Arts & Entertainment notes

Print Story | Email Story
Nepal photographs GREAT BARRINGTON — The first exhibit of the semester at Simon’s Rock College of Bard is a collection of photographs by William Mebane, “Stranger in Nepal: Portraits of Modern Life.” The exhibit opened Jan. 20 and will continue through Feb. 21 in the college’s Library Atrium Gallery. It is free and open to the public. The photographs explore youth and the emerging middle class in Nepal. According to a news release, much of the work shows a part of Nepal not generally seen in promotional literature, although Mebane doesn’t ignore the beauty of the landscape or the cultural history in evidence on the streets and in the mountains. Mebane’s work has been exhibited nationally and internationally and is represented by the Andrea Schwartz Gallery in San Francisco. A photographer in New York City, he recently received a Fulbright grant to photograph in Nepal. ‘Noises Off’ GHENT, N.Y. —"Noises Off," an award-winning play by Michael Frayn, will open at the Ghent Playhouse on Friday, Jan. 28, and will run for three weekends with performances on Friday and Saturday evenings at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. A farce within a farce, the play will portray a dysfunctional touring theater group presenting a totally inconsequential play called "Nothing On" in various small cities in England. Wendy Spielmann, Prudence J. M. Thierault, Justin Weaver, Johanna Federow, Mike Sanders, Helen Smith, Erik Spielmann and Drew Davidson will star. Kate Gulliver, assisted by DeNola Perreten and co-producers Donna Knoll and Maryann Weber, directs. The set was designed by Joe Iuviene, with construction supervision by Robert Bisson. Ian Gulliver is technical director; Janie Machiz is in charge of set décor and props, and the costuming crew is Cat Laurendeau, Vivian Wachsberger and Joanne Maurer. Tickets are $15, or $12 for playhouse members. Reservations are advised. Information: 518-392-6264 or www.ghentplayhouse.org. Circle Theatre AVERILL PARK, N.Y. — Circle Theatre Players will present “Grace & Glorie” at Sand Lake Center for the Arts on Fridays and Saturdays, Jan. 28 and 29 and Feb. 4 and 5, at 8 p.m. and on Sundays, Jan. 30 and Feb. 6, at 2:30 p.m. A matinee performance will be held on Saturday, Feb. 5, at 2:30 p.m. to benefit the Sand Lake Veterans Memorial Park. Written by Tom Ziegler and directed by CarolLynn Langley of East Poestenkill, the play stars Barbara Leavell Smith of East Poestenkill as the 90-year old Grace Stiles, who has spent her entire life on a farm in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Debra Roy of West Sand Lake plays Gloria Whitmore, a high-powered New York City career woman recently transplanted to Virginia, whose life becomes inextricably entwined with Grace's. In conjunction with the play, the center’s gallery space will exhibit "In Celebration of Age," featuring various artists’ depictions of aging. The center’s cafe, gallery and gift shop will be open one hour prior to curtain. Tickets are $12. Reservations: 518-674-2007 or www.ticketleap.com. ‘Trade Show’ NORTH ADAMS — “Trade Show,” opening at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art on Saturday, Jan. 29, will feature the work of eight artists and collectives who bring the world of business into art. Visitors to contemporary art museums often find popular culture objects in works of art, a practice dating back to Marcel Duchamp’s “Readymades,” according to a Mass MoCA news release. More recently, non-traditional art activities — business practices such as network marketing, advertising and motivational speaking — have found their way into art spaces. “Trade Show” highlights some these practices. The exhibit’s catalogue will be available for free download at www.massmoca.org beginning with the show’s opening. It includes images of many of the works in the exhibition, plus essays by art critic and historian Martha Buskirk, architectural historian Mario Carpo and philosopher and Williams College professor of religion and architecture Mark Taylor. Information: 662-2111 or www.massmoca.org. Benefit performance STEPHENTOWN, N.Y. — The Stephentown Volunteer Fire Department will host a comedy and music benefit performance for Katie Goodermote at the Fire Hall on Saturday, Jan. 29, at 6 p.m. Proceeds will go to Goodermote, who is battling leukemia. Jodi Weiner and Vinnie Mark of the PYX106 Comedy Show will take the stage at 8 p.m. Musical guests Split Image will play at 9:30. Food, provided by Frescos and Bucky’s, will be available for purchase. Tickets are $20 each and are available at Maddens Garage, Dave’s Market, Gardner’s Coffee Shoppe and at the door. Berkshire Review LENOX DALE — The Berkshire Review is accepting submissions for Volume 13 in the areas of fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, and scriptwriting for adults, young adults, and children during the months of January and February only (postmark by Feb. 28). Send submissions to: Rodelinde Albrecht, managing editor, The Berkshire Review, P.O. Box 120, Lenox Dale, MA 01242. Information: 997-2108. Each submission must be legibly typed, double-spaced, with pages stapled together. One poem per page; poems with lines over 75 characters (including spaces) are not likely to be accepted. Fiction and nonfiction submissions must be 3,000 words or less. Submit complete plays, teleplays or screenplays rather than excerpts or scenes; 3,000-word excerpts may be selected for publication. The author’s name should not appear anywhere on manuscript. Attach a separate