Actor Dustin Hoffman to be named lifetime honorary chairman

12:00AM / Wednesday, September 25, 2002Print Story | Email Story

{Lenox, MA} â€“ Shakespeare & Company will announce the successful conclusion of Phase One of its two-year study of the worldâ€™s first historically-accurate reconstruction of The Rose Playhouse with The Rose Playhouse Discovery Presentation on Tuesday, October 8 from 4:00 â€“ 5:30 pm at Foundersâ€™ Theatre in Lenox, MA. The original open-air Rose Playhouse was where William Shakespeareâ€™s first plays were produced more than 400 years ago on the bustling Bankside, on the south side of the Thames in London. Artistic Director Tina Packer, along with Rose Playhouse Director Mary Guzzy, will welcome the ten key players who have been involved in Phase One. This team, made up of archaeologists, builders, architects, artists, and scholars will speak at the invitation-only Presentation. Members of the media are encouraged and invited to attend. To attend and to schedule interviews please contact Elizabeth Aspenlieder at (413) 637-1199 ext. 110 or aspenlieder@shakespeare.org. The Presentation will host an invited audience of up to 400, including, legislators, local, state, and federal arts agencies, selected foundations and corporations, major Company donors, Company staff and trustees, and also arts, education, and business leaders from across the country. A reception in Josieâ€™s Place will follow the Presentation. English architect Jon Greenfield and Master Builder Peter McCurdy (Shakespeareâ€™s Globe, London) will lead the Presentation, which will focus on the research and analysis of the history and archaeology of the original Rose and the design recommendations for Shakespeare & Companyâ€™s Rose Playhouse U.S.A., scheduled to begin major construction in 2005. The Presentation will conclude the two days of private meetings and discussions based on the findings from the archaeological evidence. The analysis and interpretation of large amounts of evidence taken from the original 1587/1592 Rose is expected to contribute new and substantial understanding of Tudor Playhouses. The 400-year-old foundations were uncovered on a London construction site in 1989, only a few hundred feet from where the new Shakespeareâ€™s Globe reconstruction now stands in Southwark on the Thames. The Rose was saved in a dramatic struggle: on one side the hastily formed Rose Theatre Trust â€“ a coalition of artists and concerned citizens â€“ and on the other, developers and conservative politicians of Thatcher-era England. Among the actors involved were Sir Ian McKellen, Ralph Fiennes, Dame Judi Dench, Dustin Hoffman, and the late Sir Laurence Olivier and Dame Peggy Ashcroft. The site was excavated by archaeologists Julian Bowsher and Simon Blatherwick for the Museum of London Archaeology Service. Excavation funding was supplied by English Heritage. The Rose Theatre Trust continues to lead the effort to fully excavate the original Rose site and enthusiastically endorses Shakespeare & Company. Boston architect George Marsh of Payette Associates and master planner for Shakespeare & Companyâ€™s 63-acre Kemble Street home will make a preliminary presentation on the Rose Village, a planned year-round humanities and cultural center with adjacent artisansâ€™ shops that will provide the educational and historical context for the playhouse itself. Packer and Guzzy will examine the opportunities and challenges presented to Shakespeare & Company as it prepares to embark on Phase Two of the Project. Packer will also announce that two-time Academy Award-winning actor Dustin Hoffman will join the Project as its Honorary Lifetime President. Mr. Hoffman is not expected to attend the conference due to a long-standing scheduling conflict. â€œWe could not have a better Honorary President than Dustin Hoffman,â€ said Packer. â€œA great actor; an intelligent leader; and an inspiration. He was our first choice, and we are thrilled beyond words that he accepted our invitation! This Project is at the very heart of what we are all about. Our aim is to create a company that performs as the Elizabethans did â€“ in love with poetry, physical prowess, and the mysteries of the universe. We aspire to create all of this aesthetic by staying rooted in the classical ideals of inquiry, balance, and harmony. By re-creating The Rose, we have a unique opportunity to get to the essence of the Elizabethan experience and to ignite the actor/audience relationship in a space that uses the architecture, decoration, and music to inter-relate with the dialectic of the theatre. At the center of this dialectic is language, and language is our love. â€œAll of London went to hear the newly invented words and the plethora of creative ideas which were first voiced in those Tudor playhouses: The Theatre, The Rose, The Globe, The Fortune, and The Swan. I can't think of a better time for the Company to embark on this extraordinary project with such an extraordinary and inspiring group of people. The Rose is not only a project for Shakespeare & Company but for the Berkshire community as well -- creating new jobs and new opportunities for artistic and educational exploration. It will be a year-round destination for visitors from all over the world, and be a landmark for generations to come.â€ The original Rose was built in 1587 on the south bank of Londonâ€™s Thames River, one of the first playhouses built in England. These early theatres were at the center of the Renaissance in England and represented a readiness to embrace the secular arts and to revive the classical tradition of drama. They were built to satisfy a spiritual curiosity and a newly-aroused intellectual hunger that could only flourish outside the church. The Rose Playhouse was home to Shakespeareâ€™s earliest plays, including Henry VI and Titus Andronicus. It was also used by his contemporary, Christopher Marlowe, and other leading dramatists of the 16th and early 17th centuries. There is more actual historical data and archaeological evidence on the Rose than of any other playhouse of its kind. Its legacy to classical theatre performance and scholarship is incalculable. Its owner and builder, Philip Henslowe, and his son-in-law, the famous actor Edward Alleyn, donated their historical records of the Rose to Dulwich College, a school which Alleyn founded. These diaries recount the production history of the Rose in fascinating detail. Modern audiences probably are most familiar with the Rose Playhouse as the theatre depicted in the Academy Award-winning film, Shakespeare in Love. The fully-operational, open-air Rose Playhouse will accommodate approximately 600 patrons, including standing room for â€˜groundlings,â€™ a tiring house (green room) for the actors, and a musicians gallery. Two ancillary projects include ground-breaking educational components that will be implemented into the planning and building phases of the Rose and also a documentary film that will cover the entire process of the project from start to finish. For more information and to view images of the Rose, please log onto www.shakespeare.org and click on the Rose Playhouse menu item.

