Western Mass Theatre Newsletter |
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| | | An incredible opportunity for local playwrights at the Majestic Theatre - submit your application for a playwright commission for a play about Shays’ Rebellion by August 20. Details about the application in the featured posts and in the newsletter below! It’s also not to late to register for Gabe Levey’s August 15 clown workshop! And tonight & tomorrow, you really don’t want to miss The Pharmacists at CitySpace, produced by Green Brain Theatre (I saw the dress rehearsal and it’s really worth your time!)
The next issue will include events from August 13 - September 2. Submit upcoming events via the link below or by emailing me before Tuesday at midnight. Any questions, comments or feedback? Email me at westernmasstheatre@gmail.com
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Great Barrington Public Theater
iBoss
8/6 at 7:30pm, 8/7 at 7:30pm, 8/8 at 2:00pm and 7:30pm, 8/9 at 2:00pm
The Great Hall at Saint James Place 352 Main Street, Great Barrington, MA
In a not so distant future, the rapidly accelerating intelligence of AI systems has created "Lisa." Powered by AI, she wields enormous power. Shockingly, Lisa displays an emergent property of AI — sentience.
And from this newly sentient being something else emerges: an emotional agenda. As Job Johnson begins his first in-person evaluation, it's clear this isn’t going to be just another day at the office.
https://greatbarringtonpublictheater.thundertix.com/events/261549 |
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PREMIERE
AMCHITKA
A New Play by Mark St. Germain
Directed by Julianne Boyd
August 6-8
In a monitoring station at Amchitka, a volcanic island 170 miles off the coast of Alaska used for underground nuclear testing in the 1960s, three scientists find themselves cut off from the outside world as an event seems to be underway. But what? A new philosophical thriller by Mark St. Germain, author of Magdalene and Freud’s Last Session.
CLICK HERE FOR AMCHITKA TICKETS |
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Green Brain Theatre
The Pharmacists
Thursday August 6th @ 7pm Friday August 7th @ 5:30pm MASKS REQUIRED Friday August 7th @ 8:30pm CitySpace Easthampton, MA
“But without the power of an ‘I’ or a ‘we’ in the back, even hoping becomes flat.” — Ernst Bloch
"The Pharmacists" by Jeremy Geragotelis
Three pharmacy workers conspire to give away medication to the public for free. This short-lived scheme changes these run-of-the-mill folk irrevocably, pushing them toward each other and toward the hope of a more livable future.
https://events.humanitix.com/the-pharmacists |
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Shakespeare & Company Presents: Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune
August 6-23 at 2pm and 7pm
70 Kemble St. Lenox, MA 01240
Shakespeare & Company Presents: Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune By Terrence McNally, Directed by Nicole Ricciardi July 30-August 23 at 2 pm and 7 pm at the Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre
Set over the course of a single late night in a small Hell’s Kitchen apartment, Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune is a tender, funny, and deeply human play about two people standing at the edge of connection. Frankie, a guarded waitress, and Johnny, an earnest short-order cook, work together at a Manhattan diner. After their first date, they find themselves in bed—and talking through the night.
What unfolds is an intimate conversation filled with humor, vulnerability, and longing. Johnny, a hopeful romantic, believes he may have found something rare and real. Frankie, shaped by past disappointments, keeps her defenses firmly in place. As they circle each other—sometimes clashing, sometimes connecting—the play reveals the quiet courage it takes to risk love after life has left its marks.
Accompanied by the soft glow of Debussy’s “Clair de lune,” playing on the radio at Johnny’s request, McNally’s play blends gritty realism with gentle romance. Both funny and achingly honest, Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune explores loneliness, resilience, and the possibility that even late in the night—and later in life—love may still be waiting.
Tickets are $40-$99 and are on sale now at shakespeare.org, or by calling the Box Office at (413) 637-3353
Content Advisory: Frankie & Johnny takes an honest, often funny look at two adults on the late-night hours of a first date. Please be advised that the production includes moments of sexual intimacy and brief nudity.
https://ci.ovationtix.com/403/production/1262803 |
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The PeaceBirds Project Closing Event and Phoenix in the Holy Land at The LAVA Center The PeaceBirds Project exhibit at The LAVA Center will hold its closing event on Thursday, August 6, 5:00-8:00 pm. Mona Shiber and JuPong Lin will begin with food and folding of paper crane & dove at 5:00, followed by a reading of Phoenix in the HolyLand, a play by JuPong Lin at 5:30pm and ending ceremonially with a communal de-stalling of the current exhibit.
