Cultural Pittsfield This Week: July 31-Aug. 6

Print Story | Email Story
Office of Cultural Development | City of Pittsfield
 
 

Friday- Saturday: Tag Sale With Something For Everyone To Benefit the Berkshire Carousel

 

Hundreds of items to choose from and something for everyone at this tag sale for the Berkshire Carousel. Friday and Saturday, July 31 and August 1, continuing the following weekend August 7 -8. Please call 413.499.0457 for more information. Contact person: maria@berkshirecarousel.com

 

Friday- Saturday, July 31 - August 1 | 8am-4pm | 641 East Street  | 413-499-0457| NO COVER

Friday: Paint N Sip Fundraiser For The Alzheimer's Association

 

Please consider joining for a very special night for Paint n Sip Joint Fundraiser with Home Instead Senior Care of The Berkshires for The Alzheimer's Association. Learn how to paint Into a Sunset with acrylics with artist Teri Davis.

 

Friday, July 31| 5:30pm-8:30pm |Home Instead Senior Care of The Berkshires | 66 Wendell Avenue |$35

Friday: Paint Party at Berkshire Paint and Sip

 

On Friday night join the paint party and learn to paint Summer Lavender. All painting materials and a light snack are included for the two hour painting.

 

Friday, July 31 | 6pm-8pm | Berkshire Paint and Sip | 305 North Street |413-205-8346 | $30

Friday+: Shrek The Musical at Berkshire Museum

 

Shrek The Musical (Theatre for Young Audiences version) is a Tony Award-winning fairy tale adventure that brings all the beloved characters you know from the film to life on stage. An unlikely hero, Shrek finds himself on a life-changing journey alongside a wisecracking Donkey and a feisty princess who resists her rescue. Throw in a short tempered bad guy, a cookie with an attitude, and over a dozen other fairy tale misfits, and you have the kind of mess that calls for a real hero.

 

Through August 9 | Wed/Thurs/Fri at 7pm; Wed/Thurs/Sat/Sun at 2pm | Berkshire Museum | 39 South Street | 413-443-7171 | $12+

Friday- Saturday: FINAL WEEKEND for Lost In Yonkers at Barrington Stage

 

The Boston Globe says "you owe it to yourself to see Barrington Stage Company's outstanding production" of  Lost in Yonkers.  The show is a  heartfelt and hilarious coming-of-age story by America's great comic playwright, Neil Simon. Like many of Simon's plays, Lost in Yonkers is drawn from his experiences growing up in New York City. Set during World War II, two young brothers, Arty and Jay, are sent to live with their formidable German Jewish immigrant grandmother, the sweet but mentally challenged Aunt Bella, and Uncle Louie, a small-time hoodlum running away from gangsters.

 

Through Saturday, August 1 | Fri & Sat 2pm & 8pm | Barrington Stage Company | Boyd-Quinson Mainstage | 30 Union Street | 413-236-8888 | $20+

Friday & Saturday: Pre-show Serenade for Shakespeare in the Park 2015 at The Whitney

 

The Whitney Center for the Arts is delighted to curate the pre-show serenade for Pittsfield Shakespeare in the Park's Romeo and Juliet's Friday and Saturday performances. Each performance will start at 7:15. Bring picnics, make an evening out of it! Of course all of this is free to the public, both the music and the show.  Friday features Matt Cahill and Saturday is Ron Ramsey & Sam Talora.
 

Friday-Saturday, July 31-August 1 | 7:15pm-7:45pm | First Street Common | NO COVER

Friday-Sunday: FREE Pittsfield Shakespeare in the Park Presents Romeo And Juliet

 

Do not miss the final weekend of this FREE event! Shakespeare's indelible story of star-crossed lovers moves from rowdy comedy to genuine tragedy with the flick of a rapier. Featuring a cast of local professionals and young adult actors, Romeo and Juliet will be performed outdoors, under the stars. Bring your picnic blankets and lawn chairs and enjoy the magic! Food and drinks are available for purchase during the show.  

