Triplex Cinema Appoints New Board President and Members

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GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — The Triplex Cinema announced changes to its Board of Directors, naming Gail Lansky as the new Board President and welcoming Leslie Chesloff, Matthew Penn, and Mitch Smilowitz as new board members.

Gail Lansky has a career in non-profit organizations, including the Yiddish Book Center, the Harold Grinspoon Foundation, and Amherst Cinema. Her prior board experience includes ten years on the Board of UMass Amherst Hillel, where she served as President, and ten years on the Board of the Amherst Survival Center, serving as Vice President.

Leslie Chesloff has worked in television entertainment for 35 years, holding executive positions at Columbia Pictures Television, Chris Craft Corporation, The Tribune Company, and Lifetime TV Networks. Since 2015, she has been a real estate agent.

Matthew Penn is an Emmy-nominated director with extensive experience in theater and television, having directed shows such as "Law and Order," "The Sopranos," and "NYPD Blue." He has also directed theater productions for Barrington Stage, Shakespeare & Company, Berkshire Theatre Group, and Great Barrington Public Theatre.

Mitch Smilowitz is the CEO of The Joint Retirement Board (JRB), a non-profit organization that serves as the plan sponsor and administrator of a denominational (403b) retirement plan.

Board President Lansky said, "We welcome Leslie, Matthew and Mitch to our Board. They bring an array of skills and connections to the community that round out our Board. I look forward to working closely with them. I’d like to express my gratitude to what Nicki Wilson, my predecessor as Board President, has done to Save the Triplex. It was Nicki’s vision and determination that helped to bring the Triplex back to live as a nonprofit organization. With her endless energy, dedication and ability to forge partnerships the Triplex has become a community hub and now has more than 600 members who actively participate in our wide range of events. However, our work is not yet done. Our priorities are renovation Theatre Two, replacing seats, redesigning our patio, and further expanding our membership base. With the help of our Board, and the more than 1000 supporters who help to Save the Triplex, we look forward to making these much needed upgrades and improvement in the coming months."

The Triplex Cinema, Inc. is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that screens first-run, independent, foreign language, classic, children’s, and documentary films, and partners with schools and local non-profits for thematic programming.

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Triplex Screens 'Mamma Mia'

GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. The Triplex Cinema announces a special screening of "Mamma Mia !", the Abba musical starring Meryl Streep, Amanda Seyfried, Christine Baranski, Julie Waters, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, Dominic Cooper and Stellan Skarsgard.

Tickets include a celebration packet of confetti, glow sticks, cue sheets and other themed items. Tickets are available for purchase at www.thetriplexcinema.com  for the June 14 screening at 8:30 pm.

"Mamma Mia !," released in 2008, is a jukebox musical romantic comedy based on the award-winning theatrical production. The film features the songs of the pop group ABBA and tells the story of a young bride-to-be who invites three men to her upcoming wedding, without telling her mother, with the possibility that any of them could be her real father. Meryl Streep plays Donna, an independent hotelier who is preparing for her daughter's wedding with the help of two old friends, played by Julie Waters and Christine Baranski. Amanda Seyfried plays her daughter Sophie, and Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth and Stellan Skarsgard play her possible fathers. The film takes place on the fictional island of Kalokairi and was filmed mostly on location on the islands of Skopelos and Skiathos in Greece. 

Mamma Mia ! was a gigantic worldwide hit and spawned a sequel and other theatrical productions. The best-selling Mamma Mia ! soundtrack album features sixteen ABBA songs and reached number one on the Billboard 200 albums chart. The DVD release broke records around the world and is one of the best-selling DVD's of all time. 

Triplex Cinema, Inc. is a 501(c)3 nonprofit showing movies for all, providing a space where people from the Berkshires and beyond discover filmed entertainment - first-run, independent, foreign language, classic, children's and documentary - while also showcasing locally produced films and thematic programming. The Triplex partners with schools and local nonprofits to enable programming that speaks to the needs of our community. Visit us at thetriplex.org

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