The Mahaiwe to present a live performance by beloved Broadway star and two-time Tony winning actress Sutton Foster
Great Barrington— On August 19th at 8 p.m., the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center will present a live performance by beloved Broadway star and two-time Tony winning actress Sutton Foster.
Sutton Foster is a Tony Award winning American actress, singer, and dancer who was most recently seen on the Broadway stage starring in an acclaimed turn as Marian Paroo in the Broadway revival of “The Music Man”, opposite Hugh Jackman at The Winter Garden Theatre. Her performance earned Sutton her seventh Tony award nomination as well as the coveted 2022 Drama League Distinguished Performance Award.
In the summer of 2021, Sutton reprised one of her most notable roles as Reno Sweeney in “Anything Goes” at the Barbican Theatre in London in which she earned an Oliver Award nomination for Best Actress in a Musical. Her original performance in the Roundabout Theatre Company’s revival at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre earned her a 2011 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical.
On television, Sutton led the critically acclaimed TV Land series, “Younger.” By “Sex in the City” creator, Darren Star and styled by the iconic Pat Field, the seventh and final season of the series premiered in April 2021, making it the longest running original series in TV Land history.
The live performance is on August 19th at 8 p.m. at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center on Castle Street in Great Barrington. Tickets are $59 to $129, with discounts for Mahaiwe Members and individuals ages 30 and under. Tickets go on sale to Mahaiwe members this Friday, May 26th at noon and to the public on Wednesday, May 31st at noon. Tickets can be purchased online at mahaiwe.org, or by calling or visiting the Box Office, 413-528-0100, on Wednesday through Saturday from noon to 4 p.m.
For more information on Mahaiwe Membership, visit mahaiwe.org/membership, or contact Director of Advancement Diane Wortis at 413-644-9040, ext. 123 or diane@mahaiwe.org.
Individuals ages 30 and under are eligible for $15 tickets directly through the Box Office. For more information, see mahaiwe.org.
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TurnPark Art Space Annual Summer Festival
West Stockbridge— On Saturday, June 10th from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m., TurnPark Art Space presents its Annual Summer Festival, a day-long celebration of art and nature.
This year’s event, titled “Open Heart”, will feature a variety of performing and visual arts across the grounds, as well as food by HAND CRAFTED with deserts by TurnPark. The Festival also represents a continuation of TurnPark’s extensive relief efforts for Ukraine, with opportunities to provide support through direct donations and the purchase of unique merchandise.
For this year’s Festival, TurnPark is collaborating with artists from the United States as well as from Ukraine, Georgia, Estonia, Russia, Israel, and others, including Olga Rabetskaya, Natasha Mirny, Dima Klim, Sasha Drey, Luna Go, Maidibor, Carolina Muñoz Awad, Slava Yasser, Aliya Kamenshikov, Alisa Rodny, and others. Throughout the day, there will be music, dance, and performance art, as well as immersive installations, wearable sculptures (by Muñoz Awad), bright costumes, collective art projects, workshops, and bonfires. Lidia Mikhaylova, Inna Zhukovsky-Zilber, and more will lead a community art project. Volga Bo, Natalie Knurenko, and Gabriel Turetsky will lead a Prayer for Peace station, offering meditation and a grief release ritual.
“‘Open Heart’ is a term to describe a willingness to engage with people through a genuine and authentic connection that comes from love and compassion,” say TurnPark’s co-founders Igor Gomberg and Ekaterina Brezgunova. “If there is anything we can do to oppose this war – and all evil – it is to support those suffering, to resist indifference, create art, and to be together. “We hope,” add Gomberg and Brezgunova, “everyone will be able to find something healing and encouraging at our Summer Festival.”
Some of the unique programming scheduled during the Summer Festival includes:
“4 scenes, a duet”, the story of partnership, of two “whales” swimming nearby each other. Together they feel as good as they do apart. They need each other, but there is no fear of being alone.
“Sand”, a story of difference. We have distinct views, opinions and idols. “Sand” is a work-in-progress which explores how individuals from different cultures and worlds get along and find peace with each other and harmony within themselves. How beliefs can be unsteady like sand.
“Grief and Release station – North meadow” continues what soulDance started in 2022 and deepens the experience so there is time to hold the grief, and release and transform these emotions. They will be making prayer ties with organic earth materials and the PEACE altar; and finally they will elevate a collective prayer for peace and unity via a journey guided dance.
The festival is on Saturday, June 10th from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the TurnPark Art Space on Moscow Road in West Stockbridge. Tickets are $35 through May 31st, $40 through June 9th, $45 on the day, and $25 for TurnPark members. Tickets and more information can be found by visiting TurnPark online.
