Western Mass Theatre News August 15, 2024

Your source for theatre events in Western Massachusetts.

Western Mass Theatre Newsletter View this email in your browser August 15 - September 4, 2024 Fall theatre season auditions are going to start popping up soon - up first is Amherst Community Theater's production of Newsies with auditions this September. Make your appointment today!  Read Max Hartshorne's review of Big Big Sky at Chester here.  The next issue will include events from August 22-September 11. 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 Submit Your Theatre Event Opera House Players presents Be More Chill August 9-18 at American International College, Springfield Tickets and More Information Amherst Community Theater - Auditions for Newsies! September 20-22 at Amherst Middle School More Information YOUR EVENT HERE $5 per week for your poster and ticket link in top billing! Email me to reserve your dates. Click to Access: Western Mass Theatre Personnel Spreadsheet PERFORMANCES Chester Theatre Company presents Big Big Sky Kilnsea, Yorkshire. Angie and Lauren are closing up the café for another winter; the birds have gone south and taken the tourists with them. The last visitor is Lauren’s dad, Dennis, stopping by for his pasty and beans. But there’s another arrival—one that’s unforeseen and life-changing for them all. Big Big Sky runs August 15-18. Box office phone hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 11am to 3pm, at 413.354.7771. For more information, visit www.chestertheatre.org. William Shakespeare’s The Comedy of Errors takes over Shakespeare & Company’s outdoor mainstage this summer, directed by Kate Kohler Amory through August 18 at the Arthur S. Waldstein Amphitheatre. The Bard’s fast-paced and farcical story of mistaken identities begins with two sets of twins separated by a storm at sea and culminates in a raucous series of misunderstandings and mishaps. Amory’s production is set in the seaside Vaudeville of New York City, 1912 – a mystical and sometimes strange place filled with as much magic and mischief as sailors and sea captains. “Coney Island vaudeville was an escape and a destination, where the turmoil of American culture at the turn of the century could be seen through frivolity, farce, and play,” said Amory. “Setting this turn of the 16th Century comedic gem at the turn of the 20th Century, I hope to highlight many of the play’s resonances for our own turn of the 21st Century. It is a fitting setting for Aegeon, and us, to encounter both the farce and the tragedy of his situation.” Actor, educator, and emerging director Lauren Davis, the inaugural Tina Packer Women of Will Directing Fellow, serves as Assistant Director. The Fellowship was established by actor John Douglas Thompson in 2023, to honor Packer and her groundbreaking career as a Shakespearean, theater artist, and theater leader. It is awarded to a female-identifying emerging theater director with a passion for Shakespeare. In addition to serving as Assistant Director to Amory on The Comedy of Errors, Davis will observe as Packer directs an enhanced staged reading of The Winter’s Tale in August. Sponsored by Scott and Roxanne Bok, The Comedy of Errors will be outdoors at the Arthur S. Waldstein Amphitheatre with tickets ranging from $22 to $72; preview performances are 10% off and student tickets are $22. On select evenings, food trucks will be on-site for pre-show purchases from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Card-to-Culture tickets are available for $5 for WIC, EBT, and ConnectorCare families. To purchase tickets, visit shakespeare.org, or call the Box Office at (413) 637-3353. Shakespeare & Company presents the World Premiere of Carey Crim’s The Islanders, directed by Regge Life through August 25 at the Tina Packer Playhouse. Originally staged at Shakespeare & Company in 2022 as a reading in the Plays in Process series, The Islanders tells the story of two denizens of an underpopulated island in the Great Lakes: Anna (Michelle Mountain) and Dutch (“ranney”). For different reasons, Dutch and Anna have each retreated from mainstream society, but begin to forge a connection – however tenuous. Director Regge Life said he hopes The Islanders provides a blueprint for anyone who may now be questioning their identity and place in a turbulent world.  “Is now the time to retreat to an island of contemplation, or to stand tall right where you are, in the face of uncertainty?” he asked. This production is sponsored by Greg Lipper and Kate Kohler Amory. Tickets range from $22 to $72, and preview performances on July 25, 26, and 27 are 10% off. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit shakespeare.org or call the Box Office at (413) 637-3353. Shakespeare & Company, in association with Great Barrington Public Theater, presents Jim Frangione’s Flight of the Monarch, directed by Judy Braha through Sunday, August 25 at the Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre. This darkly comic play tells the story of two siblings, Sheila (Corinna May) and Thomas (Allyn Burrows), both born and raised in a small New England fishing village where they still live. It delves into what we owe to the people who know and love us best, and how family members’ needs and desires may push the boundaries of what we can be expected to do for others. Braha added the work explores how each sibling approaches adversity, but also how their lives are intertwined. "The siblings ride an emotional roller coaster as they attempt to decode the past and find their way into a future of their own making," she said. "There are moments of deep reflection, antipathy, and humor as the siblings navigate the challenges, both physical and cognitive, of growing older.” This production is sponsored by Shari and Steve Ashman and The Jacob Burns Foundation. Tickets range from $22 to $72; preview performance tickets on Saturday, August 3 are 10% off. