Children's Play at Ventfort Hall

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LENOX, Mass. — Don Jordan of the Nutshell Playhouse will bring his troupe to appear in an original production, "Spyjinks," premiering for the first time at Ventfort Hall Mansion and Gilded Age Museum on Sunday, June 12 at 1 pm. 
 
The program is appropriate for children of all ages accompanied by grown-ups, but kids ages 3 – 10 will particularly enjoy the show, said Jordan. 
 
Admission tickets are $15 for adults, $7.00 for ages 4 – 17 and ages 3 and under are free. The performance will be held outside on the mansion grounds, weather permitting. Please bring chairs or blankets.
 
According to a press release, four intrepid spies and a parrot named Taco are on their very first spy mission. They must rescue the beautiful Jolandalinda, who has been kidnapped and hidden on Malumboo, the Island of Very Bad Luck. How will they rescue her? Follow their adventures as they battle the ferocious Malumboosquito, sink up to their bellybuttons in quicksand, get unexpected help from a local llama, defy gravity, learn to speak backwards, and a lot more silliness. Oh, and did I mention the toucan? Will they succeed? There is only one way to find out…
 
Jordan, Artistic Director/Accompanist, founded the Nutshell Playhouse in 2003.  Before then, he taught and performed with Teatro Studio and I Gesti di Roma in Italy before being invited to perform with Mummenschanz on Broadway. He directed the Pan Twilight Circus's 1995 production of "Creatures of the Lawn," and served as Artistic Director of the Pickle Family Circus.
 
Jordan has taught as an adjunct faculty member at Smith College, Berkshire Community College, Shakespeare and Co., Barnard College and the Julliard School.  He has also taught at schools in France and Spain.  He is a graduate of the Ecole Jacques Lecoq in Paris.
 
Nutshell Playhouse productions have been performed throughout the Berkshires, including the Barrington Stage Company, Berkshire Athenaeum, Main Street Stage, The Gutherie Center, Clark Art Institute and Whitney Center for the Arts.
 
Reservations for attending the performances are required by calling Ventfort Hall at 413-637-3206.  All tickets are nonrefundable and non-exchangeable. Proof of vaccination including ages 5 and over, ID for ages 18 and over. The mansion is located at 104 Walker Street in Lenox. 

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Boston Red Sox's Wally Visits Morris Elementary School

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
LENOX, Mass. — Students at Morris Elementary School, sporting red, navy and green, along with plenty of baseball memorabilia, welcomed Big League Brian Dwyer and his iconic buddy, Boston Red Sox Wally the Green Monster, as he shared his love of reading with the community's future leaders.
 
"Reading opens up so many doors in so many different situations and areas in life. We have so many Boston Red Sox fans, and then bringing Wally here just reinforces the love that Wally has for reading," Principal Holly Soules said. "Kids want to be like Wally, so it's really fun to see the connection between the kids.
 
Wally's visits to the western part of the state are "rare," making his appearance at Morris Elementary especially timely following the school's recent library revamp, which prominently features one of the school's mantras: "Readers are leaders."
 
The event gave students a unique opportunity to interact with a character they may have only seen from afar at Fenway Park or on television.
 
"It was my favorite assembly of all time because I got to do stuff with Wally," fourth grader Tanner Wood said. "I like seeing him because I've never gotten that close to seeing Wally, and I got to like high five him and stuff." 
 
For the last decade, Big League Brian and Wally have encouraged students to read more while showing them ways to make reading fun and engaging through the "Wally's Making Books Come Alive" program. Schools can book a visit with Wally here. 
 
Using special bookmarks and a few silly antics from the goofy monster, Wally teaches students different strategies to make reading easier and more enjoyable for young learners, including reading aloud, acting out scenes, visualizing the story and using their imaginations to become more engaged readers.
 
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