Barrington Stage Company appoints Bryan-Keyth Wilson as marketing director
Pittsfield— Barrington Stage Company has announced the appointment of Bryan-Keyth Wilson as Marketing Director.
“We are thrilled to welcome Bryan-Keyth into our fold. He understands that successful marketing is not about sales, but rather, connection,” said Meredith Lynsey Schade, Managing Director. “His demonstrated experience in marketing and his deeply creative approach to innovation and collaboration will support us as we work to connect more deeply with our community. Wilson is passionate about connecting audiences with meaningful theatrical experiences. He is following in the footsteps of his parents, Lawrence and Shirley Wilson, who believed in a just and equitable society. He is dedicated to making the arts accessible to all and committed to being a voice for the voiceless.”
Bryan-Keyth Wilson is a noted multi-hyphenate/award-winning playwright and arts education advocate. Diversity, equity, and inclusion are at the forefront of every project he takes on. Bryan-Keyth started producing theatre Off-Off-Broadway at The Variety Cafe at Rockefeller Center with shows such as Pamlet and The Subway Series. He studied musical theatrer with an emphasis on dance at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Tex. Wilson won four literary awards for his choreopoem FOR COLORED BOYZ on the verge of a nervous breakdown/when freedom aint enuff and produced a sold-out showcase Off-Broadway at Theatre Row for the 2022 Downtown Urban Arts Festival, where his show won Best Audience and a world premiere at The Fulton Theatre in Lancaster, Pa.
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WAM Theatre announces Elizabeth Freeman Center as recipient of funds
Lenox— In accordance with their unique mission of arts as activism, WAM Theatre, teamed up with Berkshire Theatre Group, is thrilled to announce that a portion of the box office for their spring production of What The Constitution Means To Me will be donated to Elizabeth Freeman Center.
The Elizabeth Freeman Center was selected as the recipient by WAM Theatre and Berkshire Theatre Group for the many services they offer that uplift the Berkshire Community. The center offers an array of free, adaptable and confidential services, including a 24/7 hotline (1-866-401-2425) with immediate emergency services for people in danger or who just want information for themselves or someone they know. The center also offers counseling and support, help with protection orders and safety needs, shelter, safe supervised visitation, and advocacy. Additionally, offering a financial independence initiative “Money School”. The organization specializes in services for immigrant, LGBTQ, and child survivors, and survivors with disabilities, and their youth educators go into schools and talk about healthy relationships and provide sex education.
The Elizabeth Freeman Center provides lifesaving, life renewing hope, help and healing to survivors of domestic, dating and sexual violence and their families of Berkshire County. Promoting social justice and working to end all forms of oppression are essential to their work. Each year, the Elizabeth Freeman Center reaches 5,000 people throughout Berkshire County. “The Elizabeth Freeman Center is on the front lines for families and individuals, especially those identifying as women and girls, here in Berkshire County.” said Molly Merrihew, WAM Managing Director. “They are the major safety net in our community for survivors seeking safety and opportunity, and their work has only become more vital since the pandemic. We feel honored to highlight their work and to help sustain this important community resource.”
Your What The Constitution Means To Me ticket purchase contributes to uplifting the Elizabeth Freeman Center while telling an impactful story of family maternal-lines and human rights and that centers those identifying as women and girls. WAM Theatre and Berkshire Theatre Group are proud to offer equitable seating for this production and encourage patrons to select from a range of ticket price to best fits their needs. To purchase tickets, visit wamtheatre.com or BerkshireTheatreGroup.org. For more information, call 413-997-4444.
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Two new members join WAM Board of Directors
Lenox— WAM Theater has announced that two new members have joined the board of directors, Andrea Nunes and Deborah Brothers .
Andrea Nunes was born and raised in Brazil. She is fluent in Portuguese, English and Spanish, and holds degrees in International Business Management and Strategy. To inspire and motivate others, she draws from her personal experiences as a Latina overcoming barriers in corporate America and as a global citizen living and working across multiple continents and cultures.
Andrea spent 18 years with General Electric in senior HR leadership roles in the Industrial and Financial Services sectors, working in Latin America, North America, Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia. At GE, she developed deep expertise in global talent management, organizational effectiveness, culture transformation, and change management. Between 2016-2021, Andrea was the Managing Director of Portfolio Talent at Centerbridge Partners. In this role, Andrea developed and implemented a comprehensive playbook of talent practices to drive senior executive talent acquisition and development, Board governance, and overall organizational effectiveness in the Private Equity firm’s portfolio companies. Andrea recently founded Lotus Talent Strategies, LLC, providing consulting services for Private Equity clients to elevate their portfolio talent standards with a focus on value enhancement and ease-of-use. In parallel, she is also exploring Board and Senior Advisory roles.