 

Through August 2 | Fri-Sun | 8pm | First Street Common | FREE 

Friday-Sunday+: A Little More Alive at Barrington Stage

 

In this heartfelt and original folk-pop musical, two estranged brothers reunite at their childhood home after their mother's funeral. An unexpected revelation distorts every memory they have, and as they uncover secrets that had been hiding in plain sight their whole lives, Nate and Jeremy find that no one is exempt from the gray area between right and wrong.

 

Through August 8 | Tues-Sat 7:30pm, Thurs/Sat/Sun 3pm | Barrington Stage Company | St. Germain Stage | 36 Linden Street | 413-236-8888 | $43+

Friday+: The Club at the Garage at the Colonial

 

The Club is a musical excursion into the world of a private Edwardian men's club, where men can be men and indulge in those pastimes that sets them apart from the rest of the human race. Where they can drink, play, smoke, and of course talk about what's always on their mind: women!

 

Through August 9 | 8pm |The Garage | Colonial Theatre | 111 South Street | 413-997-4444 | $30

Friday+: Outdoor Movies at Clapp Park: The Lego Movie

 

The movie series is a free, family friendly event. The movies will be shown at Clapp Park this year, beginning shortly after dusk (about 8:30pm). This year's line-up features movies that the whole family can enjoy.  Next week, the final movie of the season will be Frozen.   

  

Fridays through August 7 | 8:30pm | Clapp Park | 413-499-9368 | FREE

Friday: Roar at The Little Cinema

 

An unprecedented--and wholly unpredictable--action-adventure, Roar follows wildlife preservationist Hank ("The Exorcist" producer Noel Marshall in his sole and careeer-derailing turn as an actor and director), who lives harmoniously alongside a menagerie of over 100 untamed animals, including cheetahs, elephants, lions and tigers on a preservation in the African plains. When his wife and children arrive (real-life wife Tippi Hedren, step-daughter Melanie Griffith, and his sons John and Jerry Marshall) for a visit, a long-brewing battle for dominance between the lions erupts and threatens their very lives.

 

Friday, July 31 | 9:30pm | Berkshire Museum | Little Cinema | 39 South Street | 413-443-7171 | $5 Museum Members, $7.50 Museum Non Members

Saturday+: The Downtown Pittsfield Farmers

 

Come get fresh with at the market this week! Bring your pet to the market for a day of celebration! Market day will be extra fun for you and your dog thanks to Love Us and Leave Us, the day's sponsor! Join at 11am for a chef demo with Molly Johnston from Back to Basics Cooking. From 11am to 1pm music and performance by Ms. Wicker and Tony Elbow. Shoppers will find pasture-raised meats, eggs, fresh fruits and vegetables, breads, baked goods, coffee, wine, cut flowers, and plants, as well as beautiful artisan wares. The Market will run rain or shine.  SNAP (EBT/Food Stamps) accepted.

 

Saturdays through October 31 | 9am-1pm | The Common | 1st Street and Eagle Street | info@farmersmarketpittsfield.org | NO COVER

Saturday: Marguerite Bride Art Sale

 

Christmas in August? Marguerite Bride has moved from her North Street studio to her home studio at 46 Glory Drive, Pittsfield. Please help her downsize her inventory. Prices of originals and fine art reproductions, framed and unframed, have been reduced to at least HALF original price and more! Time to redecorate! Come! One day only. Rain date is August 2.

 

Saturday, August 1 | 10am -3pm | 46 Glory Drive |413-841-1659 | NO COVER

 

Saturday-Sunday: Age of Iron Metalworking Weekend  at Hancock Shaker Village

 

Shakers, working hammer and tongs!  Join us on Saturday and / or Sunday as  metalworkers demonstrate their exciting craft! Many metal items used by the Shakers were made in a blacksmith's forge. Historic Shaker metalworking will be highlighted, along with contemporary techniques. See a variety of forges in use, as well as hinges, latches and door handles being forged by hand, many for sale in our Village Store.

