Shakespeare & Co. Gets $5,000 Grant

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LENOX — Shakespeare & Company’s Education Program has received a $5,000 grant from the Legacy Bank Foundation to support its New England Tour of Shakespeare, which brings a production of "A Midsummer Night’s Dream" throughout all five New England states, New York and New Jersey this spring.

"The New England Tour provides a large number of students with an invaluable first-hand experience," said Richard Sullivan, president of foundation. "It offers both a richer understanding of Shakespeare as well as the intricate details involved in the performing arts. The Legacy Banks Foundation is pleased to once again support Shakespeare & Company in its effort to educate area young people about one of the best known playwrights of all time."

The seven-actor, 16-week tour is directed by Jonathan Croy and offers both in-school and public venue performances as well as workshops and talkback sessions design to enhance study and enjoyment of the play. For tickets and further information, contact group sales director Victoria Vining at 413-637-1199 ext 132 or groupsales@shakespeare.org.

Shakespeare & Company's Education Program has reached nearly one million students since 1978 with performances, workshops and residencies. It was the subject of a in-depth, two-year study by Harvard University’s Project Zero, which recommended national replication. The program received the 2006 Coming Up Taller Award presented by first lady Laura Bush at the White House and, in 2005, it received the Commonwealth Award, the highest award for excellence in the arts, sciences and humanities given by the state of Massachusetts. The Education Program has been identified by the Arts Education Partnership and the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities as a "Champion of Change" and is recognized as an innovative leader in the field of arts-in-education.


The Education Program is focused on bringing Shakespeare alive and into the lives of as many students and teachers as possible through the active exploration and performance of Shakespeare’s plays.

Established in October 2005, The Legacy Banks Foundation continues the philanthropic philosophy of Legacy Banks and its predecessor banks, supporting the activities of organizations working toward the betterment of our community - with an emphasis in six major areas – affordable housing; economic development; education; health and human services; civic and community; and arts and culture.

Upcoming public performances include: The Academy of Music Theatre on Feb. 1  in Northampton; Symphony Hall in Springfield on March 12; Founders’ Theatre in Lenox on March 19 and 10, April 17 and 18, and The Egg in Albany, N.Y., on  April 8. For tickets and information on other performances, contact group tours director Victoria Vining at 413-637-1199, Ext. 132, or visit www.shakespeare.org
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A Boutique Hotel is Bringing Guests a Luxury Stay in Lenox

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff

LENOX, Mass. — A new Inn is bringing a boutique-style stay for visitors and locals to enjoy.

Owners, Sullivan Capital LLC, purchased the property, located on 135 Main Street, in 2024. After a year or renovations, Garden Gables Inn is open for business. 

"Garden Gables started off as one of the many Berkshire cottages, 1790 was the date on that, and it's always operated as an inn," said Hospitality Manager Yvonne Walton. "It's just a great gathering place and relaxation spot for people to come and get the feel of Lenox, and just slow down and enjoy the nature and the surrounding area...get culture and art and see some great concerts. I think it'll be a wonderful place, definitely does more of the upper-scale hospitality." 

Owners Niko Giallouis and Eric Sullivan bought the property from the former owner. Sullivan had his eye on Lenox since attending a wedding almost 10 years ago.

"I came to a wedding in Lenox, probably six or seven years ago. Personally, just kind of fell in love with the area, and I guess that's kind of how it got on my radar. So you know from that perspective, as we got into the hotel business out towards an area, it was a place I was kind of monitoring and waiting for the right property to show up."

After purchasing the two underwent a full renovation, a project that cost around $1.5 million. The building, first built in 1780, required some TLC. Sullivan's wife, Jessica, who owns Jessica Sullivan Design, designed the inn.

Sullivan said they installed a new roof, repainted everything, renovated the bathrooms, installed new floors, a new HVAC system, and new plumbing.

"We really touched everything from the outside...I mean, all the aesthetics and layouts changed a bit," he said. "As I said, put about a million and a half into it. All new furniture, fixtures, everything. The design's completely different. It wasn't a full gut, but it was a heavy, heavy renovation."

The two like to collaborate with local businesses, and they make a point to direct visitors to local restaurants, businesses, and attractions.

"If guests are asking for recommendations, our customer service team, our guest services team, will relay that kind of information. Even if we can call and make a reservation for somebody, happy to do it," he said. "We aren't doing breakfast, but what we do is we have partnerships with a lot of the breakfast places downtown. We actually purchase a gift certificates for each person each day, so that they can use that to go downtown."

Sullivan hopes that guests don't see their inn as just a place to sleep and dump their bags, but make it an experience for anyone who stays.

"We really focus on kind of the experience side of things, so again, we want to give you the best experience you can have here...and we want that not just to be the place you put your bag and go do things. It's important to think of everything," he said.

Sullivan said partnerships are important to their business and are a way to connect with locals.

"The local partnerships, I can't stress that enough, because no matter how much and how great the room is, people are still going to want to go do other things," he said. "So, I think it just benefits everybody if we're all working together and so forth, and supporting the community, being neighborly too, because we are surrounded by residential homes...But we really try to put a lot of blood, sweat, and tears, a lot of love into the building, all the details, really care about the senses," Sullivan said.

The Inn's check-in and reservations are completely online. When guests arrive, all they have to do is check in online and receive their code that they will use to enter their room. Sullivan hopes this helps create less stress for guests and gets them to their room as fast as possible, especially after a long trip.

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