Mount Greylock students have been involved with Shakespeare & Company's Fall Festival.
"The play's the thing ..." and whether it catches the conscience of a king as Hamlet intended, it's catching the imagination of a growing corps of high school students, reflected in the larger ranks of those turning out for dramatic productions at North Berkshire high schools.
This growing interest is no sudden spurt, but a steady stream fed by word of mouth - urgings from friends and older siblings - and by an active group of area theater organizations for children.
Maggie Dente, a sophomore at Drury High School who plays Dorothy in the school's current production of "The Wizard of Oz," followed that pattern.
"I definitely think there's a growing interest in theater. I got involved in theatrical productions because I knew some people in a play, and they told me there was a part I should try out for - and I thought 'why not?'
"There are amazing people there, and it's a good feeling to be onstage and be whoever you want to be," she said. "It's a lot of work, definitely, but it pays off. I'd never really thought about theater [as a career] until I joined the cast, but I fell in love with it, and thought 'Wow, that's something I'd like to do my whole life. I could definitely see going to college and concentrating in musical theater."
Fellow cast member Jamie Lee McNary, a Drury junior who plays the Tin Man, attributes growing interest in theater to its accessibility in the area through groups such as Mill City Productions and Main Street Stage.
"What got me interested was the study of Shakespeare in seventh grade," she said. "I started stage managing in eighth grade, and when I went to high school in ninth grade, I joined the Drury Drama Team. Mostly I've done backstage work and acting with the school.
"It's more than fun. It's just amazing, the whole experience of being onstage and working with other students. I've gotten so much more out of it than out of sports," said McNary. "I really enjoy it a lot, and I hope to stay with it."
Newly named to head theatrical programs in all North Adams Public Schools, Leonard Radin says interest has grown steadily in the 20 years since he founded the Drury theater program, the only formal academic theater program in a North Berkshire high school.
"It's not an overnight sensation," said Radin, a local dentist. "It's the result of carefully nurturing students."
Cultural Mecca
"It's not a new phenomenon. Berkshire County has always been a cultural mecca," said Radin, who has been involved with most if not all the two dozen theater groups that are operating or have operated in North Berkshire. "It took three decades."
Radin sees the theater program as "one of the most efficient vehicles for the maturation process. The students are dependent on other members of the team, so they learn ensemble work. And theater embraces other arts - music, design, costume. For a very shy individual, theater is a socially acceptable way of communicating your emotions."
This year, 100 turned out. "That's a lot because the school has only 600 students," he said.
He chooses plays to stretch the dramatic capacities of the students, and noted that casts include a range of students, from those in special education to valedictorians. It pleases him that 10 years after graduation, almost all his students are involved in some form of theater.
"It warms my heart to see how high school students look out for the little kids. It's a real family."
Mount Greylock Regional High School in Williamstown will present "Romeo and Juliet" as part of Shakespeare and Company’s Fall Festival of Shakespeare at Founders' Theatre in Lenox tonight at 6:30 p.m., one of 10 area high schools joining in performances in the program's 20th year.
For Lizzie Fox, the senior who plays Juliet, this is her sixth year in the festival, having previously been in "A Midsummer Night's Dream," "Twelfth Night," "Heracles," "Much Ado About Nothing" and "Macbeth."
She credits these with imbuing confidence in her abilities.
"What we have to say and what we feel are appreciated. We're told to take from our own experience. It's an opportunity to use that for expression."
Robin Leighleitner, a Mount Greylock English teacher, faculty coordinator with Shakespeare and Company and mother of Lizzie Fox, said the program has "drawn so many kids in the last few years."
She has been at Mount Greylock nine years. This year, about 50 youngsters turned out for the play.
"One of the greatest things about Shakespeare and Company productions is that you can be in a production as a seventh-grader or as a senior. And if a seventh-grader walks through the halls and sees a senior, it's someone they know through the play, and they say hello."
Sense of Community
Gwendolyn Tunnicliffe, sophomore who plays the Nurse, said, "You get a sense of community that you don't otherwise, when you tend to stay within your grade."
She and the other students praised their Shakespeare and Company director Jonathan Croy, who has been with Mount Greylock students seven years, and assistant director Libby Augarten, in her second year.
"They're so much more of a peer. They don't talk down to you. They treat you as someone who can make valuable contributions. Jon never talks down to us. He will make suggestions."
Tunnicliffe, who has been part of Shakespeare and Company's summer program, hopes to become an intern there. And, she said, Shakespeare and Company will help high school students find a college with a good theater program, and find a job in theater, something she hopes to do.
