Hancock Shaker Village kicks off season with Baby Animals, looks toward Turrell exhibit, new trail
PITTSFIELD — Hancock Shaker Village will kick off its 2021 season on April 17 with Baby Animals on the Shaker Farm, now in its 17th year. Additional season highlights include an exhibition by James Turrell to open May 30, and the debut of the South Family trail and archaeological site. All programs and audience sizes will be contingent on capacity regulations recommended by the Massachusetts Governor’s Office and the Centers for Disease Control.
Baby Animals (April 17–May 9) will allow visitors to meet the newborn calves, piglets, chicks, lambs, and kids in and around the Round Stone Barn, and tour the historic 20-building village. The animals raised at the Village feature modern as well as heritage breeds popular in the 1700s and 1800s.
On May 30, the Village will open the exhibition “James Turrell & Nicholas Mosse: Lapsed Quaker Ware,” which will feature a body of ceramic work that manifests a new perspective on light through its absence. A simultaneous presentation of the collection will open at MASS MoCA the same weekend. This series of black basalt tableware was designed and made in a collaboration between Turrell and Irish potter Mosse of Kilkenny, Ireland. The collection absorbs light; pitch black and unyieldingly dark, it exerts a visual gravitational pull, drawing in the viewer.
Other highlights of the season include Chester@Hancock, which features three works by the Chester Theatre Company over the summer on the grounds of the Village, and Back Porch concerts, beginning with singer-songwriter Sean Rowe on Saturday, June 12. A new Shaker trail also will make its debut in the woods south of the Village. The path will lead to additional archaeological remains of several Shaker buildings including a large barn foundation. Interpretive signage will tell the history of the archeological site where “new believers” lived when they became Shakers. Signage will also mention the indigenous people who lived on this land before the Shakers. Visitors will be able to walk continuously from this southern trail to the northern trail summit (the “Shaker Trail” made by the Boy Scouts in the 1960s, now part of Pittsfield State Forest).
Baby Animals (April 17-May 9) is open to the public six days a week, Tuesday–Sunday from 11 a.m.–4 p.m. Private tours are available 10–11 a.m. daily, by reservation only, for up to eight people. The Village will be open seven days a week beginning May 10. “James Turrell & Nicholas Mosse: Lapsed Quaker Ware” will be on view May 30, 2021–October 30, 2022. For more information, visit the website or call 413-443-0188, Ext. 155.
—A.K.
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SBRSD Sustainability Coalition presents next event in speaker series
SHEFFIELD — The student-led Sustainability Coalition of the Southern Berkshire Regional School District will present the second event in its free virtual speaker series featuring influential leaders, in various sustainability fields, whose work serves to inspire action and raise awareness around building a better future for this generation and those to come. On Friday, March 26 at 5:30 p.m., Woven Roots Farm co-founder Jen Salinetti will discuss The Ecosystem of Soil in Connection to Self.
Topics for the series, Our Relationship to Land and Water: Conversations with Local and National Sustainability Leaders, will include innovative solutions to the harmful effects of declining water quality, the importance of community food systems, and the interconnectivity of soil.
The series, which is free and open to the public, was made possible with support from the Berkshire Environmental Endowment Fund of Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation. Between now and July, experts will offer actionable methods for audience members to effect change in their households and communities.
Upcoming presenters include Holly Fowler, co-founder and managing director of Northbound Ventures; Jamie Samowitz, co-founder and co-director of Roots Rising; Rob Koenen, chief marketing officer at Boxed Water Is Better®; and Natalie Narotzky, associate program director at Urban Sustainability Directors Network.
Presentations will take place, via Zoom, on Friday evenings from 5:30–7 p.m. Each presentation will be 30–45 minutes long with a live 20- to 30-minute Q&A session following. Although the talks are free, registration is required. To register, visit the Sustainability Coalition website.
—A.K.
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Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation announces Spring grant deadlines
SHEFFIELD — Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation recently announced its spring deadlines for competitive grants in Berkshire County.
For Nonprofits
The Wassermann-Streit Y’DIYAH Memorial Fund supports projects that offer the public an opportunity to gain knowledge of Judaism in a meaningful and enjoyable way. Individuals, schools, libraries, and other nonprofit organizations may apply by April 1.
The Fund for Williamstown will provide unrestricted general operating support to help established nonprofits continue to achieve their mission and impact, and allow for planning and recovery. The application deadline has been extended to April 15.