This community engaged art action was launched in November 2023 by two artist friends, Mona Shiber and JuPong Lin, who desired to transform the agony of witnessing atrocities committed in West Asia, East Asia, and around the world. The project links the struggles of their ancestral lineage—Palestinian and Taiwanese—against settler colonialism and the destruction of life in our homelands.
The date, August 6, was chosen to commemorate the 81st anniversary of the U.S. an atomic bomb detonation over Hiroshima, which paved the way Japan’s surrender of Taiwan to Chiang Kai-shek. The project began as a community-oriented art response to continued devastating events in Palestine since October 7, 2023. It continues to grow in solidarity with demilitarization, Apartheid-Free Communities, Indigenous struggles for self-determination along with other peace movements.
Phoenix in the HolyLand, a new play by JuPong Lin, braids inspiration from the transcripts of the genocide case brought by South Africa against Israel to the International Court of Justice, her local activism for a ceasefire in Gaza and the ever evolving PeaceBirds project. The story follows the struggles of three artists involved in activist work against the assault on Palestinian life. It weaves their stories, poetry, and excerpts from the ICJ case. All three characters, descendants of massacres, support each other’s collective healing from intergenerational trauma. This play holds space for grief while expressing a strong call to action. |
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Hilltown Youth Recovery Theatre
The Spiderwick Chronicles
August 6th-9th, 6:30 every evening
18 Jacobs Rd. Charlemont, Massachusetts 01339
Hilltown Youth Recovery Theatre presents our annual, outdoor, immersive, traveling spectacle, The Spiderwick Chronicles. Our shows are put together by our ensemble members ages 6-25. Hilltown Youth Recovery Theatre is primarily youth led, and focuses on building a culture of recovery through art. As our artistic director, Sarah, puts it is, "Hilltown Youth uses the things that you love to help you heal from the things that you hate."
https://forms.gle/FitXFEtyNApJsK9T8
Our performances are outdoors, barring lightening or thunder, in which case we'll perform inside our building. Feel free to bring chairs, bug spray and rain gear to the performances assuming we'll be outside. Additionally, all HYRT programs and performances are pay-what-you-can, but donations are always appreciated!
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Plays in Place and Historic Deerfield present the premiere of: A STAKE IN THE GROUND: 1774 by Talya Kingston, Valyn Lyric Turner & Patrick Gabridge directed by Brianna Sloane
In the summer of 1774, seeds of revolution begin to germinate in Deerfield when a Liberty Pole is brought to town. The characters in three new one-act plays explore the political divisions, tangled family relations, and the complexities of enslavement from all sides. Join this vibrant, immersive examination of the historical split that will define America.
featuring: Yar Petrov, Mario Longo-Imbimbo, Lena Vani, Rae Janeil, Marcus Neverson, Tracy Grammer, & Noah Braunstein. Understudies: Maizy Broderick Scarpa, Destini Stewart, Richmond Wills & Harrison Wright. Costume Design by Brittney Belz. Stage Management by Nikki Beck & Madison VanDuerzen.
Aug 7-16 (Fri & Sat at 6:30pm, Sun at 2:30pm) Tickets and more information: www.historic-deerfield.org/events/a-stake-in-the-ground-1774/ |
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Flip the Script Saturday, August 8th @7pm We invite a local playwright to bring an unfinished script to the show; an original work that's never seen the stage. Then we read the character descriptions, cast the show, and launch into its first ever performance. Once we run out of lines, we drop the scripts and improvise the rest of the play while the playwright watches in delight (or horror!) Featuring experienced improvisers Mandy Anderson, Maddy Benjamin, Scott Braidman, Moe McElligott, Laura Patrick, Pam Victor, and Kate Zak.
https://www.happiervalley.com/2nd-saturdays.html |
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Shakespeare & Company Presents: Hamlet by William Shakespeare, Directed by Ariel Bock August 13-30 at 2 pm and 7 pm at the Tina Packer Playhouse
70 Kemble St. Lenox, MA 01240
Hamlet is Shakespeare’s most searching play—a gripping story of grief, conscience, and the cost of action. Haunted by his father’s ghost, a young prince must navigate a world of secrets, power, and betrayal, where nothing is as it appears. By turns thrilling, darkly funny, and deeply human, this August production brings Shakespeare’s language to life with clarity, physicality, and immediacy.
