Shakespeare Fills 'Monthlong Intensive' Program

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LENOX - Shakespeare & Company has filled its popular "Monthlong Intensive" with 48 professionals. This year's participants will be traveling from as far away as Australia and England to study with some of the most respected teachers of Shakespeare in the nation from Dec. 28 to Jan. 23. To be put on the wait list or for more information on this and other programs, contact Scott Renzoni, training programs associate, at 413-637-1199, Ext. 114 or www.shakespeare.org This program brings actors together with more than a dozen faculty members who will spend more than 10 hours a day, six days a week digging into the heart and meaning of Shakespeare's works. Led by Dennis Krausnick, director of training, and Dave Demke, associate director, the faculty is composed of women and men who act, direct, and teach not only at Shakespeare & Company, but many other cultural and academic institutions in the United States, Great Britain, Australia and Canada. The program weaves together text analysis, movement, Elizabethan dance, Alexander technique, Linklater voice work, stage combat, exploration of the actor/audience relationship, sonnet and scene work and discussions about the function of theater and the role of the actor in today's world. The methods taught are said to be unique to Shakespeare & Company and provide the groundwork and artistic vocabulary behind all of its performances. For nearly three decades, the company has developed and refined the intensive, which is the heart of its methodology and extensive training programs. Faculty also includes artistic director Tina Packer, master teachers Kevin Coleman, Ariel Bock, associate artistic director Michael Hammond, Susan Dibble, Michael Burnet, Marc Scipione, Tod Randolph, Claire Reidy, Mary Coy, Anne Brady, Tori Rhoades and Michael F. Toomey. Alumni of the workshops now number over 1,600 and represent over 20 countries.
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A Boutique Hotel is Bringing Guests a Luxury Stay in Lenox

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff

LENOX, Mass. — A new Inn is bringing a boutique-style stay for visitors and locals to enjoy.

Owners, Sullivan Capital LLC, purchased the property, located on 135 Main Street, in 2024. After a year or renovations, Garden Gables Inn is open for business. 

"Garden Gables started off as one of the many Berkshire cottages, 1790 was the date on that, and it's always operated as an inn," said Hospitality Manager Yvonne Walton. "It's just a great gathering place and relaxation spot for people to come and get the feel of Lenox, and just slow down and enjoy the nature and the surrounding area...get culture and art and see some great concerts. I think it'll be a wonderful place, definitely does more of the upper-scale hospitality." 

Owners Niko Giallouis and Eric Sullivan bought the property from the former owner. Sullivan had his eye on Lenox since attending a wedding almost 10 years ago.

"I came to a wedding in Lenox, probably six or seven years ago. Personally, just kind of fell in love with the area, and I guess that's kind of how it got on my radar. So you know from that perspective, as we got into the hotel business out towards an area, it was a place I was kind of monitoring and waiting for the right property to show up."

After purchasing the two underwent a full renovation, a project that cost around $1.5 million. The building, first built in 1780, required some TLC. Sullivan's wife, Jessica, who owns Jessica Sullivan Design, designed the inn.

Sullivan said they installed a new roof, repainted everything, renovated the bathrooms, installed new floors, a new HVAC system, and new plumbing.

"We really touched everything from the outside...I mean, all the aesthetics and layouts changed a bit," he said. "As I said, put about a million and a half into it. All new furniture, fixtures, everything. The design's completely different. It wasn't a full gut, but it was a heavy, heavy renovation."

The two like to collaborate with local businesses, and they make a point to direct visitors to local restaurants, businesses, and attractions.

"If guests are asking for recommendations, our customer service team, our guest services team, will relay that kind of information. Even if we can call and make a reservation for somebody, happy to do it," he said. "We aren't doing breakfast, but what we do is we have partnerships with a lot of the breakfast places downtown. We actually purchase a gift certificates for each person each day, so that they can use that to go downtown."

Sullivan hopes that guests don't see their inn as just a place to sleep and dump their bags, but make it an experience for anyone who stays.

"We really focus on kind of the experience side of things, so again, we want to give you the best experience you can have here...and we want that not just to be the place you put your bag and go do things. It's important to think of everything," he said.

Sullivan said partnerships are important to their business and are a way to connect with locals.

"The local partnerships, I can't stress that enough, because no matter how much and how great the room is, people are still going to want to go do other things," he said. "So, I think it just benefits everybody if we're all working together and so forth, and supporting the community, being neighborly too, because we are surrounded by residential homes...But we really try to put a lot of blood, sweat, and tears, a lot of love into the building, all the details, really care about the senses," Sullivan said.

The Inn's check-in and reservations are completely online. When guests arrive, all they have to do is check in online and receive their code that they will use to enter their room. Sullivan hopes this helps create less stress for guests and gets them to their room as fast as possible, especially after a long trip.

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