Friday & Saturday: Taconic High School's Once Upon a Mattress

The Taconic High School Theatre Department presents Once Upon a Mattress, a hilarious tweaking of the fairy tale, The Princess and the Pea. Directed by Mrs. Jessica A. Passetto, this story unfolds when Queen Aggravain has ruled that none may marry until her son, Prince Dauntless marries. However, she has managed to sabotage every princess that come along. Find out what happens next!

Friday & Saturday, April 13-14 | Friday & Saturday 7pm, Saturday 2pm | Taconic High School | 96 Valentine Road | 413-448-9634 | Adults $12, students & seniors $10

Friday: Roots, Fruits and Greens at Gallery 25

Gallery 25 hosts an opening reception for the recent still-life paintings by Richmond's Marion Grant.  An avid gardener, Grant often turns to seasonal fruits and vegetables as subjects for her intensely hued oil paintings. This exhibit, Roots, Fruits, and Greens, celebrates the first stirrings of spring by bringing together a collection of recent works featuring luscious studies of cabbages, eggplants, beets, radishes, tomatoes, onions and other fruits and vegetables. Gallery hours are Thursday through Saturday, 12pm-5pm.

Friday, April 13 | 5pm-7pm | Gallery 25 | 25 Union Street | 413-464-2127 | FREE

Friday: Young Artists' Open Mic at The Marketplace

The Marketplace Café presents its monthly installment of Young Artists' Open Mic, when anyone 21 years old and younger can showcase their talents! Lenox High School singing talent Katherine Winston will host the event. You may sign up at the door or reserve your slot on Facebook by clicking HERE.

Friday, April 13 | 6:30pm-8:30pm | The Marketplace Café | 53 North Street | 413-358-4777 | No cover

Friday: Take Me Home at the Little Cinema

The Little Cinema presents the new indie film Take Me Home (click here to watch a trailer.) With both their lives in ruins, Thom, a taxi driver, agrees to drive Claire across the country to California. With detours through mountains, deserts and hometowns, Thom and Claire must choose between the lives they've left behind and the possibilities glimpsed in their journey together.

Friday-Monday, April 13-16 | 7pm | Berkshire Museum | 39 South Street | 413-443-7171 | $5

Friday & Saturday: Live Music at Flavours

Flavours of Malaysia presents Sirsy on Friday and Rakish Paddy on Saturday. The fiery, sultry, soulful, indie pop rock duo Sirsy has played with the likes of Maroon 5, Lifehouse and Collective Soul. Click here to listen to Sirsy. Rakish Paddy is a Celtic-influenced, classic folk band that plays toe tappin' fiddle tunes, banjo, mandolin and guitar, smooth vocals and heart bending ballads. 

Friday & Saturday, April 13-14 | 10pm | Flavours of Malaysia | 75 North Street | 413-443-3188 | $5

Saturday: Flower Pot Workshop!

Alchemy Initiative presents this flower pot workshop, led by Diane Firtell, on creating collaged and painted flower pots. Join her in the studio, where she will lead you through collaging, transferring images and painting the flower pot. Just in time for the garden season, you will leave with a beautiful 6 ¼ inches flower pot and the know-how to make many more. Not to mention, they make a great gift for Mother's Day! 

Saturday, April 14 | 9am-12pm | Alchemy Initiative | 40 Melville Street | 413-236-9600 | $60 including materials & tools

Saturday & Sunday: Baby Animals + Family Events at Hancock Shaker Village

Baby Animals on the Shaker Farm is one of the most exciting times of the year at the Village, when scores of baby lambs, piglets, calves, goats, ducklings, and chicks arrive at the historic Round Stone Barn. The event runs from 10am to 4pm daily through April 29. Plus this weekend enjoy David Grover & Friends performing a barnyard sing-along in the Round Stone Barn on Saturday from 11am-12:30pm! Plus Story Time sessions with authors Ty Allen Jackson and Liz Cogswell on Saturday and Sunaday at 12pm, international sheep shearing champion Fred DePaul, and pony rides 11am-4pm Saturday and Sunday.

Saturday, April 14 | 11am-12:30pm | Hancock Shaker Village | 1843 West Housatonic Street | 800-817-1137 | Adults $17, youth ages 13-17 $8; members & children 12 & under FREE; pony rides $5

Saturday: Tall Tales Speech Contest 

Hancock Shaker Village and Toastmasters Contestants present Tall Tales and International Speeches, a speech contest. The Tall Tales contest challenges the speaker's ability to deliver a story that comically tests the listener's credulity in three to five minutes. A classic example of this quintessentially American art form is the story of Paul Bunyan, who is bigger than big and stronger than strong. Admission to the contest is free. Those planning to stay afterwards to visit Hancock Shaker Village and its baby farm animals pay an admission fee. 

Saturday: Verdi's La Traviata at the Beacon

The Beacon Cinema presents this brand-new production of Verdi's La Traviata as part of its series Metropolitan Opera Live in HD. Natalie Dessay will put on the red dress in Willy Decker's stunning production, in her first Violetta at the Met. Matthew Polenzani sings Alfredo, Dmitri Hvorostovsky is Germont, and Principal Guest Conductor Fabio Luisi is on the podium.