 

Saturday- Sunday, August 1-2 | 10am -5pm | Hancock Shaker Village | 1843 West Housatonic Street |413-443-0188 | FREE with admission

Saturday: Old Salt's Day at Arrowhead

 

Happy Birthday, Herman! Arrowhead has designated Saturday August 1 "Old Salt's Day" in honor of Herman's days on the sea. Come to Arrowhead for a piece of cake. All professional sailors, past or present, receive free admission.In this 1860 photograph (courtesy of the Berkshire Athenaeum), Herman is seated next to his brother Thomas Melville. Thomas was then the captain of the clipper ship "Meteor." He gave Herman a ride to San Francisco from May-August, 1860. At that point Herman got homesick, and returned home via Panama.

 

 

Saturday, August 1 | 9:30am -5pm | Arrowhead | 780 Holmes Road |413-442-1793 | $8-$13  

Saturday-Monday: The Wolfpack at The Little Cinema

 

Six bright teenage brothers have spent their entire lives locked away from society in a Manhattan housing project. All they know of the outside is gleaned from the movies they watch obsessively (and recreate meticulously). Yet as adolescence looms, they dream of escape, ever more urgently, into the beckoning world.  *NEW! The 10am show on August 1 will be a special infant-friendly screening of the weekend feature. They will turn the theater lights up slightly so you can walk the baby around if you need to, and keep the volume slightly lower so as not to startle the little ones. Free admission for infants under 12 months of age.  

Saturday-Monday, August 1-3 | Sat 10am*, Sat - Mon 7pm| Berkshire Museum | Little Cinema | 39 South Street |413-443-7171 | $5 Museum Members, $7.50 Museum Non Members

Artwork by
Illustrator Nuno Saraiva

Saturday: Reimagined! An International Show of Comic and Cartoon Art at the Lichtenstein

 

The Berkshire Art Association (BAA) and Comic and Cartoon Art are coming together for the show of all shows.  It features artists from all over the world from Pittsfield to Portugal to the United Kingdom.  Superheroes, artists and friends are invited to the opening reception.  This family-friendly event, sponsored by Berkshire Gas, will feature music by High Adventure!, face painting and comic art making by Michael Vincent Bushy and Joe Staton. Festive comic-inspired attire and costumes are encouraged, but not required.  The exhibit is up through August 29. 

 

Saturday, August 1 | 4pm-7pm | Lichtenstein Center for the Art  | 28 Renne Avenue | 413-499-9348 | FREE

Saturday: Gospel United at First United Methodist Church

 

Gospel United, building the community through song together featuring Ayana George and Zion. A portion of the proceeds will go towards newspapers for education and for youth back to school supplies. Call for advance tickets, group discounts available.

 

Saturday, August 1 | 4pm-6pm | First United Methodist Church  | 55 Fenn Street | 413-212-0130 | $15

Saturday-Thursday: Pittsfield Suns at Wahconah Park

 

The Pittsfield Suns has three home games this week. On Saturday and Sunday they play the Torrington Titans and on Thursday they're against the Bristol Blues. Come out to support Pittsfield's hometown team! Click here for the full team schedule.

Saturday, Sunday & Thursday, August 1, 2 & 6 | 7pm & 4pm | Wahconah Park | 143 Wahconah Street | 413-445-7867 | $5

Saturday: Robert Klein at The Colonial

 

For more than forty years, Robert Klein has entertained audiences, and he continues to have an acclaimed career in comedy, on Broadway, on television, and in film. He was nominated twice for Grammy Awards, he received a Tony Award-nomination for Best Actor, and was the first comedian to appear in a live concert on HBO. He has gone on to do nine one-man shows for the network; his most recent, Robert Klein: Unfair and Unbalanced aired in 2010. He regularly appears on talk-shows, making more than 100 appearances on The Tonight Show and Late Show with David Letterman alone.

