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First Annual Transformer Comedy Fest Comes to Pittsfield

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Transformer Comedy Fest will feature three days of comedians from across the nation at Flat Burger Society and Dottie's Coffee Lounge.

The event runs from Thursday to Saturday at 8 p.m. with headliners Caitlin Cook, Anthony DeVito, and Josh Gondelman.

The festival is independent and homegrown festival with local and regional comics in supporting roles at each show. It is being produced by the Comedy Grotto at Flat Burger Society, a monthly professional comedy production, in cooperation with Dottie's.

Flat Burger Society is located on McKay Street and Dottie's is located at the corner of North Street and Maplewood Avenue.

Thursday, Oct. 13

Caitlin Cook kicks off the festival at the Comedy Grotto. She uses irreverent musical comedy and projected visuals and has taken the stage at top-tier comedy clubs and theaters and has released two musical comedy albums both of which are regularly featured on Sirius XM and other streaming platforms. She is currently touring "The Writing On The Stall," a one-woman bathroom stall graffiti musical that made its official debut at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in Scotland in August.

Friday, Oct. 14

Writer and comedian Anthony DeVito takes the stage of Dottie's Coffee Lounge. He's appeared on CBS' "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert," "Comedy Central Stand Up Presents: Anthony DeVito," Comedy Central's "Adam Devine's House Party," NPR's "This American Life," TV Land's "The Jim Gaffigan Show," and AXS TV's "Gotham Comedy Live." His debut album "Dream Occupation" is available from Comedy Central Records. DeVito has created a one-person show about finding out a family secret titled "My Dad Isn't Danny DeVito" that also made its debut at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Saturday, Oct. 15

On the final night, author, producer, and comedian Josh Gondelman will headline Flat Burger Society's Comedy Grotto. Gondelman is a writer and comedian who incubated in Boston before moving to New York City, where he currently lives, and most recently worked as the head writer and an executive producer for "Desus & Mero" on Showtime. Previously, he spent five years at "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver," where he earned four Emmy Awards, two Peabody Awards, and three WGA Awards. His debut standup special "People Pleaser" is available to stream now. In 2016, Josh made his late-night standup debut on "Conan" (TBS), and he has also performed on "Late Night With Seth Meyers" (NBC) and "The Late Late Show with James Corden" (CBS).

Gondelman is also the author of the essay collection "Nice Try: Stories of Best Intentions and Mixed Results" published in September 2019 by Harper Perennial. As of 2019, he has become a regular panelist on NPR mainstay "Wait Wait Don't Tell Me."

Additionally, on Tuesday, Nov. 15, comedian Eddie Pepitone, subject of the documentary "The Bitter Buddha" and creator of comedy specials for Comedy Central, HBO, and Netflix, with hundreds of entries on his IMDB page, will headline the Comedy Grotto at Flat Burger Society.

Tickets for individual shows are available in advance via www.transformerfest.com.


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Pittsfield Considers Repairing East Part Cemetery

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Historical Commission will consider grant opportunities for repairs to East Part Cemetery.

A resident reached out to the city with concerns about degradation in the half-acre burial ground at the top of Williams Street. East Part Cemetery was established in the early 1800s and has about 300 interments. 

“It's a nice old cemetery, and basically, (the resident) had had concerns that the stone wall had taken some damage, the gravestones have taken some damage, and was wondering if there's anything that could be done to repair the gravestones and the wall," City Planner Kevin Rayner told the commission on Monday.

In cooperation with cemetery leadership and residents, the Historical Commission will consider applying for Community Preservation Act funds to support repairs. West Part Cemetery, on the other side of Pittsfield, has previously used CPA funds for revitalization work. 

The 1080 Williams St. property is owned by the city and managed by the Pittsfield Cemetery Commission. Rayner presented photos of broken and overgrown gravestones, parts of the stone wall collapsing, and knocked-over obelisks. 

Some aspects could use general maintenance and restoration, he observed. 

According to the Pittsfield Cemetery and Crematory's website, East Part Cemetery was established around 1808 on land owned by Nathan Webb, who permitted and authorized its use as a public burying ground.  

In 1842, Nathan Webb's son, also named Nathan Webb, deeded the property to the Methodist Episcopal Society of Pittsfield as a public burying ground, and in 1893 the Trustees of the Methodist Episcopal Society transferred their control of the cemetery to the Proprietors of the Pittsfield Cemetery. Their action was confirmed by the Berkshire Probate Court.

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