Playwright Gurney Directs Shakespeare & Company Benefit

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LENOX, Mass. — Award-winning playwright, actor and director A.R. Gurney returns to Shakespeare & Company next week for a one-time-only benefit performance of his moving tale "Ancestral Voices."

Gurney directs himself, award-winning actress Annette Miller, Jake Robards, Corinna May and David Adkins in Founders' Theatre on Monday, July 20, at 7:30 p.m. This performance marks the reunion of Gurney and Miller, who performed together in the company's 2003 benefit performance of "Love Letters."

A semi-autobiographical account of three generations, "Ancestral Voices" begins in Gurney's hometown of Buffalo, N.Y., in the 1940s. It follows the bittersweet family story as perceived through the eyes of young Eddie, whose family is turned inside out when his grandparents unexpectedly divorce.

"I do know that this play, like my 'Love Letters' before it and 'Screen Play,' which followed later on, can only work if they are read by actors in front of an audience,” Gurney has written about the play. "If I were younger, or had a cousin in Hollywood, I might have originally aimed this story for the screen. Yet when I write, I seem to do better if I have in mind the image of live actors performing in front of responsive audiences."

Proceeds will benefit the company's $10 million Capital Campaign; more than $8 million has been raised toward the construction of the new Production and Performing Arts Center and Elayne P. Bernstein Theater, plus other much-needed infrastructure improvements and the creation of a small reserve fund. Earlier this year, the company was awarded a highly competitive incentive grant from The Kresge Foundation; once the company raises an additional $1.2 million from its communitywide appeal, foundation will contribute $800,000 to successfully complete the Capital Campaign.

"Ancestral Voices" is preceded by a reception at 6 featuring cocktails and light fare provided by Samel's of Pittsfield, and followed by a champagne and dessert reception with the actors at 9. Curtain time is 7:30; the show runs approximately 90 minutes.

Ticket tiers are: Patron, includes both receptions, preferred seating, VIP parking, and special listing in the program, for $250; Sponsor, includes both receptions and priority seating, for $150; and Friend, includes performance and post-performance reception, for $75.

The theater is air-conditioned and wheelchair accessible. For tickets: 413-637-3353,  www.shakespeare.org, or Melissa Borgo in the development office at 413-637-1199, Ext. 105, or mborgo@shakespeare.org.
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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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