'Three Days of Rain' Opens June 9 at Oldcastle

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BENNINGTON, Vt. — The 2007 Oldcastle Theatre Company season continues with Richard Greenberg's Pulitzer-nominated drama "Three Days of Rain," directed by Oldcastle's Producing Artistic Director Eric Peterson, opening June 8 at the Bennington Center for the Arts.

Tickets are buy one, get one free for the matinee performance on Saturday, June 9.

Three actors play two generations of characters in two families in this thoughtful, thought-provoking, and unexpectedly romantic family story that The New York Times called "elegant." 

In the first act, set in 1995, Walker Janeway (Gil Brady) and his sister Nan (Sophia Garder) meet their childhood friend Pip (Avery Clarke) to divide the estate of their late fathers, who were partners in a successful architecture firm. As they go through the contents of the Manhattan loft that holds the firm's effects, the three try to piece together their fathers' lives and how their families intertwined decades ago.

In the second act Brady plays Walker and Nan's father, Ned, Garder plays Lina, and Clark plays Pip's father, Theo, as we see the families interacting in the same loft a generation earlier in the 1960s during three days of rain that were pivotal in their combined histories.

Originally commissioned and produced in 1997 by the South Coast Repertory Theatre in Costa Mesa, Calif., where many of Greenberg's plays have had their world premieres, "Three Days of Rain" opened in New York City later that year at the Manhattan Theatre Club. Last year it received a much-hyped Broadway production with Julia Roberts as Nan/Lina.

The cast of "Three Days of Rain" features a long-time Oldcastle actress returning to the company and two actors making their Oldcastle debuts. Sophia Garder most recently appeared in the OTC production of "Mornings at Seven" in 2005. Her other Oldcastle appearances include the premieres of "American Revolution" and "Panache." Gil Brady's television appearances include "Law & Order: Special Victims' Unit," and "All My Children." He appeared in the Foothills Theatre production of "The Full Monty" in Worcester and in "A Midsummer Night's Dream" with Syracuse Stage. Avery Clark recently appeared in "Journey's End" at the Alley Theatre in Houston and "The Heidi Chronicles" with the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis. His New York appearances include "The Lion in Winter."

Kenneth Mooney has designed the sets and lighting for this production, and Patricia Brundage has designed the costumes. Sound design is by Nick Garder. Oldcastle's 36th anniversary season continues with Ernest Thompson's "On Golden Pond," running July 13-29, and then New York longest-running musical The Fantasticks playing Aug. 17-Sept. 2.

A fall production of Lee Blessing's "A Body of Water" will be presented Sept. 21-Oct. 7, followed by Tom Mula's "Jacob Marley's Christmas Carol" as a holiday treat from Dec. 13-16.

When you call for tickets, be sure to ask about a FlexPass which buys you five seats to use as you choose at a 20 percent discount over regular box office prices! Three Days of Rain runs June 8-24 at the Bennington Center for the Arts at the intersection of Route 9 and Gypsy Lane. Performances are at 8 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays, with 2 p.m. matinees on Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Tickets are $32 for adults and $12 for students, and group rates are available. Call the box office at 802-447-0564 or visit www.oldcastletheatreco.org for more information.

 

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Creative Pause: Venerable WTF Taking Time to Innovate, Strategize

By John TownesSpecial to iBerkshires
The pace and pressures of change have intensified in all sectors of society. The creative economy is no exception.
 
Non-profit arts organizations have always had to adapt to changing times. Some of these issues are common and perennial, including the need to raise funds, attract audiences, and remain relevant and sustainable.
 
In addition, while the COVID-19 pandemic was several years ago, it has taken time
to recover from the universal shutdowns of 2020 and their aftermath.
 
These issues were highlighted in the Berkshires recently with the announcement that two prominent cultural institutions in Northern Berkshire County — the Williams Theatre Festival and the FreshGrass music festival at Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art were cancelling their 2026 summer seasons.
 
Both organizations, which are separate, will use the time to regroup, with plans to return in 2027.
 
While the announcements raised concerns about the impacts on the cultural tourism economy this summer, the overall slate of cultural attractions and activities in the Berkshires appear to be on track. The cultural sector is not monolithic, and other individual organizations are either proceeding as normal or expanding their offerings.
 
The season cancellation at WTF was because of a combination of factors, said Raphael Picciarelli, WTF's managing director for strategy and transformation. He shares administrative oversight responsibilities with Kit Ingui, managing director of operations and advancement.
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