First Annual Transformer Comedy Fest Comes to Pittsfield

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.

Dalton Board Signs Off on Land Sale Over Residents' Objections

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
05:50AM / Tuesday, December 23, 2025

Residents demanded the right to speak but the agenda did not include public comment. Amy Musante holds a sign saying the town now as '$20,000 less for a police station.'

DALTON, Mass. — The Select Board signed the sale on the last of what had been known as the Bardin property Monday even as a handful of residents demanded the right to speak against the action. 

 

The quitclaim deed transfers the nine acres to Thomas and Esther Balardini, who purchased the two other parcels in Dalton. They were the third-highest bidders at $31,500. Despite this, the board awarded them the land in an effort to keep the property intact.

 

"It's going to be an ongoing battle but one I think that has to be fought [because of] the disregard for the taxpayers," said Dicken Crane, the high bidder at $51,510.

 

"If it was personal I would let it go, but this affects everyone and backing down is not in my nature." 

 

Crane had appealed to the board to accept his bid during two previous meetings. He and others opposed to accepting the lower bid say it cost the town $20,000. After the meeting, Crane said he will be filing a lawsuit and has a citizen's petition for the next town meeting with over 100 signatures. 

 

Three members of the board — Chair Robert Bishop Jr., John Boyle, and Marc Strout — attended the 10-minute meeting. Members Anthony Pagliarulo and Daniel Esko previously expressed their disapproval of the sale to the Balardinis. 

 

Pagliarulo voted against the sale but did sign the purchase-and-sale agreement earlier this month. His reasoning was the explanation by the town attorney during an executive session that, unlike procurement, where the board is required to accept the lowest bid for services, it does have some discretion when it comes to accepting bids in this instance.