Triplex Cinema Receives Grant from Fitzpatrick Trust

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GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass — The Triplex Cinema was awarded a grant of $150,000 from the Jane & Jack Fitzpatrick Trust. 
 
With this grant, The Triplex Cinema Inc., a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, joins a group of Berkshire County non-profits that have received major support from the Trust over the years, including Construct, Inc., IS 183 Art School (now the Berkshire Art Center), Jacob's Pillow, the Pittsfield Y and the Berkshire Film and Media Collaborative.
 
According to a press release, the Jane and Jack Fitzpatrick Trust is a private charitable foundation established in 2004 by its namesake founders, who were known for their tradition of generosity and involvement within Berkshire County. 
 
In issuing the grant, the Foundation said: "The grant was approved knowing how important the Triplex is as an anchor in the community."
 
"That is exactly how we feel about the Triplex," Nicki Wilson, President of the Board of Triplex Cinema, Inc., said. "That it is an irreplaceable resource to the town of Great Barrington and all of the Berkshires. This grant serves as a major boost toward ensuring the November 17 th re-opening of two of our four theaters and bringing the Triplex back to life. We cannot thank the Trust's decision-makers enough."
 
Wilson indicated that there will be a "soft" opening of the two theaters at the Triplex on Friday, November 17, with showings of "The Holdovers," Alexander Payne's new movie starring Paul Giamatti, with the new "Trolls" movie opening on Nov. 22.
 
A third Triplex theater will open in mid-December just in time for the holidays. "Maestro" is scheduled to debut in that theater on Dec. 15 and there will be a talkback after the movie on Dec. 17 with Leonard Bernstein's daughter Nina interviewed by Stephen Wadsworth, a former collaborator of her father's and currently Director of Opera Studies at Juilliard.
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Pryor & Peacock's Whimsical Furniture Environmentally Friendly

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
 

The company uses digital printing to create the upholstery fabric, saving water and saving vintage furniture from ending up in landfills.

STOCKBRIDGE, Mass. — A unique furniture store has popped up on Elm Street this month.

Mom-and-daughter store Pryor & Peacock is hosting the pop-up storefront from Aug. 13 to Aug. 25 at 6 Elm. The New Marlborough business is co-founded by Rosalina Wright and Luca Shapiro, who is also the creative director. 

Their online shop was created in 2024 but they wanted people to see the pieces in person, so they're renting the space for a limited time before a long-term tenant moves in.

The store sources prints to create unique fabrics and reimagines vintage and antique furniture acquired at auctions, local shops, and online.

"We source prints from all over the world that date from the late 1600s up through mid-20th century, and Luca turns those prints into fabric by manipulating them, scanning them, oftentimes has to add or subtract things, and then we manufacture the fabric using only digital printing, which is very environmentally friendly, unlike traditional textile printing," Wright said.

Upholstering the furniture can take weeks of work. Shapiro looks for the perfect design for each piece and, if need be, uses Adobe Photoshop to extend the art work to fit or enhance the print.

"One of the most difficult parts comes in marrying the fabric to a piece of furniture because we only use antique and vintage frames also to be earth friendly, and they're also more beautiful and durable than new furniture," Wright said. "So the image has to go with the furniture, so that takes a lot of work."

One of Pryor & Peacock's missions is to be environmentally friendly. Digital printing doesn't use the same amount of water as traditional textile productions do nor does it contaminate water with ink according to their website.

Not only are they saving water, but they are saving furniture from going into the landfill while also using more durable furniture that doesn't break as easily as current pieces. They started their business to create something unique and to help the environment together.

"It's creating something nobody else is doing. People can't continue to buy throwaway furniture. Six percent of American landfills is furniture, and digital printing not only opens up the possibility of being able to put unique images on a piece of furniture, but it also is, as I said, environmentally friendly. So, for us, the excitement is to take an old East Lake settee that somebody's going to store in their barn and forget about, and make it something completely new and surprising," Wright said.

They hope their furniture helps bring a pop of fun to someone's home.

"We think our furniture is very whimsical and surprising, and most furniture today is oatmeal colored couches and gray neutral chairs, and it's boring," she said.

The two named their business after their mothers' maiden names to honor them and believe the name reflects their pieces.

Shapiro works in interior design outside of the business and the two liked working together and thought it would be great to start a business together. Shapiro says they can work well together and that her and her mother, Wright, has flipped houses before and have the same eye for design.

"So it's very easy for us to work together. When we see something, generally we agree on whether it works or doesn't work on a piece. We agree on the color schemes and that sort of thing. So it's very fun and fulfilling to work together," Shapiro said. 

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