Tickets are $40-$99 and on sale now shakespeare.org, or by calling the Box Office at 413.637.3353
Free Youth Tickets are sponsored by the Harvey and Virginia Kimmel Family Fund of the Philadelphia Foundation. Learn more at shakespeare.org.
https://ci.ovationtix.com/403/production/1262667 |
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EAST COAST PREMIERE
DEAR ALIEN
By Liz Duffy-Adams
Directed by Michelle Ong Hendrick
August 14-23
In this cheeky existential comedy, a reclusive advice columnist known as “Dear Alien” attempts to finish a book, respond to their readers, help the lovelorn, enlighten the confused, avoid financial ruin, hide from online trolls, escape desolation and explain the nature of human existence. All under a deadline.
CLICK HERE FOR DEAR ALIEN TICKETS |
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JaDuke Theater
Junie B. Jones Jr.
8/14@6pm, 8/15@6pm, 8/16@2pm
JaDuke Theater - 110 Industrial Blvd, Turners Falls Ma 01376
Over two sun-soaked weeks of JCPA’s intensive summer workshop, the stage becomes Junie B.’s wild, wonderful kindergarten world—and every kid who signed up for the crash course gets to jump right in. Picture a room full of brand-new classmates who met on Day 1, now racing through rehearsals like it’s recess: one boy perfects his “Philanthropist” strut, a girl nails the dramatic “I meant to” shrug, another discovers her inner spy while hiding under the craft table.
By performance day, these summer warriors—sweaty from dance breaks, hoarse from belting “Top Secret Personal Beeswax,” and bonded tighter than a friendship bracelet—bring Junie B.’s mischief, heart, and unstoppable curiosity to life. It’s sixty minutes of giggles, glitter glue, and first-time-stage-magic, all created in the whirlwind of two weeks where strangers became a class, and a class became a show. Come see what happens when kids get to be exactly who they are—loud, curious, and totally Junie B.-approved.
https://eventtickets2u.com/jaduke-theater
More information at: www.jaduketheater.com Fun for the whole family! |
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Not In Charge: Improv Comedy Inspired By True Stories Saturday, August 15th @7pm Don't miss this talented group of friends in an improvised show inspired by true stories from the cast! Not In Charge is Mandy Anderson, Maddy Benjamin, Sally Ekus, Micaela Foster, Derek Luthi, Allison Reding, Julie Waggoner, Jim Young, and Kate Zak.
https://www.happiervalley.com/notincharge.html |
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Gorgeous by Keiko Green
Sunday August 16 (2pm and 7pm)
Ventfort Hall
104 Walker St, Lenox, MA 01240
Tickets: wamtheatre.com/gorgeous/
The reading series continues on Sunday, August 16, 2026 (2PM & 7PM) with Gorgeous by Keiko Green, directed by Cat Ramirez. The reading runs approximately 90 minutes with no intermission.
A young Asian-American woman named Jenny (Zoë Laiz: WAM Theatre; Shakespeare & Company) goes head-to-head with Bernie (Brenny Campbell: The Kitchen Theatre Company; Capital Repertory Theatre; Portland Stage), who seems more like a tornado than a woman, in an all-out brawl after the death of Bill, a deeply flawed man-turned-saint. The item in question? Bill's English bulldog, Gorgeous. Set in a sharply observed, unromanticized South, this dramedy asks: who gets to define beauty, who is allowed to rewrite their own story, and who is left carrying what remains? Playwright Keiko Green reflects, “As an Asian American in the South, my identity is full of opposing complexities. It was important to me to write a play that reflects this experience I rarely see onstage or onscreen, while moving past snap judgments and lifting up female friendship. As both women are reeling from the consequences of someone else’s actions, Gorgeous asks, ‘who takes responsibility for the past?’” Director Cat Ramirez shares, "WAM is a company I've admired for years, and getting to collaborate with them on this work feels like a dream. I believe you cannot make impactful theater without integrity — and that's exactly what WAM brings.” |
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Great Barrington Public Theater
Yellow Wallpaper 2.0-2020
Aug 20, 2026 at 7:30 PM
8/21 at 7:30pm, 8/22 at 2:00pm and 7:30pm (opening night), 8/23 at 2:00pm, 8/30 at 7:30pm, 8/28 at 7:30pm, 8/29 at 2:00pm and 7:30pm, 8/30 at 2:00pm 9/3 at 7:30pm, 9/4 at 7:30pm, 9/5 at 2:00pm, 9/6 at 2:00pm
The Great Hall at Saint James Place 352 Main Street, Great Barrington, MA
This play takes us down the rabbit hole of Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s profound short story The Yellow Wallpaper, written in 1892, but re-imagined here in the early days of the pandemic. An overwhelmed adjunct professor, newly a mother, struggles to make sense of their suddenly chaotic reality, her postpartum depression and the mysteries hidden inside their inherited "prewar-6” apartment on the Upper West Side. With humor, social critique and the quivering bones of a horror story, Jennifer Maisel’s wonderful play will sweep you down the rabbit hole with our heroine, T, and bring you face to face with her deep- 2020 dilemmas, passions and choices.