 

Saturday, August 1 | 8pm |The Garage | Colonial Theatre | 111 South Street | 413-997-4444 | $25-$55

Sunday: Domingo Brunch at Dottie's

  
It's the first Sunday of the month, which means Domingo Brunch at Dottie's with specials and live music, by Casey & The Base Notes.  Enjoy engaging, fun and unique original blues, soul and jazz music as well as scrumptious brunch specials. No cover.

  

Sunday, August 2 | 10am-1pm | Dottie's Coffee Lounge | 444 North Street | 413-443-1792 | NO COVER

Sunday: First Sundays Jazz at the Whitney

The Gypsy Jazz Ambassadors will be rocking the Whit once again!  They are modeled after the Paris jazz club scene of the 1920's through 1950's. Jazz music from America came to Europe, where it was picked up by traveling gypsies, who were then hired to perform in these clubs.  The musicians are: 
Andy Kelly; Charlie Tokarz; Eileen Markland and
John Kelly.  


Sunday, August 2 | 6pm | Whitney Center for the Arts | 42 Wendell | NO COVER

Sunday-Monday: Sally Wilfert- Fresh And Fancy Free at Mr Finn's Cabaret

 

Join the brilliant song stylist Sally Wilfert as she offers up a plate of ripe and ready tunes by exciting new and emerging artists. Sally invites you to experience the hilarious and heartbreaking stories of life from a new generation of artists who tell their tales in fresh, new musical voices.

Sunday-Monday, August 2-3 | 8pm | Barrington Stage Company | 36 Linden Street | 413-236-8888 | $35

Monday+: Interactive Creative Workshop at Berkshire Carousel

 

Berkshire Carousel will host five interactive creative workshops at The Berkshire Carousel Workshop on East Street Suite #2. Painting Whimsical Animals, Flowers, and Children with Artist Teri Davis. Mondays August 3,10,17,24 and Fridays August 7, 14,21,28 from 10am - noon. Carving for Kids- Using kid sized tools and materials and learn how to carve. Thursday August 6th 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm. Working with Textures, Techniques for Painting Stonewalls of the Berkshires with Artist Teri Davis. Wednesdays 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm. Jewelry Making 101- Mondays in August 3,10,17, 24, 31, 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm. Reservations are required and nonrefundable. Please call 413-499-0457 for more information and to signup.

 

Through August |The Berkshire Carousel Workshop | 1440 East Street Suite #2 | 413-449-0457 | Prices vary

Monday: Jewish Federation Connecting with Community with Storyteller David Arfa at Congregation Knesset Israel

 

The Jewish Federation of the Berkshires' Connecting with Community series will be joined by maggid (storyteller) David Arfa for "A Sense of Wonder: Journeying with Rabbi Heschel and Rachel Carson." During the first half of our workshop, through close textual reading, we will explore their nuanced understandings about wonder and awe and find relevance for us today.  During the second half, we will take the time to remember and share our own wondrous encounters with the natural world.  Through this process, we will place wonder in a Jewish context and deepen our personal sense of awe." David Arfa is dedicated to Judaism's storytelling heritage and ancient environmental wisdom.

 

Monday, August 3 | 10:45am-12pm | Congregation Knesset Israel | 16 Colt Road | 413-445-4872 | FREE

Monday: Craft Activity: Superhero Appreciation Craft at the Berkshire Athenaeum

 

Craft Activities last for 30 - 40 minutes and are intended for children 5 - 12 years old. Registration is required (in person or by phone). Signups start one week prior to activity and is limited to the first 18 children. If you can't make it to the activity, you must call to cancel so the space can be offered to another child. Two "no-shows" mean your child cannot sign up for further craft activities.

