Wednesday, March 18, 2026

News and Ideas Worth Sharing

BITS & BYTES: ‘X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X’ at The Clark and The Mahaiwe; Yasser Tejeda at Race Brook Lodge; Paul Wegner at David M. Hunt Library; Misty Cook at The Clark; ‘Comedy and Cocktails’ at The Foundry; Berkshire Concert Choir fall concert; This weekend at the Crandell Theatre; MountainOne ‘Thankful 5K’; Housatonic Water Works customer reimbursements

Theater luminary and Tony-nominated director of Slave Play Robert O’Hara oversees a potent new staging that imagines Malcolm as an everyman whose story transcends time and space.

The Clark Art Institute and the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center present ‘X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X’, Live in HD from The Met

Great Barrington/Williamstown— On Saturday, November 18th at 1 p.m. (The Clark) on Sunday, November 19th at 1 p.m. (The Mahaiwe), The Clark Art Institute and the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center present “X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X”, Live in HD from The Met. 

Anthony Davis’ groundbreaking and influential opera, which premiered in 1986, arrives at the Met at long last. Theater luminary and Tony-nominated director of Slave Play Robert O’Hara oversees a potent new staging that imagines Malcolm as an everyman whose story transcends time and space. An exceptional cast of breakout artists and young Met stars enliven the operatic retelling of the civil rights leader’s life. Baritone Will Liverman, who triumphed in the Met premiere of Fire Shut Up in My Bones, is Malcolm, alongside soprano Leah Hawkins as his mother, Louise; mezzo-soprano Raehann Bryce-Davis as his sister Ella; bass-baritone Michael Sumuel as his brother Reginald; and tenor Victor Ryan Robertson as Nation of Islam leader Elijah Muhammad. Kazem Abdullah conducts the newly revised score, which provides a layered, jazz-inflected setting for the esteemed writer Thulani Davis’ libretto.

Anthony Davis’ ‘X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X’.

Live in HD is the Metropolitan Opera’s award-winning series of live high-definition cinema simulcasts. Simulcasts feature the full performance along with backstage interviews and commentary. 

The simulcasts are on Saturday, November 18th at 1 p.m. at The Clark on South Street in Williamstown and on Sunday, November 19th at 1 p.m. at The Mahaiwe on Castle Street in Great Barrington. Saturday’s tickets are $5 to $25. Sunday’s tickets are $10 – $25. This production contains strong language. Tickets and more information can be found online (The Clark, The Mahaiwe.) 

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Race Brook Lodge presents Yasser Tejeda

Sheffield— On Saturday, November 18th from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m., Race Brook Lodge presents Yasser Tejeda. 

Yasser Tejeda skillfully weaves together Afro-Dominican roots music, jazz, rock, and Caribbean rhythms in his unique fusion creations. 

Yasser Tejeda. Image courtesy of Race Brook Lodge.

Yasser Tejeda is an award-winning Dominican composer, guitarist, vocalist, and producer. According to Billboard, Yasser is giving traditional folkloric music a new spin with jazz, rock, and Caribbean rhythms in “a frenzied celebration of ancestral union.” At the same time, Juan Luis Guerra, the most influential Dominican artist in the world, praised his mission, calling it a “marvelous example of what’s happening with Dominican music.” Yasser hopes to incite an awakening while inspiring new generations to explore, promote and uplift their roots. Together with his dynamic four-piece band, Tejeda leads you into a world where lush soundscapes harmonize, seamlessly merging traditions from the Dominican Republic’s countryside with contemporary innovations. Prepare for a night of dance and enjoyment unlike any other.

The concert is on Saturday, November 18th from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. at Race Brook Lodge on Undermountain Road in Sheffield. Tickets are $25 to $40. Tickets and more information can be found online. 

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David M. Hunt Library presents ‘The History and Archeology of the Indigenous Lifeways of the Northwest Corner’, a talk with Paul Wegner, Assistant Director of the Institute for American Indian Studies

Falls Village— On Saturday, November 18th at 1 p.m., David M. Hunt Library presents “The History and Archeology of the Indigenous Lifeways of the Northwest Corner”, a talk with Paul Wegner, Assistant Director of the Institute for American Indian Studies.