https://greatbarringtonpublictheater.thundertix.com/events/261554
Written by Jennifer Maisel Directed by Judy Braha |
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Playlist: Improv Inspired by Your Music Saturday, August 22nd @ 7pm A limited run on the 4th Saturday of the month!
What music speaks to you? Now let it speak to us!
We'll get an earful of songs as our suggestions for this dynamic, improvised show. Each track will inspire a world full of original characters which will start to overlap in surprising ways. Featuring Maddy Benjamin, Gabriel CiFuentes, Ben Larrison, Evi Mahon, Laura Patrick, Phoenix Rios, Pam Victor, and Sarah Zureick-Brown.
https://www.happiervalley.com/playlist.html |
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| | AUDITIONS & OPPORTUNITIES |
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The Academy of Music Theatre is a non-profit historic opera house located in downtown Northampton, MA, across the street from Smith College. The venue offers a variety of programming in music, dance, theater, independent film and youth workshops.
Job Title:Technical Director
Salary Range: $65,000 - $68,000 Per Year
Location: NORTHAMPTON, MA
Job Type: Full Time
Category: Arts/Entertainment
Education Level: Bachelor's Degree Preferred
Work Experience: 5+ Required
Skills/Certifications/Licenses: Master Electrician - Preference: Nice to have
Technical Director – Full Time Position
Reports to: Executive Director
The Technical Director (TD) has the responsibility for the theatrical technical operations of the Academy, including lighting, sound, rigging, projection, etc. They will coordinate necessary theatrical maintenance/repairs/upgrades, and they will act as liaison with renters to support their productions, often acting as the main point of contact between renters and the Academy during productions.
Duties and responsibilities include:
Advances shows to determine necessary technical supports; lighting, sound, etc, for events and performances presented at the Academy in advance of production dates. Coordinates with renters regarding interfacing of their needs with available house gear. Arranges for supplemental gear for Academy productions, within available budgets, coordinated with appropriate other Academy staff.
Works with I.A.T.S.E. Local 232 Steward to schedule the stagehand labor for all shows, including labor requirements, specific skill requirements, and schedules to ensure that shows are staffed appropriately.
Plans and provides for set up, maintenance and operation of all house systems including but not limited to rigging, lighting, projections and sound systems for theater, dance, music, and other productions and projects; assists guest designers and artists with technical matters.
Coordinates and oversees set design and construction for Academy productions.
Oversees stage crews and backstage area, working with the IATSE 232 to maintain professional and safe working standards, while respecting time and budgetary considerations for renters. Makes recommendations for training.
Orients Academy renters and visiting productions to safety, technical parameters and other aspects of facility operations.
Monitors the condition of and maintains all Academy theatrical equipment including lighting, sound, projection and rigging equipment; arranges for the repair and replacement within budget; performs preventive maintenance on equipment; prepares annual budget for equipment purchases and maintenance. Arranges with Steward for maintenance calls as required.
Assists with the preparation and execution of Academy production budgets; maintains inventory and orders specialized supplies.
Provides estimates for production costs prior to rentals and for Academy productions; provides TD invoices for labor and equipment for rental settlement.
Assists Theater Manager with facility maintenance.
Any other tasks assigned by Executive Director
Job Requirements:
At least 5 years of relevant experience with a performing arts venue
Working knowledge of current techniques, methods and procedures of theater, dance, and music productions and presentations including stage, set, sound and lighting design and implementation; stage management; computerized lighting systems; stage carpentry; appropriate safety precautions and procedures.
