Celebrating its 50th year, The Ghent Playhouse presents Ken Ludwig’s award-winning comedy-farce ‘Lend Me a Tenor’
Ghent, N.Y.— For two consecutive weekends, from February 7th though the 16th, celebrating its 50th year, The Ghent Playhouse presents Ken Ludwig’s award-winning comedy-farce “Lend Me a Tenor.”

Director Ed Dignum called this hilarious salute to 1930’s comedies “one of the great modern American farces, recalling the physical comedy classics of Chaplin, Keaton, Lucille Ball and so many others.” Artistic Director Cathy Lee-Visscher added, “This madcap comedy of mistaken identities, slamming doors and screwball antics is guaranteed to leave audiences rolling in the aisles with laughter. It’s a hysterical evening of goofy slapstick, exaggerated accents, romantic entanglements, and fun wordplay.”
Cast members include Patrick Heffernan, Brian Edward, Lara Denmark, Mark Wilson, Wanda Libardi, Meg Dooley, Amanda Boyd, and Brian Yorck. Performances run for two weekends from February 7th though the 16th at The Ghent Playhouse, located at 6 Town Hall Place in Ghent, N.Y. Tickets and more information can be found online.
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Clark Art Institute presents a talk by Darius Bost exploring the work of Black, gay photographer Alvin Baltrop
Williamstown— On Tuesday, February 4th at 5:30 p.m., the Clark Art Institute’s Research and Academic Program presents a talk by Darius Bost (University of Illinois Chicago, Clark, Oakley Fellow) exploring the work of Black, gay photographer Alvin Baltrop.
Since the 2019 solo exhibition “The Life and Times of Alvin Baltrop” at the Bronx Museum, Baltrop, known for his photographs of the gay sexual subcultures and abandoned warehouses at New York’s West Side piers, has received increased scholarly and popular attention.

Though Baltrop’s race, class, gender, and sexuality shaped his artistry, few scholars have analyzed how these identity markers shaped his life and times. Baltrop has been primarily discussed as a gay artist who focused on gay subcultures. Bost discusses how Baltrop’s identification as a Black, gay voyeur shaped his artistic practice and life experiences in the 1970s. Since Baltrop viewed his photography as historical documentation of a fleeting gay subculture, the talk also considers how his voyeuristic approach to photography might intervene in the practice of queer history.
The free talk is on Tuesday, February 4th at 5:30 p.m. at the Clark Art Institute, located at 225 South Street in Williamstown. There is a pre-talk reception at 5 p.m. More information can be found online.
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Pittsfield poet Lisken Van Pelt Dus to launch new book at Lichtenstein Center for the Arts
Pittsfield— On Saturday, February 1st at 4:30 p.m., Pittsfield poet Lisken Van Pelt Dus will be in conversation with P.D. Pin and reading from her new book, “How Many Hands to Home” at the Lichtenstein Center for the Arts.

“How Many Hands to Home” has just been released by Mayapple Press. Its poems confront both the beautiful and the destructive, probing for answers to the puzzle of our competing impulses as we try to hold onto awe in the face of violence and separation. Reviewers have praised the collection’s courage, originality, and wisdom.
Van Pelt Dus is known to many in the area as a teacher of languages, writing, and martial arts. She is an adjunct professor at Berkshire Community College and co-owner of Elm Street Martial Arts. She has published widely in journals and anthologies. “How Many Hands to Home” is her fourth poetry collection.
P.D. Pin holds an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts and until recently was the Programs Director at The Mount, author Edith Wharton’s home. In partnership with the Straw Dog Writers Guild, where she now serves as the Executive Consulting Director, Pin helped establish the Emerging Writers Residency at The Mount, now in its fourth year.
The launch party is on Saturday, February 1st at 4:30 p.m. at the Lichtenstein Center for the Arts, located at 28 Renne Avenue in Pittsfield. It is free and open to the public. Light celebratory refreshments will be served, and books will be available for purchase and signing. More information can be found online.
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Lenox Library to host pelvic floor foundations workshop
Lenox— On Sunday, February 2nd from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., the Lenox Library will host a special health program entitled “Pelvic Floor Foundations” with Molly Rivest, a Nurse Practitioner passionate about women’s health and pelvic floor awareness.
In this engaging workshop, attendees will explore the essentials of pelvic floor anatomy and function, uncover the root causes of common challenges like incontinence, pain with intimacy, and pelvic discomfort, while discussing practical strategies for improvement. This safe and stigma-free session offers time to address individual concerns and explore potential interventions. Open to anyone curious about the female pelvis, this workshop promises to leave participants informed, empowered, and equipped with actionable next steps for better pelvic health.

