BINGO! Gallery for the month of February. In addition, there will be a $20 vegan community dinner from 6 to 8 pm. Reservations for the dinner are required.
New shows from local artists will also be displayed at the Funky Phoenix, RJ Stohr Diamonds & Fine Jewelry, Hotel on North, the Marketplace Café, Berkshire Paint and Sip, Berkshire Medical Center, and the Kinderhook Group Real Estate.
For more information, call Downtown Pittsfield Inc. at (413) 443-6501.
–E.E.
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Sue Morse to discuss animal behavior
Pittsfield — The Berkshire Environmental Action Team, the Trustees of the Reservations, Berkshire Natural Resources Council, Columbia Land Conservancy, Great Barrington Land Conservancy, Green Berkshires, Tamarack Hollow Nature and Cultural Center, Sheffield Land Trust and Berkshire Community College will present naturalist Sue Morse in her critically acclaimed presentations “Wild Cousins of Our Best Friends: Wolves, Coyotes and Foxes” at BCC’s Boland Theatre on Friday, Feb. 3, at 6 p.m. and “The Cougar Comes East” at Mt. Everett Regional High School in Sheffield on Saturday, Feb. 4, at 6 pm.
“Wild Cousins” will feature Morse sharing her photos and personal adventures studying animals in habitats as varied as northern Minnesota, Montana, Arizona, the Arctic and the northeast U.S. and Canada. “The Cougar Comes East” is an illustrated introduction to cougar biology and ecology in the broad diversity of habitats where Morse has studied them, from Alberta to the Arizona/Mexico border.
Morse, the founder of Keeping Track, is regarded as an expert in natural history and one of the top wildlife trackers in North America. Since 1977, she has been monitoring wildlife with an emphasis on documenting the presence and habitat requirements of bobcat, black bear, Canada lynx and cougar.
For more information, please contact Elia Del Molino at (413) 429-6416 or elia@thebeatnews.org.
–E.E.
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Mason Library to screen ‘Frame by Frame’ documentary
Great Barrington — On Saturday, Feb. 4, at 7:45 p.m., the Mason Library will screen the 2015 documentary film “Frame by Frame.”
The second of four winter films planned by Friends of the Great Barrington Libraries that focuses on the work of women directors, “Frame by Frame” profiles four photojournalists in Afghanistan and looks from the emergence of a free press in 2001 to the country’s current dangerous media landscape.
The doors will open at 7 p.m. with a free wine and cheese social. A community discussion will follow the 85-minute film and last until 10 p.m. The film and social are free and all ages are welcome. For more information, call the Mason Library at (413) 528-2403.
–E.E.
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WAM Theatre calls for submissions for its Fresh Takes play reading series
Lenox — WAM Theatre has put out a call for actor and stage manager submissions for Fresh Takes, a series of three play readings that will take place on select Sundays between March and June. Curated by WAM Theatre’s artistic associate Molly Clancy, Fresh Takes will give a stage to groundbreaking works that tell women’s stories.
Featuring local established and emerging actors and directors, the series will explore the work of provocative contemporary voices. The series includes a post-reading discussion and will encourage feedback on which plays audience members would like to see WAM Theatre produce. The readings will be held in the gallery at No. Six Depot Roastery and Café in West Stockbridge.
WAM invites interested theatre artists and stage managers to submit resumes and headshots to Hope Rose Kelly, general manager, at hope@wamtheatre.com by Tuesday, Feb. 7, with “Submission: Fresh Takes” in the subject line. Those submitting should include the reading dates for which they are available in the body of their email. Artists must be available for both the rehearsal and performance dates.
Participation in the reading series is voluntary, and actors must have experience with and be comfortable at cold readings. Equity actors and stage managers are invited to perform via Equity waiver. Each reading will rehearse on the Saturday prior to the performance.
WAM is committed to equity in all areas. There is a wide range of roles available. All submitted resumes will be kept on file for future projects.
–E.E.
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Teddy Roosevelt, Mind, Body and Spirit’
Lenox — Actor, author and educator Ted Zalewski will bring to life one of America’s most popular presidents when he appears in the one-man performance “Teddy Roosevelt, Mind, Body and Spirit” at Ventfort Hall Mansion and Gilded Age Museum on Saturday, Feb. 4, at 3:30 p.m. The performance will be followed by a Victorian tea.
Combining history, drama and fun, Zalewski will give voice to the man who spoke softly and carried a big stick using his own words, writings and beliefs. Cowboy, soldier, naturalist, historian, father, statesman and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, Roosevelt lived a full life. Zalewski has performed in 25 states including such venues as the White House, the Smithsonian Institution, the Kennedy Center, the Mount Rushmore National Memorial and several presidential libraries.
Tickets are $30 and reservations are recommended as seating is limited. For more information or reservations, contact Ventfort Hall at (413) 637-3206 or info@gildedage.org.
–E.E.