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Nutshell Playhouse presents “SpyJinks LIVE!” at the Berkshire Athenaeum
Pittsfield— On Saturday, May 27th at 2 p.m., Nutshell Playhouse presents “SpyJinks LIVE!” at the Berkshire Athenaeum.
In “SpyJinks LIVE!”, three intrepid spies and a parrot named Taco are on their very first mission. They must rescue the beautiful and brilliant Jolandalinda who has been kidnapped and hidden on the Island of Very Bad Luck. Follow their adventures as they sink up to their belly buttons in quicksand, get unexpected help from a local llama, defy gravity, and a lot more silliness. Will they succeed? There’s only one way to find out, come to the show!
Performed by Berkshire County actors Stefanie Weber, Johnny Segalla, and Mark Hohlstein with live music by director/composer Don Jordan, “SpyJinks LIVE!” is appropriate for children and adults of all ages, although kids ages 3-10 will particularly enjoy the show.
Nutshell Playhouse is a troupe of distinctive artists dedicated to bringing the magic of innovative and exciting live performance to family audiences. Nutshell Playhouse creates music for children of all ages and abilities that appeals to parents and accompanying adults, providing a delightful and memorable experience the whole family can share.
The interactive performance is on Saturday, May 27th at 2 p.m. at the Berkshire Athenaeum on Wendell Avenue on Pittsfield. The performance is FREE for all families, and to celebrate the new season, the Nutshell Playhouse is giving away a FREE toy to the first 50 attendees! The show runs 55 minutes with no intermission. For more information, visit Nutshell Playhouse online. For videos and music, visit Nutshell Playhouse on YouTube.
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First Fridays Artswalk returns for Pride on June 2nd with Art Market, live music with Sample the Cat, performances by Opal Raven, and a free Kids’ Paint & Sip
Pittsfield— The First Fridays Artswalk in downtown Pittsfield returns on Friday, June 2nd from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. to celebrate Pride. The June 2nd Art Market will feature artists and artisans, plus D’S Island Food Truck, serving authentic Caribbean flavors.
Make Me Happy Radio will be at Dunham Mall at 100 North Street for a joyful live DJ mix of good vibe music celebrating PRIDE in the Berkshires and beyond.
Sample the Cat will perform at the park located at 175 North Street. Sample the Cat is a rising soulful rock band from Berkshire County, MA. Their original music captures audiences with a fusion of familiar sounds from blues, funk, and soul while producing a fresh rock vibe that grooves. Their sound could be described as if Alicia Keys sang for Foo Fighters.
Opal Raven will perform at Sotille Park, 200 North Street. Opal is an award-winning performer with over a decade of experience based out of Western Massachusetts. She’s known across New England and the Tri-State area for her “Danger Dame of the Flame” variety show. Also known as the Sword Queen of Gypsy Layne, Opal showcases masterful sword spinning, daring prop tricks, and some say she can even speak to snakes. Opal Raven’s one-woman circus is a unique performance that is sure to keep the audience on the edge of their seats.
Downtown Pittsfield, Inc. and St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church will host a Free Kids’ Paint & Sip until 7 p.m. at 67 East Street. This free Spring and Rainbow-themed Paint & Sip is best suited for ages 5 to 12, although younger and older children are welcome. All materials, instruction, snacks, and juice will be provided. Children are welcome to drop in anytime over the course of the event, and all children must be accompanied by an adult.
NUarts gallery + studios, 311 North Street, hosts teens and young adults from Arts in Recovery for Youth (AIRY) will be offering interactive artmaking for Pride month and sharing their Pride art in Studio 13. Activities may include painting, collage, and clay.
Soma’s Aromas, 81 East Street, hosts a reception with in-house maker, Caitlyn Tucker. Caitlyn is an artist, Reiki master healer and teacher, and owner of Queen Flower Therapy. Caitlyn makes Reiki-infused organic beeswax candles and hair accessories, as well as pressed flower and butterfly framed art.
Hotel on North, 297 North Street, features an opening reception with the artist for “SILVER LIGHT: Contemporary Paintings by Joanie Ciolfi. This collection of work showcases Joanie’s paintings that capture moments of stunning color and light.
The Unitarian Universalist Church of Pittsfield, 175 Wendell Avenue, will present a reception for photographer’s Autumn Phoenix’s show entitled “The Berkshire Sessions”.
The Clock Tower Artists, 75 South Church Street, hosts an open studios event in their beautiful and ever-expanding space.
The Artswalk is on Friday, June 2nd from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Downton Pittsfield. Download the Downtown Pittsfield app in the App Store or on Google Play to follow a virtual walking tour of art on your cell phone. For more information on First Fridays Artswalk, visit downtownpittsfield.com.
