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Barrington Stage Youth Theatre Presents 'James and the Giant Peach'

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Barrington Stage Youth Theatre presents "James and the Giant Peach" from July 26 through Aug. 12 at Berkshire Museum.

"James and the Giant Peach," book by Timothy Allen MdDonald, based on the book "James and the Giant Peach" by Roald Dahl, is a brand new take on this "masterpeach" of a tale. Featuring a wickedly tuneful score and a witty and charming book, this is an adventurous musical about courage and self-discovery. When James is sent by his conniving aunts to chop down their old fruit tree, he discovers a magic potion that grows a tremendous peach, rolls into the ocean and launches a journey of enormous proportions. James befriends a collection of singing insects that ride the giant piece of fruit across the ocean, facing hunger, sharks, and plenty of disagreements along the way.

The Words and music are by Benj Pasek & Justin Paul, the Academy and Tony Award-winning team that created the music for "Dear Evan Hansen," "La La Land" and "A Christmas Story, The Musical." It was choreographed by Steven Dean Moore and directed by Sarah Jane Schostack.

Barrington Stage Company's Youth Theatre program is designed to extend the professionalism of Barrington Stateg's mainstage productions to local youth between the ages of 13-19. Once accepted, students are given the experience of an Equity production process (rehearsals, tech, press and performance) under the guidance of professional director and choreographer. The production's professional performance schedule teaches the students the discipline and spontaneity necessary for a professional actor to repeat a performance for eight shows each week for three weeks. Youth Theatre actors will also have the opportunity to attend BSC’s Mainstage productions, engage in talkbacks with the casts, and participate in master classes led by professional theatre artists.

Tickets $20 for adults and $15 youth; for the preview performances on July 26 and 28, tickets are $10. For tickets, call the Barrington Stage Company Box Office at 413-236-8888 or visit the website. Children ages 5 and older are welcome at all performances when accompanied by an adult. Children ages 3 to 5 may attend Family Saturday performances.


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State Fire Marshal: New Tracking Tool Identifies 50 Lithium-Ion Battery Fires

STOW, Mass. — The Massachusetts Department of Fire Services' new tool for tracking lithium-ion battery fires has helped to identify 50 such incidents in the past six months, more than double the annual average detected by a national fire data reporting system, said State Fire Marshal Jon M. Davine.
 
The Department of Fire Services launched its Lithium-Ion Battery Fire Investigative Checklist on Oct. 13, 2023. It immediately went into use by the State Police Fire & Explosion Investigation Unit assigned to the State Fire Marshal's office, and local fire departments were urged to adopt it as well. 
 
Developed by the DFS Fire Safety Division, the checklist can be used by fire investigators to gather basic information about fires in which lithium-ion batteries played a part. That information is then entered into a database to identify patterns and trends.
 
"We knew anecdotally that lithium-ion batteries were involved in more fires than the existing data suggested," said State Fire Marshal Davine. "In just the past six months, investigators using this simple checklist have revealed many more incidents than we've seen in prior years."
 
Prior to the checklist, the state's fire service relied on battery fire data reported to the Massachusetts Fire Incident Reporting System (MFIRS), a state-level tool that mirrors and feeds into the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS). NFIRS tracks battery fires but does not specifically gather data on the types of batteries involved. Some fields do not require the detailed information that Massachusetts officials were seeking, and some fires may be coded according to the type of device involved rather than the type of battery. Moreover, MFIRS reports sometimes take weeks or months to be completed and uploaded.
 
"Investigators using the Lithium-Ion Battery Fire Checklist are getting us better data faster," said State Fire Marshal Davine. "The tool is helpful, but the people using it are the key to its success."
 
From 2019 to 2023, an average of 19.4 lithium-ion battery fires per year were reported to MFIRS – less than half the number identified by investigators using the checklist over the past six months. The increase since last fall could be due to the growing number of consumer devices powered by these batteries, increased attention by local fire investigators, or other factors, State Fire Marshal Davine said. For example, fires that started with another item but impinged upon a battery-powered device, causing it to go into thermal runaway, might not be categorized as a battery fire in MFIRS or NFIRS.
 
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