Another student said festival weekend lets students meet others from all over Berkshire County.
"It brings you together, and next year when you come to the festival, you know them."
Added another, "It's the best audience you'll ever find. They get all the lines, all the allusions. It's like a rock concert."
"The Wizard Of Oz" continues at Drury High School tonight and Saturday night at 7 p.m.
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.
Your Comments
iBerkshires.com welcomes critical, respectful dialogue. Name-calling, personal attacks, libel, slander or foul language is not allowed. All comments are reviewed before posting and will be deleted or edited as necessary.
No Comments
Lanesborough Town Meeting to Vote Budget, Bylaws & Vehicle Purchases
By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — Tuesday's annual town meeting includes a $14 million operating budget, new short-term rentals, accessory dwelling units and sign bylaws, and free cash article appropriations.
Voters will gather at Lanesborough Elementary School on June 9 at 6 p.m. to decide on 20 warrant articles.
The fiscal 2027 budget is up a little over 10 percent. Some of the main increases are the Mount Greylock Regional School District and McCann Technical School: the McCann assessment is up more than 30 percent based on factors including enrollment and the school renovation project, and Mount Greylock's is up 11 percent.
Article 11 is for the town to vote to approve from free cash the sum of $16,298.48 for the McCann Technical School roof and window replacement project so as not to impact the budget. Article 3 is appropriate $7,586,284 for Mount Greylock Regional School assessment.
Another notable increase was in life and health insurance, showing an increase of about 26 percent.
Ambulance Director Jen Weber is planning 24-hour coverage, which means more staff and a hike in her budget. One of the articles asks the town to appropriate $234,100 to operate the Ambulance Enterprise Fund for salaries and expenses.
Many town departments are looking for new vehicles. The Fire Department is looking to replace its outdated 1996 fire engine. There are two articles related to the truck at a total of $813,366. Article 12 would transfer $225,000 from free cash into the Fire Truck Stabilization Fund; Article 13 would transfer $605,000 from the fund and authorize the borrowing of $208,366.08.
The total includes a $100,000 contingency cost to cover any additional costs if a 2026 model-year chassis cannot be secured before new emissions standards go into effect in 2027.
The board at its last meeting moved the $225,000 transfer to come before the borrowing article, changing the stabilization number. If the $225,000 is not voted on, then they will amend the next article's number on the floor, subtracting the $225,000. This shows the borrowing number significantly lower.
Article 17 asks for the transfer of $80,000 from free cash to replace a police cruiser.
Police Chief Rob Derksen's aim is to replace one vehicle every other year, meaning the oldest vehicle gets replaced about every 10 years.
He stressed that if delayed this year, the town may have to double up in a future year to get back on schedule, and that paying later usually costs more. The article will ask for $80,000 from free cash, the vehicles used to be funded by the BHRD.
Lastly, the Highway Department is looking to replace a 2014 International dump truck that will be a total of $330,000 and will take two to three years to receive.
Money will be used from last year's approval of $250,000 from free cash for the replacement of a 2012 highway front-end loader that was underspent $49,261. Town meeting is being asked to approve a transfer of $53,274.85 from free cash and the use of $227,464 from funds from the Sale of Town Real Estate to fund the balance.
Other free cash proposals include $1,200 to purchase software to support tracking and ongoing maintenance schedules of town-owned vehicles; $42,000 for the replacement of the Highway Department's storage shed roof, $200,000 to reduce the tax levy.
Cassidy Flynn scattered five hits in a complete-game effort in the circle as Lenox upset top-seeded Hoosac Valley, 3-2, in the quarter-finals of the Division 5 State Tournament. click for more
Brayden Durant struck out seven and walked one in a complete-game effort on the mound Saturday to pitch the Drury baseball team to a 6-0 win over Keefe Tech in the quarter-finals of the Division 5 State Tournament at Joe Wolfe Field. click for more
Jason Codey struck out 13, walked two and allowed just an infield single as the Generals earned a 7-1 win over Wahconah to claim their third straight regional title. click for more
Gracelyn Wright struck out eight, and Genevieve Lagess went 3-for-5 with four runs batted in as the Hurricanes beat Monson, 17-3, to claim their first Western Mass title in four years. click for more
For the boys, Ward Bianchi helped lead the way with a win in the shot put and a second place in the javelin as the Mounties finished 16 points ahead of runner-up Pittsfield (pending the results of the pole vault, which were unavailable at 11 p.m. Friday night). click for more