Ability to lift and carry 50lbs
Excellent communication and interpersonal skill
BFA in Technical Theater or commensurate experience
Experience working in a union house preferred
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K AND E THEATER GROUP IS CASTING OUR SPRING 2027 PRODUCTION - PARADE
IN-PERSON AUDITION NOTICE by Appointment
Audition Dates and Times
August 19 & 22, 2026 - 6-9 PM
(Appointments every 5 minutes) Callbacks - Saturday, August 29, 2026 from 6-9 PM by invitation only Location - Auditions
First Congregational Church of Southampton
212 College Highway
Southampton, MA 01073
Seeking
Strong actors/singers/dancers to play principal, featured, and ensemble roles in our production.
*THE ROLE OF LEO FRANK IS CAST. ALL OTHER ROLES AVAILABLE*
Visit KETG.org/auditions for audition details and other information regarding the to-be-announced production. You are welcome to presubmit your audition form, headshots, and resume at the link: https://forms.gle/jJEeBBAFquUDzp8s6 Please prepare a Broadway or musical theater song or selection that showcases your acting and vocal range. Bring your book in case we need to hear additional material. If you are submitting your audition form, headshot and resume, you do not need to bring them to the in-person audition.
Playing March 5-7 & 11-13, 2027 at Northampton Center for the Arts, Northampton, MA
A small stipend will be provided at the end of the production.
For questions, email auditions.ketg@gmail.com.
Please review the available slots below and click the button to reserve your time. Arrive at least 15 minutes early to complete your audition form, unless you are submitting one with your headshot and resume here. |
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Playwright Commission Opportunity: A New Play About Shays' Rebellion The Majestic Theater invites submissions from playwrights interested in developing an original full-length play about Shays' Rebellion (1786–1787)—a defining yet often underrepresented event in American history that began in Western Massachusetts. Supported by a National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) grant, this commission will bring to life the true story of Daniel Shays, the thousands of farmers, veterans, and residents who joined the uprising, and the profound impact their actions had on the young nation. Rooted in historical research and community engagement, the commissioned play will explore the rebellion through the voices and lived experiences of those who shaped it, creating a work that is both historically grounded and theatrically compelling. Developed in conjunction with the national America 250 initiative, the project seeks to reflect on our nation's past, honor the contributions of those whose stories have too often gone untold, and invite audiences to consider the enduring themes of economic hardship, civic responsibility, power, resilience, and the future we hope to build together.
About the Commission The selected playwright will spend approximately one year researching, writing, and developing a new full-length play in collaboration with the Majestic Theater's Artistic Team. Throughout the process, the playwright will work closely with Producing Artistic Director Sue Dziura and Dramaturg Dan Bullens, participating in regular conversations, script development sessions, and dramaturgical support as the work evolves. The project is designed to be highly collaborative. Research will be enriched through conversations with local historians, educators, artists, and community members, allowing the playwright to engage deeply with the people and places that shaped this pivotal moment in American history. A small curatorial committee representing a diverse cross-section of theater artists, historians, educators, and community members will review submissions and select the commissioned playwright.
What We're Looking For: We are seeking a playwright who is excited by the challenge of transforming historical events into compelling theater. Rather than simply recounting history, we hope to commission a writer who can uncover the human stories within Shays' Rebellion, creating vivid characters and emotionally resonant drama grounded in historical truth. Applicants should demonstrate: Excellence in dramatic writing. An interest in history, biography, or stories inspired by real events. A collaborative spirit and openness to feedback. Strong organizational skills and the ability to meet deadlines. Curiosity, imagination, and a desire to engage meaningfully with community history.
Playwrights from all backgrounds are encouraged to apply.
Eligibility Applicants must: Have had at least one full-length play fully produced. Demonstrate the ability to complete projects on schedule. Be available to collaborate regularly with the Majestic Theater's Artistic Team throughout the commission period. Be willing to participate in weekly meetings (in person and/or via Zoom) over approximately twelve months. Be interested in conducting research and engaging with community members as part of the writing process.
