Barrington Stage Company Presents Cyril the Sorcerer in 'Once Upon a River'

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PITTSFIELD, Mass — Barrington Stage Company (BSC) invites audiences of all ages to experience Cyril the Sorcerer in "Once Upon a River."

The public performance will take place Saturday, May 2 at 2:00 p.m. at the St. Germain Stage, Sydelle and Lee Blatt Performing Arts Center (36 Linden Street). Student matinee performances for local elementary school groups are scheduled for Friday, May 1 at 10:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m., and 2:00 p.m.

According to a press release: 

"Once Upon a River" is an interactive "enviromagic" fairytale show performed by CJ May as Cyril the Sorcerer, designed to teach children about environmental stewardship. The story follows a peasant boy's quest to stop a magician from stealing an entire river, sharing important lessons about sustainability, water protection, and recycling.

Featuring magic, costumes, and music, the production invites young audience members to become "heroes," actively engaging them in the story and its message.

"This is a wonderful way to introduce young audiences to live theatre while also inspiring them to care for the world around them," said Jane O'Leary, Director of Education. "It's entertaining, interactive, and meaningful for the whole family."

Known as the Merlin of Environmental Magic, Cyril was born and raised in the mythical Land of Aquilon, where he began his magical studies. When his homeland faced devastation due to pollution and environmental neglect, he used his powers to restore harmony between humans and nature. Today, he travels the world sharing the lessons that once saved Aquilon—empowering young people to protect the environment in their own communities.

Cyril the Sorcerer is the alter ego of CJ May, an environmental professional who holds a master's degree in environmental management from Yale University.

This special BSC engagement is sponsored by the Virginia and Harvey Kimmel Family Fund, whose support helps make accessible, educational programming like this possible.

Tickets are $5, making this a magical and affordable outing for families, school groups, and theatre lovers alike.

For tickets and information, visit the Barrington Stage Company website at barringtonstagco.org or call the box office at 413-242-6411.

 

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State Housing Secretary Tours Downtown Pittsfield Developments

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The state's new secretary of the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities on Monday saw how local developers are transforming historic buildings into downtown housing units. 

Secretary Juana Matias, appointed to the role in February, toured the former St. Joseph's High School on Maplewood Avenue and the near-complete Wright Building Block on North Street.   

Matias observed local leaders working collaboratively to dismantle bottlenecks in housing production, something she said the administration wants to see across all 351 municipalities.  

"This is a perfect model of the partnerships we want to see, and we love coming to the ground and seeing how people are leveraging public taxpayer dollars to help address the issue of our time, which is housing production," she said after the tours. 

Developer David Carver, of Scarafoni Associates & CT Management Group, is seeking support from the state Housing Development Incentive Program to transform St. Joe's into apartments, and Allegrone Companies has secured millions from the program towards the Wright Building renovation

They first visited the shuttered school that functioned as a shelter during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, greeted by broken windows and leaving with Carver's vision. 

The plan is to transform the school with good bones into 19 apartments, 20 percent designated affordable, and 30 percent of the building for commercial use.  Units are expected to cost between $1,700 and $1,900 per month; 14 one-bedroom units and five two-bedroom units are planned. 

The project team is in talks with the nearby Berkshire Family YMCA to expand their childcare activities to the building's lower level.  Residents and the daycare would use different entrances. 

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