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Berkshire Botanical Garden presents ‘Water is a Verb’ eco-art wellness workshop
West Stockbridge— On June 10th from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., the Berkshire Botanical Garden presents ‘Water is a Verb’, an eco-art wellness workshop.
Beth Adoette invites you to allow the gentle, yet powerful voices of nature, art and your own intuition help you understand yourself and your place in the world. Sign up for this eco-art wellness workshop and prepare to contemplate water, calmness, energy, depth, patience, focus, joy, strength, and other gifts. Contemplate the water element to discover which most closely relates to their own lives at this moment. We’ll look at water both on the earth and within.
Participants create individual nature circles to dive deeper into understanding and celebrating how we live our best lives like water. This mandala workshop includes an introduction, short introspective writing, the creation of individual nature mandalas, and meaningful discussion. Mandalas are ephemeral and will not be taken home. Photographs are encouraged.
Beth Adoette grew up in the Appalachian Mountains with beech trees, hemlock, mountain streams, and chickadees in her hand. Once an editorial illustrator, she now concentrates on writing, illustrating and photographing what she calls the “Contemplative Sacred Circles” she co-creates with nature. She also designs and facilitates a variety of eco-art wellness workshops. Beth holds a bachelor’s degree in fine arts and has received certification in eco-art therapy through Portland State University, in Oregon, and Project Nature Connect.
The workshop is on June 10th from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Berkshire Botanical Garden on West Stockbridge Road in Stockbridge. Tickets are $35 for members and $45 for nonmembers. Tickets and more information can be found by visiting the Berkshire Botanical Garden online.
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MCLA Arts & Culture and MASS MoCA to present new play reading ‘The Celestials’
North Adams— On June 8th at 7 p.m., MCLA Arts & Culture and MASS MoCA present the debut of Peter Glazer’s play, “The Celestials” adapted from Williamstown author Karen Shepard’s mesmerizing novel which shines a light on the history of North Adams and Chinese laborers.
“The Celestials” is set in North Adams in the 1870s when 75 young Chinese men and boys were brought from San Francisco to break a strike in a local shoe factory. It explores how the lives of residents and immigrants alike were affected by the experience. Calvin T. Sampson’s shoe factory, once located across the street from MASS MoCA, and the beauty of the surrounding Berkshires provide the setting for this unusual love story, both historical saga and social commentary.
The play is on June 8th at 7 p.m. at MASS MoCA’s Club B10 on MASS MoCA Way in North Adams. Admission is $10 and children 5 and under are free. Tickets and more information can be found by visiting MASS MoCA online. MASS MoCA’s campus offers many pre-show dining options including BIGGDADDY’s Philly Steak House, Bright Ideas Brewing, Casita or Lickety Split Cafe, and a full bar serves Bright Ideas Brewing beers and Berkshire Mountain Distillery spirits.
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‘Unfolding Olana: A Day of Dance’
Hudson— On June 17th, the Olana Partnership presents “Unfolding Olana: A Day of Dance” at the Olana State Historic Site.
Join the Olana Partnership and Site-Specific Dances at Olana State Historic Site for a day of dance, distributed throughout Olana’s 250 acres of artist-designed landscape. Pack a picnic and spend the day exploring pop-up performances across the site or enjoy a summer evening at the sunset finale performance.
Site-Specific Dances, led by choreographer Michael Spencer Phillips and architect Dino Kiratzidis, will stage a series of dance pieces throughout Olana’s landscape. These performances are a result of conversations with art historians and developed specifically for Church’s designed landscape, highlighting the artist’s compositions, the site’s contemporary ecology, and the legacy of Olana and its protected viewshed.
Prior to June 17th, a series of community dance workshops will be offered. Participants of the workshops will be invited to join in the final performance, staged at sunset on June 17th at 8:15 p.m. Everyone can dance and everyone is invited. This is a community-based dance and movement class for participants of all ages and abilities. The free workshops are scheduled for Saturday, June 10th at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m with artistic director of Site-Specific Dances, choreographer Michael Spencer Phillips, at the Wagon House Education Center.
Each one-hour workshop will bring community members together for an introduction to modern dance and the opportunity to learn choreography for performances at Olana State Historic Site on June 17th. The culminating on-site performance, “Unfolding Olana”, will take place at Olana on June 17th from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. with a community sunset performance at 8:15 p.m.
The Olana State Historic Site is on State Route 9G in Hudson. To learn more, visit the Olana Partnership online. To learn more about Site-Specific Dances, visit www.sitespecificdances.com.
