Great Barrington Announces Personnel Changes

08:07AM / Tuesday, July 16, 2024Print Story | Email Story

Great Barrington, Mass. — Josh Risen has been promoted to the position of Great Barrington town clerk, one of several new appointments in Town Hall.

Risen joined the town in September 2023 as office administrator for the town manager and selectboard, after working in administrative roles in the town of Sheffield. He earned a law degree from Western New England University Law School and was admitted to the Massachusetts Bar in 2011. As Town Clerk, Risen will serve as the town's chief election officer and maintain and preserve the town's archives and vital records, among other roles.

"I'm very much looking forward to working with Josh in his capacity as Town Clerk, as he has proven himself as a hard worker and he is well respected among staff and the residents we serve," said Town Manager Mark Pruhenski. "I'm confident he has the skills and abilities to succeed in this role",

Natalie Amendola, who joined the town manager and selectboard office in January as administrative assistant, has been promoted to the office administrator role. She is a graduate of the State University of New York at Albany and has previously worked as associate for student development at Columbia–Greene Community College.

In the Board of Health department, James Massey has been appointed as health inspector, bringing his extensive background as an executive chef in the hospitality and healthcare industries. He has worked for Canyon Ranch in Lenox and Tucson, Essex (VT) Resort and Spa, Trinity Health Services and other settings. He has also operated his own food and beverage consulting business in the Berkshire area.

"Natalie's promotion to the role of office administrator is well-deserved too," said Pruhenski. "Although she's only been here for a short period of time, she is clearly a self-starter and incredibly capable of managing our busy administration office with ease. I'm also looking forward to working with James and welcoming him to our team here in GB".

Risen succeeds Jennifer Messina, who departed the Great Barrington position for a new opportunity.

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Great Barrington Public Theater Appoints Artistic Director

09:57AM / Monday, December 29, 2025

GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — Great Barrington Public Theater announced that Associate Artistic Director Judy Braha will now join Jim Frangione at the helm as Artistic Director of Great Barrington Public Theater.

"We at Great Barrington Public Theater are thrilled that Judy Braha will assume the role of Artistic Director alongside myself. I couldn't have asked for a better partner to help advance the interests of the theater as we move into the next phase of growth as the region's premiere developmental theater," Founder & Artistic Director Jim Frangione said. "Judy brings a tremendous amount of experience and value to our company and has, in just a few short years, grown and greatly enhanced GB Public Theater's signature program, Berkshires Voices, where playwrights develop their work, leading to public readings and in some cases workshops and full productions. I look forward to working more closely with Judy to select the next generation of plays to be presented under the GB Public banner. It's a "Bear" of a job! But we feel great about the direction of our theater."

Judy Braha joined the GB Public artistic leadership team in 2023 as the Associate Artistic Director after 2 years directing for the company. She has since then been collaborating with Founder and Artistic Director Jim Frangione on the selection of new work for readings and full productions in the summer season. Her impressive portfolio of credits and accomplishments strengthened Great Barrington Public's creative programming and offered new perspectives to the body of works and events produced each year.

Judy Braha has been a career director, actor, teacher and artist for social justice for over four decades with directorial credits in theaters and universities throughout New England. She led the M.F.A. Directing Program at Boston University's School of Theater, retiring in 2022 after 29 years of service at BU.

"Judy has the strength of commitment, leadership and passion for theater and how it affects communities that fit hand-in-glove with our founding mission and core beliefs," Founder and Producing Director Deann Halper Simmons explains. "Her artistic integrity, sense of stage esthetic and ability to make important choices that craft life from the script continues to be a great asset to our company and growth."

"Judy's distinguished artistic voice has significantly contributed to the exceptional growth of GB Public in recent years," Managing Director Serena Johnson added. "We are truly excited to have her stepping into this leadership role in the 2026 season."

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