Andrea is a certified yoga instructor and meditation practitioner, and she strives to embody the teachings of mindful presence, compassion, and interconnectedness in the way she “shows up” in the world. She has a passion for supporting under-resourced communities to shape a new paradigm of leadership engagement that makes diversity and inclusion, and environmental and social responsibility, a reality in the workplace.
Deborah Brothers is a costume designer, educator, and maker. Her first production for WAM was The Bakelite Masterpiece in a co-production with Berkshire Theatre Group. Her most recent design for WAM was the online pandemic production of ROE. Deborah Brothers has taught in the theater department at Williams College in Williamstown for over three decades. She is a longtime member of the Costume Society of America and has served as Vice President of Awards and Grants and as an elected board member. She is a member of their DEAB (Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Belonging) Committee and is the chair for the upcoming 50th year committee. She also is a member of USITT (United States Institute for Theatre Technology).
She lives in Berkshire County with her husband. Originally from New Orleans, she holds a BA in Communications and Theater from the University of New Orleans and a Masters of Fine Arts from the California Institute of the Arts in Design. Since 1994 she has been documenting, in video and photographs, about New Orleans Carnival as well as the recovery of the city since the devastating flooding from Hurricane Katrina. She also creates masks and puppets in her continuing art practices.
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Downtown Pittsfield, Inc. Annual Meeting at The Colonial Theatre
Pittsfield— The Downtown Pittsfield, Inc. (DPI) Annual Meeting will be held Thursday, May 11th at the Colonial Theatre, 111 South Street. From 3:30 to 5 p.m., there will be networking in the Garage with light hors d’oeuvres, nonalcoholic beverages, and a cash bar. The Annual Meeting program will be from 5 to 6 pm in the theatre. This event is free and open to DPI members and the public.
Downtown Pittsfield, Inc. will present three awards. The 2023 recipients are Pittsfield Beautiful, winner of The Downtown Pittsfield Community Award; the Berkshire Family YMCA and Allegrone Companies, winners of The President’s Award; and Liam Gorman of CozQuest Creative, winner of The Robert K. Quattrochi Downtown Person of the Year Award.
Sponsored by Berkshire Theater Group, the Annual Meeting will feature remarks from Mayor Linda Tyer, DPI Board President Branden Huldeen, and DPI Managing Director Rebecca Brien. Downtown Pittsfield, Inc. will also elect its corporators and directors.
Attendees are invited to meet up with friends and colleagues for informal networking and fun at Hot Plate Brewing Co. after the Annual Meeting at 6 p.m. Cash bar. For more information and to register, visit https://forms.gle/Ura3ZJh7KyHVDmzF9 or call 413-443-6501. Registration deadline is Thursday, May 4th.
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Greylock Promotes Pinsonneault to Assistant Vice President
Pittsfield— Greylock Federal Credit Union is proud to announce the promotion of Justin Pinsonneault to Assistant Vice President, Facilities Director.
“Justin is one of the busiest members of the Greylock family,” said Greylock Senior Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer JamieEllen Moncecchi. “His professionalism, dedication, and expertise in his field helps us to meet the evolving needs of our Members and keep up to date with the latest innovations in banking services.”
Justin, who has been with Greylock for five years, will now have budget and hiring authority and will oversee the execution and compliance of all capital projects for Greylock. He will lead an expanded team for Facilities, administering vital projects including the development of a multiyear property and maintenance improvement plan and the record retention program. Having recently completed renovations of Greylock’s branch in Adams, Justin will now focus on the relocation of the Lee branch and major renovations to the business offices at the West Street branch.
Justin and his wife live in Pittsfield with their three children. Before Greylock, Justin was the facilities manager for Country Curtains, owned a business, and served as the assistant superintendent at the Boston Golf Club.
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Berkshire Community College to sign articulation agreement with Western New England University
Pittsfield— Berkshire Community College (BCC) announces it intent to sign an articulation agreement with Western New England University (WNE) in Springfield, Massachusetts, allowing BCC students to transfer seamlessly to WNE. The Joint Admissions Program provides barrier-free movement for students enrolled in an associate degree program at BCC to the baccalaureate graduate degrees at WNE.
Students who satisfy the requirements of the Joint Admissions Program are eligible for guaranteed acceptance to WNE, provided they complete an approved associate degree program at BCC and meet the requirements of the Joint Admissions Program and major-specific requirements. They are guaranteed junior status at WNE upon matriculation with an associate degree and 60 transfer credits (with some stipulations).
In order to satisfy the conditions of admissions into WNE, participating students must earn a minimum 2.50 cumulative grade point average (based on a 4.00 scale), earn at least a grade of a C- or better in their major coursework and earn their associate degree. Students seeking joint admissions into specialized programs such as business, engineering, computer science, chemistry or biology must satisfy all program requirements and earn the minimum cumulative grade point average established for those programs.
The official signing ceremony will be held at BCC’s Berkshire Science Commons on Monday, May 8 at 12 pm. For more details about the program, contact Geoffrey Tabor at gtabor@berkshirecc.edu.