cover sheet to each prose piece, script, or group of poems providing title(s), approximate word count (for fiction and nonfiction), author’s name, address, phone number and e-mail, and a brief bio. Submit no previously published work or more than one script, three poems, two fiction, and two nonfiction pieces. Submissions will not be returned; send copies only. Enclose a stamped, self-addressed envelope for notification, which will take place in early May. FLY Dance PITTSFIELD — The Colonial Theatre will present FLY Dance, a company of Hispanic and black young men who use the medium of hip-hop dancing to introduce audiences to classical music, on Saturday, Jan. 29, at 8 p.m. at the Lenox Memorial Middle and High School. [This is a change in location from Berkshire Music Hall.] The Colonial Theatre will also present an in-school residency at Pittsfield High School on Jan. 31. The performances are being sponsored in part by The Red Lion Inn and the Pittsfield Cultural Council, a local agency supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council. “FLY to the Rescue,” which will be showcased in area schools, uses humor to address sobering issues such as peer pressure, the dangers of experimenting with drugs and the serious effects of drugs, all of which is accompanied by music reflecting the classical, contemporary, and cartoon genres. General admission tickets are $25 for adults and $15 for students and seniors. Call 866-811-4111 or visit www.thecolonialtheatre.org. African Pop SHELBURNE FALLS — African Pop Star Habib Koite and his five-piece band Bamada will perform a high-energy world African concert at Memorial Hall on Tuesday, Feb. 1, at 7 p.m. Koite combines centuries of Malian tradition with Western-and African-influenced dance music, high wailing Arab-influenced vocals from his Malian culture, plus elements of jazz and blues. Hailed as the “African Eric Clapton,” Koite has been highlighted in Rolling Stone and People Magazine as a major African superstar. Tickets are $20 in advance, $23 at the door; Youths under 18 are half price. Information: 413-625-2580 Theater grants NORTH ADAMS — Main Street Stage has been awarded a $5,448 grant from the High Meadow Foundation for new lighting equipment and wiring upgrades at the theater, 57 Main St. North Adams. Improvements will include an increase in the lighting capacity on stage, as well as enhanced comfort for the audience, with additional power directed to the air conditioning system, according to an announcement from the company. The theater has also received a $500 gift from the Hill Family Foundation to support its mission to create vital and challenging theater, both new and enduring, that explores important issues of our age. "The board of directors contributed many hours of hard work this past year," said Executive Director Steven Green in a news release. "We have augmented the theater's financial prospects, not only with annual gifts, but also with volunteer labor, grant writing and organizational development work. We are excited to meet the challenges in the coming year." Theater auditions GHENT, N.Y. — The Ghent Playhouse will hold auditions for the Rodgers & Hart musical "Pal Joey," to be directed by Dianne Hobden, on Monday, Jan. 31, and Tuesday, Feb. 1, at 7 p.m. Nine men and 16 women are needed. Those auditioning must come with a prepared song and be ready to read from the script. Dancers are especially needed. The theater is on Town Hall Road. Information: 518-392-6264 Summer Romance WILLIAMSTOWN — The Clark Art Institute will celebrate the exhibition “A Walk in the Country: Inness and the Berkshires” with an opening party on Saturday, Feb. 5, from 6 to 8 p.m. Inspired by the garden parties of19th-century Berkshire cottage owners, the party's theme will be "A Summer Romance in the Winter." The festivities will include live music, dancing and hors d'oeuvres featuring Berkshire County grown foods. Partygoers will have the first look at the Inness exhibition, which features 15 Berkshire scenes by the renowned American artist. Dress is semi-formal; creative period costumes are encouraged. Tickets are $45 per person ($35 for members). Reservations are required. To order tickets: 458-0524. Chef Drew Nicastro of CulinArt has created an elegant "picnic supper" menu for the event, including country style pates and regionally crafted cheeses. A carving station will feature fresh turkey from Otis Poultry Farm and beef from Ioka Valley Farms, with assorted condiments. The complimentary wine and beer bar will feature beer from Berkshire Mountain Brewers. Throughout the evening, the Lydia Rose Trio will play 19th-century dance music. Trio members are: Mark Bagdon, violin; Susan Polanski, clarinet; and Larry Wallach, piano. “A Walk in the Country” will be on view Feb. 6 through April 17. The exhibition is first to focus exclusively on Inness' relationship with the Berkshires, a center of cultural and intellectual life since the 19th century. Inness, one of the most prominent American landscape artists of the 1800s, used the Berkshires as a frequent subject and enjoyed the patronage of famous "Berkshire cottage" owners such as Catharine Sedgwick, Ogden Haggerty, and Henry Ward Beecher. Fifteen of Inness's Berkshire views will be featured, along with two later works by Inness from the Clark's collection. Media for A Walk in the Country is sponsored by Berkshire Bank. The Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute is at 225 South St. The galleries are open Tuesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5p.m. Gallery