MCLA's MOSAIC Presents 'ReWritten'

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) and its public arts program, MOSAIC, will present "ReWritten," a multimedia dance-theater performance exploring the complex relationship between authors Herman Melville and Nathaniel Hawthorne.

The production will take place at MCLA's Venable Theater on Feb. 28 at 7 p.m. and March 1 at 2 p.m.

Blending dance, live music, visual art, projection, and theater, "ReWritten" reimagines an intergenerational queer love story through the lens of Melville and Hawthorne's remaining letters and literary influence. The performance explores themes of longing, artistic inspiration, and societal expectations.

Created and performed by dance artists Matthew Cumbie and Tom Truss, the show also features award-winning composer and bassist Summer Kodama, projection design by Roma Flowers, and scenic and lighting design by MOSAIC Director Jeremy Winchester.

Developed over four years, "ReWritten" has been shaped by residencies and collaborations with Berkshire arts organizations, including Arrowhead/Berkshire Historical Society, The Adams Theatre, and Berkshire Pulse.

Tickets are $10 for the general public, $5 for MCLA alumni, and free for current MCLA students, faculty, and staff. More information and ticket purchases are available at www.mcla.edu/mosaic.

Clarksburg Looking to AG's Receivership Program to Help With Distressed Properties

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
05:34AM / Tuesday, July 21, 2026

 

CLARKSBURG, Mass. — The town is looking to move two properties into receivership to get them cleaned up and back on the tax rolls. 

 

Health Agent Valerie Bird has raised the idea last month when a Daniels Road property was ordered vacated for multiple code violations. Bird and the Select Board didn't believe the owner had the capacity to address the myriad issues. 

 

Bird recommended the Attorney General's receivership program, which takes blighted property and, through the court system, gets it into the hands of a developer who can rejuvenate it. 

 

Maja Kazmierczak, assistant attorney general with the Neighborhood Renewal Division, offered a virtual presentation to the board on Monday, explaining the program and how it might be able to help Clarksburg. 

 

"We've partnered with over 170 municipalities, and we definitely have over probably about 215 active properties that we're working on," she said. "We've had just about $715,000 in back taxes returned to municipalities through our program."

 

The program has been around for 30 years in various forms, with the goal to turn abandoned and blighted properties that have code violations into safe housing. 

 

The state's receivership statute allows the court to appoint a receiver to a property if there are code violations and there is no one to repair them.