 

Monday, August 3 | 1pm | Berkshire Athenaeum | One Wendell Ave | 413-499-9480 | FREE

Monday: Claire Illouz "The Whiteness of the Whale" at Arrowhead

 

At Arrowhead, August 3 from 4-5:30 pm, artist Claire Illouz will discuss her fabulous artwork based on chapter 42, "The Whiteness of the Whale" from Moby-Dick, published in a limited edition folio. A great way to finish your Melville weekend! 

 

Monday, August 3 | 4pm-5:30pm | Arrowhead | 780 Holmes Road | 413-442-1793 | FREE

Tuesday: iOS for Beginners at the Berkshire Athenaeum

 

Congratulations! You have an iPhone, iPad, or iPod but it is so new to you that you do not know where to start. This open format class is geared towards first-time users who are having trouble with gesturing and orienting themselves around the device. We will cover topics like affiliating your tablet with an iCloud account, what apps are and other questions that are raised during class. This class is ideal for people who identify themselves as "extremely new to technology" users. 

 

Tuesday, August 4 | 9:30am-10:30am | Berkshire Athenaeum | One Wendell Ave | 413-499-9480 | FREE

Tuesday: Special Program - Heroes In The Community at the Berkshire Athenaeum

 

This is a special program featuring Chief of Police Michael Wynn and Fire Chief Robert Czerwinski as they present stories of our community heroes. Special programs are suggested for children ages 5 and up.

Tuesday, August 4 | 1pm | Berkshire Athenaeum | One Wendell Ave | 413-499-9480 | FREE

Tuesday: Gone Are The Days at The Little Cinema

 

LIFT EV'RY VOICE Film Series special screening + discussion with Dr. Don Quinn Kelley, historian and filmmaker. A young, idealistic man returns home to the plantation where he grew up in servitude. With him, he brings his fiance, Lutiebelle, in hopes of convincing the plantation owner that she is really his cousin in order to secure the family inheritance. To aid in the comic complications that follow are his family members Missy and Gitlow, and the plantation owners endearing (but ineffectual) son Charlie. $5 suggested donation.

 

Tuesday, August 4 | 2pm | Berkshire Museum | Little Cinema | 39 South Street |413-443-7171| FREE

Wednesday: Free Blood Pressure Screening at Berkshire Athenaeum

 

The Berkshire Health Systems Community Outreach Van visits at the library's Wendell Avenue entrance and professional staff on the van offer free Blood Pressure Screenings. No appointment necessary.

 

Wednesday, August 5 | 10am-12pm | Berkshire Athenaeum | One Wendell Ave | 413-499-9480 |FREE

Wednesday: Live on the Lake with Wildcard!

 

Live on the Lake is brought to you by Live 95.9 and Greylock Federal Credit Union. Bring a chair or blanket and enjoy concerts at beautiful Burbank Park on Onota Lake. Concerts begin in July and are Wednesday evenings from 6 to 8 pm through August.

 

Wednesday, August 5 | 6pm-8pm | Lake Onota | FREE

Wednesday: Shrek at The Beacon Cinema 

 

Shrek is the fifth movie in the Greylock Federal Credit Union FREE movie series at The Beacon all summer long every Wednesday night at 7pm!  Tickets are FREE and will be issued on a first come first served basis beginning at 6pm, one hour before show time. Back To The Future be shown on August 12.

 

 Click here for the full list of movies.

 

Wednesday, August 5 | 7pm | Beacon Cinema | 57 North Street | 413-358-4780 | FREE

Thursday: Jewish Federation Connecting with Community "Sing Along to Songs" at Congregation Knesset Israel

 

The Jewish Federation of the Berkshires' Connecting with Community series presents "Sing Along to Songs from the Golden Age" with musician and singer, Paula Farbman. During Broadway's Golden age, the songs from the famed musicals of that era became part of our country's musical culture. Farbman is a pianist and singer who worked as a high school choral director or over 30 years on Long Island.  For over 25 years, she conducted synagogue choirs for noted cantors.  She began her vocal training at Juilliard and has appeared in choral performances at Lincoln Center, Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, Tanglewood and the Colonial Theatre.

