WMHT to Hold Listening Session in Pittsfield

04:13PM / Tuesday, April 30, 2024Print Story | Email Story

ALBANY, N.Y. — WMHT Public Media announced it has begun the second phase of its Listening Tour, part of a continued effort to better understand the needs and issues affecting communities throughout its coverage area, and to develop and present content and programming to best serve those values and priorities.

Up to a dozen town hall-style discussions will be led by WMHT President and CEO Anthony V. Hayes and members of WMHT's senior leadership team. They are open to residents and viewers, and will be held in public spaces throughout WMHT's coverage area, an expansive region that runs north to the Adirondacks, east to the Berkshires, south to Westchester County, and west to the Schoharie Valley.

One of these listening sessions will take place in Pittsfield on May 10 at the Pittsfield Public Library

WMHT Public Media is a multichannel public communications organization serving Eastern New York and Western New England,

The initial session was held April 10 at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Upcoming forums are scheduled for April 30 at SUNY Schenectady County Community College; May 2 at the Albany Public Library; May 8 at SUNY Adirondack in Queensbury; May 10 at the Pittsfield Public Library; May 28 with the NAACP and Albany Black Chamber of Commerce; and June 7 with the Troy City School District. Sessions are also being planned in the Hudson Valley and Saratoga Springs, among other potential locations.

"It is essential to hear directly from our residents and viewers to better understand what's happening in their communities, not only their success stories but also the challenges they face," said Anthony V. Hayes, President and CEO of WMHT Public Media. "As we gain deeper understanding of the needs, values and priorities of each community, WMHT will be well-positioned to develop and produce content and programming that educates, empowers, and enriches the lives of our audience."

Building on initial research conducted last fall, phase two of WMHT's Listening Tour aims to more fully ascertain the unique and shared needs, wants and aspirations of the region's multicultural and multiethnic communities. Additionally, it will look closely at the next generation of public-media consumers. Fueled by that information, WMHT can take action to positively impact the lives of community members, friends, and neighbors throughout its coverage area.

More details about the WMHT Listening Tour, including an updated schedule of events with registration information, can be found at https://www.wmht.org/blogs/press-releases/wmht-continues-community-listening-tour/.

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Tina Packer, Founder of Shakespeare & Company, Dies at 87

Staff Reports 06:51PM / Saturday, January 10, 2026

LENOX, Mass. — The doyenne of Shakespeare's plays, Tina Packer, died Friday at the age of 87.

Shakespeare & Company, which Packer co-founded in 1978, made the announcement Saturday on its Facebook page.

"It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Tina Packer, Shakespeare & Company's founding artistic director and acclaimed director, actor, writer, and teacher," the company said on its post and in a press release.

Packer, who retired a the theater company's artistic director in 2009, had directed all of Shakespeare's plays, some several times, acted in eight of them, and taught the whole canon at more than 30 colleges, including Harvard. She continued to direct, teach, and advocate for the company until her passing.

At Columbia University, she taught in the master of business administration program for four years, resulting in the publication of "Power Plays: Shakespeare's Lessons in Leadership and Management with Deming Professor John Whitney" for Simon and Schuster. For Scholastic, she wrote "Tales from Shakespeare," a children's book and recipient of the Parent's Gold Medal Award.

Most recently her book "Women of Will" was published by Knopf and she had been performing "Women of Will" with Nigel Gore, in New York, Mexico, England, The Hague, China, and across the United States. She's the recipient of numerous awards and honorary degrees, including the Commonwealth Award.

"Our hearts are heavy with the passing of Tina Packer, a fiery force of nature with an indomitable spirit," said Artistic Director Allyn Burrows. "Tina affected everyone she encountered with her warmth, generosity, wit, and insatiable curiosity. She delighted in people's stories, and reached into their hearts with tender humanity. The world was her stage, and she furthered the Berkshires as a destination for the imagination.

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