Molly Rivest, DNP, FNP is a doctorally prepared Family Nurse Practitioner with extensive expertise in women’s health. She is the founder of BodyWise Health Collaborative, a private practice located in Pittsfield, where she provides compassionate, evidence-based care for women of all ages. Her practice is grounded in a patient-centered philosophy that respects and elevates each individual’s innate understanding of their own body. Rivest specializes in addressing sensitive and frequently overlooked areas of care, including sexual health, contraceptive management, perimenopausal care, and pelvic floor dysfunction. She fosters a supportive and stigma-free environment, ensuring that patients feel safe discussing even the most complex or taboo health concerns.
The workshop is on Sunday, February 2nd from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at the Lenox Library, located at 18 Main Street in Lenox. More information can be found online. Childcare will be available. Please call 413-637-0197 or email info@lenoxlib.org to register for childcare.
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Bard College at Simon’s Rock presents ‘American Revolutions: The Nation’s Unfinished Promise,’ a lecture series with Associate Professor of History Justin F. Jackson
Great Barrington— On Mondays at 6 p.m. through May 5th, Bard College at Simon’s Rock presents “American Revolutions: The Nation’s Unfinished Promise,” a lecture series with Associate Professor of History Justin F. Jackson.

In conjunction with the spirit of Massachusetts and Berkshire 250, Jackson has opened this lecture series to students of all ages, including members of the public and wider Berkshire County community.
The next lecture, “The Sheffield Resolves, or How Americans’ Declarations Made the Revolution Seem Like a Polite and Orderly Philosophical Discussion,” is on Monday, February 3rd at 6 p.m., followed by “The Great Barrington Court Closures, or, How the Revolution Was Definitely Not a Tea Party” on February 10th and “The Progress of Agrippa Hull, or, How African American Patriots Made ‘Glory’ Possible after the Revolution” on February 24th. The lectures continue through May 5th.
All interactive and multimedia lectures will be held on Mondays at 6pm at the Lecture Center at Bard College at Simon’s Rock, located at 84 Alford Road in Great Barrington. There will be opportunities for questions, answers, and discussion. For more information, email Justin Jackson at jjackson@simons-rock.edu.
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OLLI presents ‘Ukraine-Russia War in the Era of Trump 2.0’ with James Brooke
Pittsfield— On Tuesday, February 4th at 7 p.m., OLLI presents “Ukraine-Russia War in the Era of Trump 2.0,” an informative update and lively virtual discussion on the Russia-Ukraine war with former New York Times foreign correspondent and former Ukraine reporter James Brooke.

Veteran foreign correspondent James Brooke is back to give OLLI another in-depth analysis of the war in Ukraine. Brooke draws on 14 years living and working in Kyiv and Moscow as a foreign correspondent for the New York Times, the Voice of America, Bloomberg, and several business news outlets. In earlier talks, Brooke went beyond the headlines to explain Russian intentions and flawed assumptions, Ukrainian capacity to resist, and the impact of the war around the world.
The virtual discussion is on Tuesday, February 4th at 7 p.m. on Zoom. It is free and open to all. Registration and more information can be found online. This event will be recorded and posted on YouTube.