Commission Process Following selection, the playwright will embark on an approximately year-long development process that includes research, outlining, drafting, revision, and script development. Working alongside Producing Artistic Director Sue Dziura and Dramaturg Dan Bullens, the playwright will receive ongoing artistic support while maintaining their own creative voice. Throughout the process, the Majestic Theater will facilitate opportunities to connect with historians, educators, and community members whose perspectives will help inform and enrich the work. As the script develops, the Majestic Theater will host staged readings with professional actors, giving the playwright the opportunity to hear the work, receive feedback from the artistic team, historians, community members, and audiences, and continue refining the play throughout the commission. The goal is to create a powerful new American play that honors the history of Western Massachusetts while speaking to audiences through timeless themes of community, democracy, resilience, and the complexities of the American experience. Submission Materials Please submit the following: Cover letter describing your interest in the commission A 1–2 page proposal outlining your artistic vision for the project Résumé or curriculum vitae One sample of a previously produced full-length play Production history (or equivalent evidence of at least one fully mounted production) Two professional references
Compensation This is a paid commission made possible through the generous support of the National Endowment for the Arts. Commission fee and project details will be discussed with finalists.
How to Apply Please submit all application materials as a single PDF (when possible). Submission Deadline: August 20, 2026 Email submissions to: Sue Dziura
Producing Artistic Director
Majestic Theater Email: sue@majestictheater.com Subject Line: Shays' Rebellion Playwright Submission – Your Name Questions regarding the commission may also be directed to Sue Dziura at the email address above.
About the Majestic Theater The Majestic Theater is a professional producing theater in West Springfield, Massachusetts, whose mission is to create and maintain performance opportunities for Pioneer-Valley-based theater artists and professional productions for local audiences at accessible prices. Through this commission, the Majestic seeks to foster the creation of a significant new American play that celebrates the rich and complex history of Western Massachusetts. The Majestic Theater is committed to creating an inclusive artistic environment and welcomes submissions from playwrights of all backgrounds, identities, and lived experiences.
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Submissions are Open! through September 1
Submission Opportunities for PIC PIPS and Development Workshops for the 2027 season are officially open!
Submission Form
What is PIC PIPS?
PIPS stands for Plays In Progress Series. Plays that have been selected as part of PIPS receive a single developmental worksession with actors and a dramaturg, followed by a public reading of their piece and developmental conversation, or other form of engagement with the audience. PIC assembles the cast and assigns a dramaturg from our roster of artists. The playwright and a dramaturg work together to develop questions to share with the audience after the reading as part of the developmental conversation or engagement, and in this way the audience serves as a sounding board for further development of the piece. PIC also provides extensive notes from this conversation so that the playwright can focus on engaging with the audience and hearing the feedback. This program is reserved for scripts in a variety of developmental stages.
What types of pieces are a good fit for PIC PIPS?
*Full-length plays that have a complete draft. The draft could be in its first or final version, or anywhere in between but, regardless of stage, the playwright would benefit from seeing how it sits with an audience.
A play written a while ago that would benefit from a new/modern audience.
A full draft the playwright has had for awhile and would benefit from hearing it one last time before sending it off into the world for potential production.
*If your submitted script is not yet complete, you must submit a minimum of 20 pages PLUS a rough outline of your expectations for the rest of the play. Playwrights must be able to complete a first full draft in advance of any worksessions with PIC in order to qualify for this program. |
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Submissions are Open! through September 1
Submission Opportunities for PIC PIPS and Development Workshops for the 2027 season are officially open!
Submission Form
What is the Development Workshop?
The Development Workshop is reserved for pieces that have a first full draft and could use an intensive period of writing and hearing the work out loud with actors. This opportunity provides a minimum of 8 hours of developmental work sessions with actors and other support artists over multiple days, culminating in a reading and developmental discussion, or other form of engagement, with an audience. As with PIPS, PIC provides extensive notes from the discussion.
What types of pieces are a good fit for the Development Workshop?
*A full-length play or musical that needs an overhaul which could be achieved by having actors and other artists in the room. The necessary work could be on the entire script or specific sections.
A play/musical that was written a long time ago and needs an update for a modern audience. A script by a playwright interested in what actors’ perspectives will provide for the characters
A script that needs further development of character arcs
*If your submitted script is not yet complete, you must submit a minimum of 20 pages PLUS a rough outline of your expectations for the rest of the play. Playwrights must be able to complete a first full draft in advance of any worksessions with PIC in order to qualify for this program.
Submissions are open to anyone within a one hour radius of Hampshire County Mass.