Wegner will discuss the history and archeology of the Indigenous lifeways here in the Northwest Corner. Guests will have the opportunity to get hands on with Indigenous objects found in Connecticut that tell us a story of the state’s deep history. Wegner has a Masters Degree in Experimental Archeology from the University Exeter and has worked in the field of archaeology for the last 20 years. He has written and lectured on Indigenous history and archaeology throughout New England, and has taught at WSCU and CT State Community College.

Replicated village. Image courtesy of David M. Hunt Library.

The talk is on Saturday, November 18th at 1 p.m. at the David M. Hunt Library on Main Street in Falls Village. It is free and open to the public. More information can be found online. 

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Clark Art Institute presents talk with Stockbridge-Munsee author Misty Cook

Williamstown— On Sunday, November 19th at 2 p.m., the Clark Art Institute, in collaboration with the Stockbridge-Munsee Community, hosts a talk by Stockbridge-Munsee author Misty Cook.

Author Misty Cook. Image courtesy of The Clark.

In this talk, Misty Cook discusses tribal history and plant medicines, creating a rounded picture of what life was like in the Homeland prior to being forcibly removed. She also examines how Mohican peoples interact with the land around them to use these herbal medicines today.

The free talk is on Sunday, November 19th at 2 p.m. in the auditorium, located in the Manton Research Center at the Clark Art Institute on South Street in Williamstown. More information can be found online. 

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The Foundry presents ‘Comedy and Cocktails’ with Kevin Bartini and Brian Scolaro

West Stockbridge— On Saturday, November 18th at 8 p.m., Canna Provisions presents “Comedy and Cocktails” with Kevin Bartini and Brian Scolaro at The Foundry.

Kevin Bartini is a comedian and actor, originally from Lee. He can be seen in the current season of “And Just Like That” on MAX and had a recurring role on “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.” An award-winning comedian, he has warmed up audiences for over 25 different TV shows including “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” and “The Colbert Report.”

Brian Scolaro is most known for his appearances on “Conan”, his half hour Comedy Central special “Comedy Central Presents: Brian Scolaro”, as Brian on ABC’s “A Million Little Things”, as Doug on TBS’s “Sullivan and Son”, and as Stuart on FOX’s “Stacked”. Brian has appeared on “Shameless”, “Abbott Elementary, “Dexter”, “Mad Men, “Bones”, “Castle”, “Grey’s Anatomy” “The Middle”, “Night Court”, “The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson”, “Girl Meets World”, and has also had recurring roles on “Wizards of Waverly Place” and NBC’s “Three Sisters.” 

Comedians Kevin Bartini and Brian Scolaro.

The event is on Saturday, November 18th at 8 p.m. at the Foundry on Harris Street in West Stockbridge. Tickets are $35. The door opens at 7:30 p.m. This is an indoor event. Visit the Foundry online for tickets and more information. Parking is limited at the venue so please utilize the three public parking lots in Town. To avoid a parking ticket, visit the Foundry online for further details.

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Berkshire Concert Choir presents ‘Trust the Seeds’

Pittsfield— On November 18th and 19th at 3 p.m., Berkshire Concert Choir presents its fall concert, “Trust the Seeds.”

Berkshire Concert Choir presents ‘Trust the Seeds’.

Music Director Ryan LaBoy says, “Trust the Seeds is a concert featuring music by contemporary women composers writing about nature. It is a privilege to amplify these fabulous composers’ voices, many of which are new to our singers, while simultaneously singing about the divine natural world we share. My hope is that with this music, and through these voices, our singers and audience members alike are inspired to celebrate the achievements of women and act as mindful stewards of our beautiful Berkshire home.”