iBerkshires.com Text Ads

RIBCO Supply

Check out our great lineup of Boss Plows, and spreaders. 2 Locations Clarksburg & Pittsfield!

ribcosupply.com

Budhaus Cannabis Store

Open 9:00am Mon–Sat An elevated cannabis company providing highly crafted product & personal touch

www.budha.us

rk MILES Blding Materials

Are You Ready to Update Your Home? Start With rk MILES. 4 Locations (800)670-7433

www.rkmiles.com

If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Friday Front Porch Feature: A Charming House Like New

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
06:57PM / Friday, December 19, 2025

The home prior to renovations.

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Are you looking for a newly renovated home with great space? Then this might be the perfect fit for you!

Our Friday Front Porch is a weekly feature spotlighting attractive homes for sale in Berkshire County. This week, we are showcasing 100 Autumn Drive.

This three-bedroom, two-bathroom split level was built in 1965 and is 1,396 square feet on 0.32 acres.

The house was completely renovated recently. It includes a one-car garage, and comes with appliances including a dishwasher and stove/oven, and other major appliances.

The house is listed for $359,500.

We spoke with owners Michael Zeppieri and Chris Andrews, who did the renovations. Zeppieri is an agent with Alton and Westall Real Estate Agency.

What was your first impression when you walked into the home?

Zeppieri: I purchased this home to do a full renovation flip and saw tremendous potential in this mid-century split level home that had not been updated since it was built in the 1960s, in a great North Adams neighborhood.

Andrews: The house was a much different house when we first purchased it in 2022 (photo attached is from about 2010.) The interior was painted all in dark colors and we brightened it up with neutral colors. The transformation makes you feel like you are in a totally different house.

What were the recent renovations, any standout design features?

Zeppieri: The house has had a complete reconfiguration including new kitchen with high-end appliances, ceramic tiled baths, hardwood floors, new windows and roof ... just to name a few. All a buyer has to do is move in and enjoy.

Andrews: Yes, we renovated the entire house. New windows, new roof, all new custom black gutter system, new blacktop driveway, hardwood floors were installed through out the house. New kitchen and bathrooms as well as painting the exterior and interior of the house. New paver patio in the back yard.

What kind of buyer would this home be ideal for?

Zeppieri: The buyer for this home could be a first-time homebuyer or a retiree ... the location is close to attractions in North Adams ... and the property is located in Autumn Heights, which is a very small residential development with several long-term owners.

Andrews: This home is truly ideal for a variety of buyers. Whether a first-time homebuyer, a small family or even someone looking to downsize from a larger home.

What do you think makes this property stand out in the current market?

Zeppieri: The location, price and move-in condition of this home make it a true market leader in the North Adams Market.

Andrews: This house is completely renovated and in a desirable location of North Adams. The natural light in the home really makes the interior pop. And with all the upgrades the home stays quite cool in the summer months.

Do you know any unique stories about the home or its history?

Zeppieri: This home was built for the Gould family in 1969 and they lived there till 2010. It was always a family home during that time in which the Goulds had two children ... and Virgina Gould managed Mohawk Forest Apartments and was a very active resident of North Adams.

Andrews: Built in about 1965.

What do the current owners love about this home?

Zeppieri: As the current owner it was a fun project to transform this home and get it ready for its next adventure with a new family to enjoy for many years.

Andrews: No one has lived in the house since we purchased the home. The new owners would be the first to live in the house since the renovations have been completed.

What would you say to a buyer trying to imagine their life in this space?

Andrews: I would suggest seeing the house either on a sunny day or at twilight to really get a vision of how special the home feels.

You can find out more about this house on its listing here.

*Front Porch Feature brings you an exclusive to some of the houses listed on our real estate page every week. Here we take a bit of a deeper dive into a certain house for sale and ask questions so you don't have to.

View Full Story