admission is free through May. Information: 458-2303 or www.clarkart.edu. More Inness LENOX — Art historian, lecturer and curator Maureen Hickey will present a slide lecture, “The Berkshire Connection: George Inness and His Early Landscapes,” at Ventfort Hall on Saturday, Jan. 29, at 3 pm. A Victorian high tea will follow the lecture. Inness (1825-1894) is considered one of the most brilliant landscape painters of the famed 19th century Hudson River School of artists. He was a protégé of Ogden Haggerty, a wealthy New York businessman, who summered at Vent Fort, his Lenox estate, which was on the site of the present Ventfort Hall. Since Inness suffered from what he called his “fearful nervous disease” (epilepsy), he did not travel to such places as the Catskill Mountains, as did his fellow artists. Instead, he painted landscapes in more serene areas, such as the fields of New Jersey where he had grown up, as well as the hills and dales of the Berkshires, to which he was first attracted while living in Medfield during the late 1850s and early 1860s. Hickey is the guest curator for the exhibition “A Walk In the Country: Inness and the Berkshires,” at the Clark Art Institute. She is also curating the Berkshire Museum’s exhibit, “The Power of the Place,” which focuses on the Berkshire landscape as interpreted by artists and photographers during the last 150 years. That exhibit will open May 15 with a benefit wine auction. Hickey was director of the Berkshire Art Gallery and director of education at both the Berkshire Museum and the Bennington Museum. Admission for the lecture and tea is $15 per person and $12 for Ventfort Hall Association members. Information and reservations: 637-3206. Ventfort Hall is at 104 Walker St. Rockwell grants STOCKBRIDGE — The Norman Rockwell Museum has received a Museums for America grant of $150,000 from the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services and a $75,000 grant from the American Art Program of the Henry Luce Foundation. The grant money will fund the launch of “ProjectNORMAN,” an extensive digital and collections-management project meant to make the museum's collection available to a worldwide audience, according to a news release. Staff assigned to “ProjectNORMAN” will systematically organize, inventory, catalogue, re-house and digitize the more than 100,000 items in the museum's vast Norman Rockwell collection. Museum officials anticipate the project will take 10 years to complete. Phase One will commence with the purchase and installation of special database software, computer hardware and a scanner and a hygrothermograph (used to measure relative humidity). Project staff include Linda Pero, curator of Norman Rockwell collections, Martin Mahoney, manager of collection and registration, and Jonathan Olly, curatorial assistant. The Institute of Museum and Library Services is an independent federal grant-making agency dedicated to creating and sustaining a nation of learners by helping libraries and museums serve their communities. The Henry Luce Foundation's national program in American art is dedicated exclusively to American fine and decorative arts scholarship. Since its inception in 1982, the program has awarded over $100 million to art organizations within the United States, all to support the advancement of American art. The Norman Rockwell Museum is open daily. General public admission is $12 for adults, $7 for students, and free for visitors 18 and under (four per adult). Kids Free Every Day is a gift to families from Country Curtains and the Red Lion Inn. On Wednesdays from November to May, senior citizens are admitted at half-price. The museum is open daily, from 10 to 5:00, May through October; from November through April, weekday hours are 10 to 4, and weekend/holiday hours are 10 to 5. Gallery tours are available daily, beginning on the hour. Antenna Audio Tour of select paintings from the museum's permanent Norman Rockwell collection is available. Rockwell's original Stockbridge studio, located on the Museum grounds, is open May through October. Information: 413-298-4100, ext. 220, or www.nrm.org. Broadway kids PITTSFIELD — Berkshire Music Hall will present a family concert, “Kids on Broadway,” featuring members of the music hall’s Children’s Theatre on Sunday, Jan. 30, at 4 p.m. The concert will showcase songs from Broadway musicals that feature children, including hits from "Les Miserables," "The Music Man," "Annie," "The Sound of Music," "Oliver" and "The Secret Garden." It is suitable for ages 3 and up. The program was built to highlight the singing talents of the children's theater group, who range in age from 6 to 18 and are all Berkshire County students. Tickets are $6; free for children 4 and under. The music hall is at 30 Union St. Information: 499-5575. Helsinki concerts GREAT BARRINGTON — Habib Koite & Bamada will perform at Club Helsinki on Monday, Jan. 31, at 8:30 p.m. A leading figure in world music, Koite will play the intimate nightclub in a break from his usual pattern of large venue performances. His music incorporates the musical traditions of Mali (his home country) with a more modern sensibility to create music that pays homage to the past, present and future of African music, according to a news release. Koite has been praised in hundreds of newspapers and magazines, including People, Rolling Stone and The New York Times. He has been featured on major national radio and television programs, such NPR's “All Things Considered,” PRI's “The World” and CNN WorldBeat. Tickets are $38 and are very