The concerts are on November 18th and 19th at 3 p.m. in the Common Room at Zion Lutheran Church on First Street in Pittsfield. The Stockbridge Sinfonia, with conductor Tracy Wilson, will present a prelude performance at both performances. Tickets are $20, $15 for seniors and students, $5 for EBT card holders, and free for children 12 and under. For tickets and more information, call 413-442-6120.  

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Crandell Theatre presents “Killers of the Flower Moon” and “Common Ground

Chatham— This weekend, the Crandell Theatre presents “Killers of the Flower Moon” (R | 206 minutes | Crime, Drama, History ) and “Common Ground” (NR | 105 min | Documentary). 

‘Killers of the Flower Moon’. Image courtesy of Crandell Theatre.

Starring Mollie Kyle, Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, “Killers of the Flower Moon”, tells a story from the turn of the 20th century when oil brought a fortune to the Osage Nation, who became some of the richest people in the world overnight. The wealth of these Native Americans immediately attracted white interlopers, who manipulated, extorted and stole as much Osage money as they could before resorting to murder. Martin Scorsese’s brilliant adaptation of the best-selling David Grann book recounts a horrific true crime, where real love crosses paths with unspeakable betrayal. The 1920s murders launched one of the first major F.B.I. investigations under J. Edgar Hoover.

“Common Ground” explores the next chapter in the soil and food crisis first outlined in “Kiss the Ground”, the wildly popular documentary that touched more than one billion people globally and inspired the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to put $20 billion toward soil health. By fusing journalistic exposé with deeply personal stories from those on the front lines of the food movement, “Common Ground” unveils a dark web of money, power, and politics behind our broken food system. The answer, they argue, lies in coordinated regenerative farming practices and public health initiatives.

Jason Momoa in ‘Common Ground.’ Image courtesy of Crandell Theatre.

The screenings are on this weekend at the Crandell Theatre on Main Street in Chatham. Tickets and more information can be found online. (“Killers of the Flower Moon”, “Common Ground”)

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Eighth Annual MountainOne ‘Thankful 5K’ with a new venue, new course, and new time 

Pittsfield— On Thursday, November 23rd at 9 a.m., the Berkshire Running Foundation, with the sponsorship of MountainOne and Berkshire Community College, announces the logistics for the eighth annual “Thankful 5K,” sponsored for the third year by MountainOne.  This annual event and food drive will take place at a Berkshire Community College, a new, more scenic and safer environment for the 5K distance.

The event will raise awareness of the increasing issues of food insecurity in Berkshire County.  Beneficiaries of the event will be local food pantries and food distribution organizations. Food insecurity is on the rise in Berkshire County.  The South Community Food Pantry in Pittsfield alone serves over 1200 families each week. Food supplies are low and with the increase in food costs, there is an anticipated increase in need for the upcoming winter months.  Participants are also asked to bring nonperishable food items to the event.

Image courtesy of Berkshire Running Foundation.

The race is on Thursday, November 23rd at 9 a.m. at the Patterson Field House at Berkshire Community College on West Street in Pittsfield. Participants are asked to register before Tuesday, November 21st at 5 p.m. online or before 4 p.m. in person at Berkshire Running Center in the Allendale Underground Shopping Center in Pittsfield. There is no race day registration. The first 300 registered walkers or runners will receive a hat. More information can be found online.

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Great Barrington opens applications from Housatonic Water Works customers seeking up to $300 in reimbursement for filtration and other costs

Great Barrington— Housatonic Water Works (HWW) customers who have paid for the purchase and/or installation of water filtration systems, bottled water, and laundry-related expenses may now apply for a reimbursement of up to $300 per household.

The application can be found online. To receive reimbursement (one per household) HWW customers must provide:

  • Documentation of eligible costs, retroactive to January 1, 2018.
  • Completed application paperwork which must be dropped off at the Selectboard office at Town Hall.
Housatonic Water Works customers are eligible for the reimbursement.

The program will remain in place until funds are exhausted. If after six months funding remains available, the Selectboard will revisit the issue and consider providing additional relief to approved applicants. Applicants can expect reimbursement within 90 days. 

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