First phase of restoration complete, Mahaiwe will begin hosting various activities

By Jack Guillet12:00AM / Friday, June 06, 2003Print Story | Email Story

The century-old Mahaiwe Theatre in Great Barrington is on the verge of having the first phase of its restoration work entirely finished. Now known as the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center, the historic theatre, which opened in 1905, is being restored to its former grandeur, while being updated with modern amenities and being made safer. Although there is still much work to be done, the completion of phase I represents the completion of enough work to open the theatre to activities, like a film series, a lecture series, comedy nights, theater, dance, community projects, and children's and young people's programs, according to Lola Jaffe, the president and chair of the board of directors of The Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center Inc., which is the nonprofit group that is overseeing and fund raising for the restoration project. To celebrate the completion of phase I, a "construction cocktail party" is slated for Saturday, May 31, from 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m., at the theatre, which is located at 14 Castle St. The agenda for phase I, which Jaffe said will be done by May 30 if not a couple of days sooner, was forced to be changed when an unforeseen accident occurred around Christmastime last year. A small portion of the theatre's ceiling fell because leaks in the roof damaged it, and the damage was neglected, she said. The installation of a new ceiling and roof replaced the installation of heating, ventilation and air conditioning, collectively known as HVAC, as the priority of phase I. The contractor is Pittsfield-based Allegrone Construction Co. The ceiling and middle roof - there are three altogether - were replaced, and work was done to get the theatre entirely up to code, Jaffe said. During the new ceiling installation, ducts were installed for the HVAC. At the request of the Fire Department, a new fire alarm system was installed, she said. In addition a sprinkler system and handicapped-accessible bathroom were installed, as well as high-output lighting. Although the 700-seat theatre is not yet equipped with air conditioning, it is much safer, Jaffe said. Furthermore phase I, which has cost $500,000, included the construction of a second staircase onto the stage, allowing a "quick egress" for actors and people below the stage if ever there was an emergency, Jaffe said. The first phase also included the full restoration of painting and scroll work under the paint within the theatre, she said. The concession stand in the theatre's lobby was removed, so now the Mahaiwe "looks like a theatre, not a movie house," she said. The second phase of the project comprises the installation of the HVAC and additional restoration work, she said. Since the theatre's nonprofit group is still in the process of raising money for that phase, Jaffe said it's still unclear as to when it'll begin; she said she and her group hope to secure the pledges they need in the next few months. Although it's unclear as to when phase II will start, further work to the theatre is quite possible this summer, Jaffe said. The theatre's other two roofs might be replaced this summer; minor work to the theatre's infrastructure is also a possibility, she said. Despite the current uncertainties, the HVAC work is slated to begin right after Labor Day, Jaffe said. Because prices and bids are still in the works, it is also unclear at this point how much the second phase will cost. "It's hard to say at this point," she said. The Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center became a nonprofit group on Jan. 24, when Great Barrington-based Berkshire Opera Co. signed the theatre over to the group. To the company, the theatre had become too much of a financial and managerial burden, said Jaffe, who left a company chair position to be president and chair of the new nonprofit. It was "best for both entities to survive," she said. According to the web site of the group and the theatre, http://www.mahaiwe.org, which was put online last week, the theatre, one-and-one-half years ago, was designated as an official project of "Save America's Treasures," which is a "millennium" project of then First Lady, now U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton, of New York, and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. In being named such a project the theatre was allocated a $250,000 federal grant, which is going to be spent on the restoration work of phase II when the time comes, Jaffe said. One of the conditions of the grant is that each step of the restoration has to be approved by the Massachusetts Historical Commission before it can be executed, she said. The restoration work is approved by a state agency because, even though the grant is federal, it's administered by the state, she said. U.S. Rep. John Olver, D-Amherst, secured the grant, she said. A couple of summer events are scheduled for the Mahaiwe thus far. The Boston Early Music Festival is slated to perform a Baroque opera called Ariadne on three days: June 20 and June 21, both at 7 p.m., and June 22 at 2:30 p.m. On Thursday, June 26, the Berkshire Opera is slated to do a semistaged performance of Verdi's La Traviata. Boston Early Music, Jaffe said, is a group from Boston, and its festival comprises a large production with elaborate costumes and scenery. During the production, which is going to be performed in Europe following the Berkshire dates, Boston Early Music members use "old instruments," the tones of which are different than modern instruments, Jaffe said. She said Close Encounters With Music plans on doing events at the Mahaiwe in the fall and winter, and a film group plans on having a film festival at the theatre in the fall.

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MCLA Graduates Told to Make the World Worthy of Them

By Tammy Daniels iBerkshires Staff
05:27PM / Saturday, May 16, 2026

Keynote speaker Michael Bobbitt was awarded an honorary doctor of fine arts. He told the graduates to make the world worthy of them. See more photos here.

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Amsler Campus Center gym erupted in cheers on Saturday as 193 members of class of 2026 turned their tassels.

The graduates of Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts' 127th commencement were sent off with the charge of "don't stop now" to make the world a better place.

You are Trailblazers, keynote speaker Michael Bobbitt reminded them, and a "trailblazer is not simply someone who walks a path. A trailblazer makes one, but blazing a trail does not happen alone. Every trailblazer is carrying tools made by somebody else. Every trailblazer is guided by stars they did not create. Every trailblazer stands on grounds shaped by ancestors, teachers, workers, neighbors, friends, and strangers."

Trailblazing takes communal courage, he said, and they needed to love people, build with people, argue with people, and find the people who make them braver and kinder at the same time.

"The future will not be saved by isolated geniuses, it will be saved by networks of people willing to practice courage together. The future belongs not to the loudest, not to the richest, not to the most certain, but to the most adaptive, the most creative, the most courageous, the most willing to learn."

Bobbitt was recently named CEO of Opera American after nearly five years leading the Massachusetts Cultural Council. He stressed the importance of art to the graduates, and noted that opera is not the only art form facing challenges in this world.

"Every field is asking, who are we for now? What do we, what value do we create?" he said. "What do we stop pretending is fine. This is not just an arts question, that is a healthcare question, a climate question, a technology question, a community question, a higher education question, a democracy question, a life question. ...

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