limited. They can be purchased in advance at the club, 284 Main St., by calling 528-3394 or online at www.clubhelsinkiweb.com. On Wednesday, Feb. 9, at 9 p.m., Club Helsinki will present a Mardi Gras night, with Buckwheat Zydeco (Stanley Dural Jr.), who played a great part in the emerging popularity of zydeco music in the 1970s. The concert will be preceded by a special Cajun dinner at the adjoining Helsinki Café. Dinner reservations start at 5:30, and the music starts at 8:30. Tickets and reservations: the club, 528-3394 or www.clubhelsinkiweb.com. On Feb. 10, at 8:30 p.m., The Hot Club Of Cowtown will return. The western swing trio played at Helsinki last year and toured last summer with Willie Nelson and Bob Dylan. Tickets are $25 and are very limited. Hope concert KINGSTON, N.Y. — Because of the recent winter storm, Ars Choralis has rescheduled its Messengers of Hope concert to Friday, Jan. 28, at 8 p.m. at Holy Cross Church, 30 Pine Grove Ave. “Messengers of Hope” is a requiem concert in words and music remembering those who died in the recent tsunami disaster and benefiting those who survived. The chorus, directed by Barbara Pickhardt, will sing music by Faure, Rutter and Durufle and read quotes of Deepak Chopra, William Faulkner, John Donne, John F. Kennedy and the Dalai Lama, among others. Also featured will be soprano Danielle Woerner, guitarist Gregory Dinger and pianist Kristen Tuttman. Although there will be no admission charge, donations will be collected. Charities that will receive the funds will be listed in the program. Association meeting NEW MARLBORO — The Berkshire County Antiques and Art Dealers Association held its annual meeting and holiday party on Dec. 6, 2004, at the Old Inn on the Green. The event, which was well attended, according to the association, included cocktails and dinner, followed by the traditional short business meeting and election of officers and directors for 2005. The members were addressed by President Edith Gilson, who welcomed new members and spoke on a variety of association matters. She was followed by Frank Francis, who gave the secretary’s report, and Susan Silver, who gave the treasurer’s report, summarizing revenues, expenses and bank balances for 2004. Virtually all the expenditures were for the association’s annual color brochure, Web site and advertising, Silver reported. Edward Surjan gave a report detailing the 2004 advertising placements and the brochure and Web-site changes and enhancements. He also outlined some of the plans and advertising philosophies for the upcoming 2005 year. Larry Solomon spoke on his committee’s work to establish an association-sponsored promotional event. He stressed the desire to have wider participation by members in the design of the event. David Weiss outlined some new initiatives for 2005 involving membership communications. These included a quarterly newsletter, as well as informal get-togethers at different member shops. All the candidates for officers and directors on the ballot, which was previously mailed to the membership, were voted in unanimously. Officers elected for 2005 were Edith Gilson, Cupboards & Roses, Sheffield, president; Arthur A. Kerber, Green River Gallery, Millerton, N.Y., vice president; Susan Silver, Susan Silver Antiques, Sheffield, treasurer; Edward Surjan, Hill House Antiques, Sheffield, advertising and promotion officer; and Frank and Rose Marie Francis, Hillsdale Barn Antiques, Hillsdale, N.Y., joint secretaries. Directors elected were Elise Abrams, Elise Abrams Antiques, Great Barrington; Don Coffman, Coffman’s Antiques Center, Great Barrington; Sheila Chefetz, Country Dining Room Antiques, Great Barrington; Larry Solomon, Painted Porch Antiques, Sheffield and David M. Weiss, David M. Weiss Antiques, Mill River. The association has members in Berkshire County and in contiguous areas of Connecticut and New York State. Detailed information is contained in a color brochure guide and map with a circulation of 35,000. The information is also available at www.berkshireantiquesandart.com. To request a brochure or an application for membership: Gilson, Cupboards & Roses, 229-3070 or mail your request with a SASE to BCAADA, P.O. Box 1297, Sheffield, MA 01257. Members’ exhibition MANCHESTER, Vt. — The 13th annual Winter Members' Exhibition at the Southern Vermont Arts Center opened on Jan. 15 and will run through 3 p.m. on Feb. 8. The exhibition features more than 10 galleries showcasing art in virtually every imaginable style, format, medium and technique, according to a news release. Included are many landscapes of local vistas, in oil, acrylic, watercolor, pastel, monotype, pencil and photographs, as well as still-lifes, portraits, animal studies, town, village and farm scenes. There are numerous abstract or semi-abstract works in an equally wide range of media, as well as sculptures and mixed-media creations. Art talk WILLIAMSTOWN — The mini-course, "Everything You Always Wanted to Know about the Renaissance but Were Afraid to Ask," at the Clark Art Institute, will conclude on Wednesday, February 2, at 1 p.m. The topic of the fourth and final session is "A Different View: The World North of the Alps." Instructor Michael Cassin, curator of education, will present the slide lecture for adults with a general interest in art history. Registration is $6 ($4 for members). It is not necessary to have attended previous sessions in the course. To register: education department, 458-0563.
Share
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Pittsfield Council Recognizes ALS, Appoints CIO

