GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — Triplex Cinema, Inc., announced that, in conjunction with "Maestro", Bradley Cooper's new Netflix film about Leonard Bernstein, which opens at the Triplex on Dec. 15, the Triplex will begin the "Bernstein on Film" series revolving around Bernstein's life and film work. 

 

The series will include three additional films featuring Bernstein's music, to be shown in repertory, as well as speakers offering personal insights about the films and the artist.

 

The first talk, following the 1 pm screening of "Maestro" on Dec. 17, will feature Nina Bernstein Simmons, the younger daughter of Bernstein, in an intimate conversation with Stephen Wadsworth, a longtime collaborator of Bernstein, with whom he wrote the opera "A Quiet Place."

 

The additional films to be shown are "On the Waterfront," "West Side Story" and "On the Town." 

 

Deborah Reinisch, a professor of film directing, production and film history and an award-winning producer and director, will speak about the Bernstein's movie scores on Dec. 20, at the 2pm showing of "West Side Story," and the 7:00 pm showing of "On the Waterfront." 

 

On Dec. 21, at the 2:00 pm showing of "On the Town," Julianne Boyd, founder and former Artistic Director of the Barrington Stage Company, will speak about the film and the differences between it and the stage production. Barrington Stage produced "On the Town" in 2013 and took the play to Broadway in 2014.

 

"What a thrill and honor it is for the Triplex to kick off its reopening with a series of films dedicated to Leonard Bernstein, someone with so many associations to our corner of Massachusetts, and with such distinguished speakers with ties to the Berkshires offering their insights into the man and the films. The 'Bernstein on Film' series represents the first of what we hope will be the Triplex's to patrons not just to watch films but also to dig into what a movie is about, what a particular individual may have contributed to it, how it fits into the culture and whether it offers new or unique insights or perspectives," Nicki Wilson, president of the Board of Triplex Cinema, Inc., said. "With 'Bernstein on Film' people can see how Bernstein's life and talent elevated the movies he was associated with and learn what he was like as a collaborator, an artist and a human being. This is how we hope to make coming to the Triplex both fun and rewarding."