Saturday, April 14 | 1pm | Beacon Cinema | 55 North Street | 413-358-4780 | $25 adults, $20 students

Saturday: Playwright Mentoring Project 

Barrington Stage Company hosts the final public performance for the award-winning Playwright Mentoring Project, where teens create an original performance piece based on their own stories  developed during weekly sessions over the past six months. The scenes are based on issues and stories from the participants' lives and include topics such as family stress, foster care, drug/alcohol abuse, teenage pregnancy and peer pressure.

Saturday, April 14 | 2pm | Barrington Stage Company Stage 2 | 36 Linden Street | 413-236-8888 | FREE with reservation

Saturday: Artist Reception for Let There Be Lighthouses at The Marketplace

The Marketplace Café hosts an artist reception for Marguerite Bride's exhibit entitled Let There Be Lighthouses, on display throughout the month of April. This solo show of watercolors by Bride displays her fascination with lighthouses which dates back to before she began painting. Bride has a studio on North Street where she paints, meets with clients and gives private watercolor lessons. See a preview of the paintings on exhibit on her website, www.margebride.com.

Saturday, April 14 | 5pm-7pm | The Marketplace Café | 55 North Street | 413-358-4777 | no cover

Saturday: Ballroom Dancing at the Masonic Temple

Berkshire Ballroom Dancers/USA Dance host this night of dancing, featuring ballroom dancing and a free, light refreshments. Music by DJ Dan De Bennedetto will kick off the dance party at 7:45pm. De Bennedetto will also provide free, basic lessons in Tango prior to that at 7pm.

Saturday, April 14 | 7pm–11pm | Masonic Temple | 116 South Street | 413-684-1510 | general admission $13, USA Dance members $9, students $5

Saturday: Out at Spice Dragon

Spice Dragon presents a solo show featuring Dave Malachino AND the second Out in the Berkshires event on 2012! Gather your friends, family and more and join the fun during a social cocktail hour. Show your support for the GLBTQ community and its allies and have a great time doing it. Who knows you might see an old friend or make a new one!

Saturday, April 14 | 9pm-11:30pm | Spice Dragon | 297 North Street | 413-443-1234 | No cover

Monday: Abraham Lincoln

EPOCH Assisted Living at Melbourne presents Live the Legacy, a one-man presentation by historian Myron Hood on Abraham Lincoln. Hood will present stories about Lincoln's life on the prairie along with reflections from the Civil War and his presidency. This performance is free and open to the public.

Monday, April 16 | 3pm | EPOCH Assisted Living | 140 Melboure Road | 413-499-1992 | FREE

Tuesday: The Magic of Bill Blagg Live!

The Colonial Theatre presents the Magic of Bill Blagg, the most entertaining magic and illusion show on the market today. Click HERE to watch a clip from one of Bill Blagg's magical performances! This is a Las Vegas-style family show, full of grand-scale magic, illusion and unmatched audience interaction. Bill Blagg III breaks the mold of the typical magician, as critics compare his show to The Second City meets David Copperfield.

Tuesday, April 17 | 2pm | The Colonial Theatre | 111 South Street | 413-997-4444 | $15

Wednesday: Show Up Show Off at Y Bar

Y Bar hosts this monthly meeting of both professional and amateur photographers from Berkshire County. This month, Show Up Show Off participants will be showing and critiquing images from Project: Museum. Martin Greene challenged SUSO members last month to use the museum setting to select something that interests them and take a series of images of it.

Wednesday, April 18 | 6:30pm | Y Bar | 391 North Street | No phone | FREE

Wednesday: Session Americana at The Garage

The Garage presents acclaimed Boston folk band Session Americana at its venue inside The Colonial Theatre. Click HERE to watch Session Americana perform.  Session Americana, winners of two Boston Music Awards and nominated for two others, has performed throughout New England and New York state, receiving plenty of positive recognition. To see what all of the talk is about, check them out in the comfortable setting of The Garage!

Wednesday, April 18 | 9pm | The Colonial Theatre | 111 South Street | 413-997-4444 | $7

Thursday: Robin Hood at the Athenaeum

The Friends of the Berkshire Athenaeum, in collaboration with Hampstead Stage Co., present a free performance of  Robin Hood, the timeless adventurous tale of a hero who lived during the reign of the greedy and jealous Prince John. No registration is required. Children under 10 must be accompanied at all times by an adult over 18 years of age. Through this action-packed story, it is the hope to educate the students about the importance of perseverance and leadership.

Thursday, April 19 | 1pm | Berkshire Athenaeum | 1 Wendell Avenue | 413-499-9408 | FREE

Thursday: Monument at The Marketplace

The Marketplace Café presents Monument, a pop/indie/folk/rock band from Pittsfield, as part of its Thursday Live series of live music entertainment. Along with a great menu of food and beverage items, The Marketplace will be filled with great tunes courtesy of the duo of Seth Stambovsky and Jordan Franklin. Don't forget, it's BYOB, so bring your best wine or favorite beer and enjoy the show!

Thursday, April 19 | 6:30pm-8:30pm | The Marketplace Café | 53 North Street | 413-358-4777 | No cover