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The City Council began its regular meeting on Tuesday with a proclamation for ALS awareness and the appointment of a new chief information officer.

“This year we celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Ice Bucket Challenge through renewed commitment to increase public awareness and support funding, leading to the significant improvements in ALS research,” Mayor Peter Marchetti explained.

The challenge took social media by storm, with participants recording themselves dumping a bucket of ice water over their heads to promote awareness of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease.

Resident Jacqueline Surbaugh was presented with the proclamation.  Marchetti dedicated this month to ALS awareness and called upon residents to join him in supporting ALS research, advocating for increased funding, and standing in solidarity with those affected by this disease.

The neurodegenerative disease causes the brain to lose connection with muscles, resulting in the loss of the ability to walk, talk, and eventually breathe.  The mayor pointed out that the average prognosis for those diagnosed is two to five years with a diagnosis made every 90 minutes and that the ALS Association has committed over $154 million to support more than 550 research projects globally in a push for new treatments.

The council unanimously voted to appoint Sigfredo Irizarry as the chief information officer responsible for planning, directing, managing, and overseeing the City’s Information Technology department.

According to his resume, Irizarry has over 30 years in the field and previously worked as the CIO for three companies.

The council also approved a conservation restriction the Berkshire Natural Resources Council,

View Full Story

More Stories

Sports
image description

Big Second Half Lifts Hoosac Girls to Another State Title

Sports
Sports
image description

The Hunt for Red March: Hoosac Valley Girls, Boys Go for State...

Sports
Sports
image description

Kotek, Dupuis Win Individual State Titles

Sports
Sports
image description

Lee Bowlers Win State Championship

Sports
Sports
image description

McGovern Scores 1,000th as Hurricanes Advance

Sports
Sports
image description

Pittsfield's Mullen Takes Two Titles at State Alpine Meet

Sports
Latest Stories
Previous Next

What's Trending?