 

Thursday, August 6 | 10:45am-12pm | Congregation Knesset Israel | 16 Colt Road | 413-445-4872 | FREE

Thursday: Special Program: Teen Graphic Novel Writing Workshop at Berkshire Athenaeum

 

Maybe your interest is a Super Hero, your own life story, or you-know-it's-in there-somewhere-dying to get out. Don't worry if you think you can't draw.
Barbara will teach you how to develop characters, plot stories and offer tips on the creative process. "Bring your work!" she says, "And if you don't have
any, let's get started!" Barbara Slate is a cartoonist who has written, drawn and created over 300 stories-for Marvel, DC Comics, and Archie Comics. She is featured as one of the century's most important women cartoonists in "A Century of Women Cartoonists."The Workshop is for teens 13 - 18 years old and is limited to the first 20 teens.  You must register at the Children's Desk or by calling the Children's Department at (413) 499-9480 ext. 203.  Registration opens on June 29th and you must register by August 3rd.

 

Thursday, August 6 | 1pm | Berkshire Athenaeum | One Wendell Ave | 413-499-9480 | FREE

Thursday+: His Girl Friday at Barrington Stage

 

Editor Walter Burns will do anything to find an ace reporter cunning enough to scoop a story in the cutthroat Chicago press world, even if that means turning to his ex-wife, Hildy Johnson, who comes back to the newsroom one last time before leaving the game for good. In Guare's adaptation, the play takes place in 1939, the day before war breaks out in Europe, which adds a political framework to the otherwise antic proceedings.

 

Through August 30 |  Thurs-Sat at 8pm; Sun at 5pm, Wed/Fri 2pm | Boyd-Quinson Mainstage | Barrington Stage | 30 Union Street | 413-236-8888 | $20

Please take this short Pittsfield Cultural Council Survey!

 

The Pittsfield Cultural Council funds projects in the arts, humanities, and sciences, with the goal of supporting local artists, cultural organizations, schools, and the city of Pittsfield at large in building a vibrant, diverse community with a rich cultural foundation. They are seeking input on their funding priorities for the upcoming year. Please take a moment to complete our survey. Thank you!  

  

Click here to go to the survey.

Fan Us On Facebook!        Follow Us On Twitter!

 

If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

MassDOT Project Will Affect Traffic Near BMC

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Prepare for traffic impacts around Berkshire Medical Center through May for a state Department of Transportation project to improve situations and intersections on North Street and First Street.

Because of this, traffic will be reduced to one lane of travel on First Street (U.S. Route 7) and North Street between Burbank Street and Abbott Street from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday through at least May 6.

BMC and Medical Arts Complex parking areas remain open and detours may be in place at certain times. The city will provide additional updates on changes to traffic patterns in the area as construction progresses.

The project has been a few years in the making, with a public hearing dating back to 2021. It aims to increase safety for all modes of transportation and improve intersection operation.

It consists of intersection widening and signalization improvements at First and Tyler streets, the conversion of North Street between Tyler and Stoddard Avenue to serve one-way southbound traffic only, intersection improvements at Charles Street and North Street, intersection improvements at Springside Avenue and North Street, and the construction of a roundabout at the intersection of First Street, North Street, Stoddard Avenue, and the Berkshire Medical Center entrance.

Work also includes the construction of 5-foot bike lanes and 5-foot sidewalks with ADA-compliant curb ramps.  

Last year, the City Council approved multiple orders for the state project: five orders of takings for intersection and signal improvements at First Street and North Street. 

The total amount identified for permanent and temporary takings is $397,200, with $200,000 allocated by the council and the additional monies coming from carryover Chapter 90 funding. The state Transportation Improvement Plan is paying for the project and the city is responsible for 20 percent of the design cost and rights-of-way takings.

View Full Story

More Pittsfield Stories