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.

North Adams Updated on Schools, Council President Honored With 'Distinction'

By Tammy Daniels iBerkshires Staff
12:31PM / Wednesday, March 25, 2026

Superintendent Timothy Callahan gives a presentation on the school system at Tuesday's City Council meeting. 

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The City Council got an update on what's up in the school system and its president was inducted into the mayor's Women's Leadership Hall of Fame.

 

Mayor Jennifer Macksey, as the city's first woman mayor, established the Hall of Fame in 2022, during March, Women's History Month, to recognize local women who have had a positive impact on the city. Past inductees have included the council's first woman president Fran Buckley, Gov. Jane Swift and boxing pioneer Gail Grandchamp. 

 

She described President Ashley Shade as a colleague and a friend and a former student. 

 

"Ashley is known not just for her leadership, but for her compassion, her ability to listen, to understand and to stand up for those whose voices are often gone unheard," the mayor said. "She has been a tireless advocate for the LGBTQ plus community and marginalized communities at both the local and national level here in North Adams."

 

Elected in 2021, Shade is the first openly transgender person to hold the role of council president in Massachusetts. She also leads the first-ever woman majority council in the city's history. 

 

The McCann Technical School graduate also has served on boards and commissions, "always working to make our city more inclusive, equitable and welcoming," said the mayor. "Ashley not leads not only with strength, but with a heart, and our community is a much stronger place because of it."

 

Shade, wearing her signature pink suit, was presented with a plaque from the mayor designating her a "woman of distinction."