For Students & Individuals
The Alice and Richard Henriquez Memorial Fund and Youth World Awareness Program provides grants to students ages 14–22 for travel and service. Applications are due April 15.
The Moonlight Mile Scholarship Fund supports women who are seeking matching funds to support travel or equipment needs for study or athletic competition, professional training, or support for alternative healing. Applicants should be at least 18 years old and live in Massachusetts or New York. Applications are due April 16.
The Simple Gifts Fund awards grants to young people ages 13–19 for participation in cultural or creative summer programs. Applications are due April 16.
Awards
The Fund for Williamstown’s DeMayo Bright Futures Innovation Award recognizes nonprofit organizations, businesses, or individuals who are passionate about solving community challenges with innovative practices in Williamstown, Massachusetts. The award recipient will receive $1,000 to be used for a charitable purpose. Nominations are due May 1.
The William J. & Margery S. Barrett Public Service Award for Adams, Cheshire & Savoy celebrates individuals who make a significant contribution to the well-being of these towns through paid or volunteer work. The selected nominee will designate a nonprofit organization to receive a cash award of $1,000 in his or her name. Nominations are due May 1.
—A.K.
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Dorset Theatre Festival announces plans for 2021 season
DORSET, Vt. — Dorset Theatre Festival, under the leadership of Artistic Director Dina Janis, recently announced its plans for summer 2021, including the inaugural StageFree Audio Play Series, featuring new commissions by playwrights Theresa Rebeck and Chisa Hutchinson, and live outdoor performances at the Southern Vermont Arts Center in Manchester, Vermont throughout July and August.
“Our season will look very different from what you’ve seen in the past, but we hope folks will join us on this journey as we navigate this exciting new adventure. In dark a time for live theatre, we are grateful to have an opportunity to evolve and continue honoring our mission with a hybrid season of world premiere audio plays, and socially distant live performances at our 2021 pop-up stage at the Southern Vermont Arts Center,” said Janis.
StageFree Audio Plays
The Festival’s 2021 season is slated to begin in June, with the debut of StageFree Audio Plays, a new series written for a totally aural experience. “With the Festival’s regular stage dark, we are excited to begin playing on the aural stage, a theatrical space that is both intimate and allows for great creativity and freedom,” said Janis.
The Festival has commissioned award-winning writers Theresa Rebeck and Chisa Hutchinson to pen the first two-part plays in the series. As the Festival’s resident playwright and “the most Broadway-produced female playwright of our time,” Rebeck has developed more than 8 new plays with the Festival, many of which have moved to New York City and theaters across the country. Rebeck’s new spy thriller “355,” starring Jessica Chastain, Penelope Cruz, and Lupita Nyong’o, is expected to be released in January. Hutchinson is currently writing for a new Showtime series, and her audio play “Proof of Love,” was recently on Audible’s Top 5 list.
These plays will be available for free wherever listeners hear podcasts. “We want to bring theater to people everywhere and anywhere,” said Janis. “StageFree is designed as a way of breaking down barriers to engaging new audiences who can help us build a vibrant future for the Festival, and of lifting up the voices of two of the most inspired writers of our time.”
Outdoor season at Southern Vermont Arts Center
The Festival is designing an outdoor stage to be home to main stage productions, special events, and more, set under the stars throughout July and August at the Southern Vermont Arts Center (SVAC) in Manchester, Vermont.
The season will also include special performances and talks for audiences to enjoy along with the amenities of the SVAC campus, including art galleries, walking trails, the new curATE café, and performances by the Manchester Music Festival.
Although the annual series of live performances will move outdoors this year for safety reasons, Janis said the Festival will still be present at the Dorset Playhouse, the organization’s longtime home in Dorset, Vermont. “We are so looking forward to the day we are performing back on the Playhouse stage,” said Janis. “Until then, we plan to use the space as our creative hub for rehearsals and set-building — basically everything except live performances.”
“Safety will be the priority for our artists and staff, and for the audience,” continued Janis, who said the Festival is working with Actors’ Equity Association and other artist unions to develop a safety plan. Changes for audience members this year will include a touchless and paperless box office, a digital playbill, social distancing, and required face masks.
Show details will be announced at a later date, and tickets for the outdoor season are expected to be on sale in May.
—A.K.