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The Joy & Ease of Improv One-Week Intensive Aug 10th-13th, 6:00pm - 9:00pm
Happier Valley Comedy's Founder and Head of Happiness Pam Victor offers this four-day intensive for adults who want to try something fun, rewarding, and, quite possibly, mind-expanding. You'll learn a gentle, easeful approach to improv comedy in a positive, patient, and accepting atmosphere that will get you up on your feet and out of your head. Through improv exercises, games, and scenework, you'll practice the vital improvisation skills of paying attention acutely, accepting other people's ideas, redefining and disempowering failure, staying in the moment, quieting your critical voice to amplify your authentic voice, inviting more joy and ease into your work, and much more.
In this four-day intensive, you'll get all of the core exercises from the regular weekly Improv 1 class plus time to practice key skills through games while fostering class cohesion over the course of four meetings from 6-9pm. After completing this four-day intensive, beginning improvisers will be eligible to take Improv 2. (Though some choose to take the 8-week Improv 1 for the full experience.) Experienced improvisers who have graduated from all core levels of another improv comedy school or have performed improv for more than one year may be eligible to move on to Improv 3 with permission from HVC leadership.
No experience necessary. Being funny is not required! Shy people and introverts are welcome. At Happier Valley Comedy, we believe everyone can improvise. (No joke.)
https://www.crowdwork.com/e/the-joy-ease-of-improv-one-week-intensive |
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The Re/emergence Collective
We Are The People In The Room
Aug 12, 2026 at 4:00 PM
Wendell Meetinghouse in Wendell, Ma
We Are the People in the Room – Radical Connection in the Wake of Profound Disconnection Join the Re/emergence Collective in this workshop grounded in the 7 basics of Brown Paper Studio Theater, play and reflection, collective witnessing, and reconnecting with self and each other. In these workshops we will use/play games, theater and somatic exercises and dialogue to explore what it means to experience joy, hold grief, and experience the complexities of being human in this current moment in history.
https://forms.gle/s2HbFdPxditFRjB16 |
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Clown - One Day Workshop
Aug 15, 2026 at 2:00 PM
Northampton Karate, 320 Riverside Dr Florence MA
In this 4 hour workshop we will begin to explore the comic world of the clown. Through a series of movement exercises, improvised songs and group games we will bring our bodies and imaginations to life, and reignite our appetites for pleasure and play - all in service of uncovering our most authentic selves.
Register Here
Gabriel Levey is a teacher, actor, coach and theatre maker committed to the power of empathic vulnerability and unabashed play. He works across genres and venues, helping actors and audiences step into their full selves, and laugh until their stomachs ache.
A maker of theatrical comedy, Gabe's original work includes: Dwellicle 109 (IRT); Brainsongs, or the play about the dinosaur farm (Yale Cabaret); And now we do LINDBERGH’S FLIGHT by Bertolt Brecht (Yale Cabaret); The Most Beautiful Thing in the World (Yale Cabaret/Boston University/Cloud City); How to Help the Self When the Self Needs Help with Carol A. Jantsen (The Peoples Improv Theater); and most recently A Super Serious and Not at All Funny Reading of Stories I Wrote After Brain Surgery. Recent acting credits include Three Sisters (Two River Theater), Intimate Apparel, The Cake (Silverthorne Theater) and Pulling at the Roots (Plays in Place).
Gabe's passion for teaching and for developing fun and physical approaches to acting led him to co-found (along with Christopher Bayes and Annelise Lawson) The Pandemonium Studio, a studio for the study of Clown, Commedia, and Improvisation in New York City. In the fall of 2019, with a focus on just, inclusive, diverse, and anti-racist actor training, as well as the creation and production of new works of theatrical comedy, Gabe founded Completely Ridiculous Productions. During the pandemic, the company transformed into The Completely Ridiculous Conservatory, a six-week online acting program that, within its first year, welcomed over 100 students from all over the world.
He has also taught in traditional university settings such as NYU, Smith College, Amherst College and the Yale University Summer Program; high school settings such as The Professional Performing Arts High School in Manhattan, and The Pioneer Valley Performing Arts Charter High School in Massachusetts; as well as renowned regional theaters such as The Alliance, Berkshire Theater Group and Northern Stage, and more nimble institutions such as the Pine Box in Florence, MA, and The Funny School of Good Acting in Brooklyn, NY.
Gabe received a BFA in Acting from Boston University, and an MFA in Acting from the Yale School of Drama. He is currently based in Western Massachusetts.
Recent press about Gabriel's neurodiversity and how it's embedded in his teaching and the world of the Clown. |
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