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit shakespeare.org, or call the Box Office at (413) 637-3353. Opera House Players Be More Chill Aug 16 7:30pm, Aug 17 2pm, Aug 18 2pm Griswold Theatre, American International College, 1000 State St, Springfield MA Opera House Players is proud to present Be More Chill! If you fed Dear Evan Hansen and Mean Girls to the Little Shop of Horrors plant, you’d get Be More Chill! Set to a modern pop-rock score, this show is a hilarious sci-fi tale of high school and one boy’s quest to fit in. See our incredible performers bring this show to life at the beautiful Griswold Theatre at AIC! https://www.operahouseplayers.org/tickets Tickets are $21 for students, seniors, and children under 12, and $25 for adults. Get tickets online or at the door. CitySpace Najla Saïd: PALESTINE Aug 17, 2024 at 7:30 PM 43 Main Street, Easthampton, MA 01027 Easthampton for Peace presents in collaboration with CitySpace, Najla Saïd in PALESTINE. In Palestine, actor/playwright Najla Said provides a unique passage into one of the most volatile and historic corners of the earth. With compassion, humor, and honesty she makes a case for Palestinian and Arab points of view in ways that truly allow them to be heard. The performance will be followed by a talk back and dialogue with Najla. Doors at 7:00pm | Show at 7:30pm | 16+ Tickets here Tickets: $15-$25 Theater Between Addresses Shabbtai Tsvi: Staged Reading Aug 18, 2024 at 2:00 PM Yiddish Book Center, 1021 West St, Amherst Shabbtai Tsvi by Sholem Asch  Translated Yiddish-to-English and adapted by Weaver  Directed by Yankl Krakovsky  Music composed by Rebecca Mac  This 1908 play, never before performed in its entirety, tells the story of the meteoric rise and tragic fall of Shabbtai Tsvi, the 17th century Ottoman Jewish mystic whose messianic aspirations attracted a following of thousands of Jews from every corner of the earth. Shabbtai Tsvi takes place throughout the Yiddish Book Center grounds and orchard, and the audience is free to explore the environment freely throughout the play. As an audience member, it is your choice how you engage with the mass feeling of messianism; will you stand on the edges and watch, or join in the dance of liberation?  This outdoor immersive reading runs roughly 90 minutes. Tickets are a sliding scale with 100% of each ticket going directly to compensating the artists involved in the production. No one will be turned away due to lack of funds.  The Yiddish Book Center will be open 10-4, and attendees are encouraged to visit the Center prior to the performance.  Performance will take place on Sunday, August 18 at 2 PM Tickets ACCESSIBILITY: This performance will be processional, and will require audience members to move over uneven ground between areas where scenes will be staged. Standing and moving among the performers is encouraged, but chairs will be available for audience members who need to sit between moments of procession. It is likely to be hot, sunny and buggy, so please wear appropriate clothing, apply sunscreen and bug spray, and check thoroughly for ticks afterwards. Bathrooms and water will be available inside the Yiddish Book Center. In case of extreme weather, our backup location will be the Kligerman-Greenspun Performance Hall inside the Yiddish Book Center. If we perform inside, per Theater Between Addresses policy, masks will be mandatory and provided. My Mama and the Full-Scale Invasion Aug. 22-24 at 7 pm; Aug. 25 at 2 pm. Workroom Theater, 33 Hawley Street, Northampton, MA Present day, Ukraine. Sasha is a playwright who is starting to get some international attention. Her Mama refuses to leave her apartment in Kyiv despite the full-scale invasion. In this memory play, Sasha discovers her mother's resilience and uncovers why her 81 year old Mama refuses to leave and why Mama fantasizes about her role in winning the war. In learning about her Mama's life, Sasha and Mama find the love that underscores the very different lives they lead. www.bit.ly/fullscaleinvasion tickets are $24 students/seniors; $26 General Admission Shakespeare & Company presents the World Premiere of Awni Abdi-Bahri’s Three Tall Persian Women, directed by Dalia Ashurina and staged at the Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre from August 30 through October 13. This comedic play is about generational differences, grief, control, and learning to let go; but more than anything, it’s a love story to immigrant mothers. Golnar, a punkish Iranian-American millennial, returns home to her mother Nasrin for the anniversary of her father’s passing and walks into hoards of family memorabilia that her grandmother Mamani has moved in with her. Originally staged at Shakespeare & Company in 2023 as a reading in the Plays in Process series, Ashurina said that the play explores how and why societies police women’s bodily autonomy. “We see how the women in this play are restrained by societal expectations, even in the safety of their own home," she said, "and how being honest instead of staying ‘peaceful’ can help each generation learn valuable lessons from one another.” Tickets range from $22 to $72; for more information or to purchase tickets, visit shakespeare.org, or call the Box Office at (413) 637-3353.   About Shakespeare & Company Shakespeare & Company was founded in 1978 by Tina Packer. Located in the Berkshires of Massachusetts, the Company offers performance, education, and actor-training opportunities year-round, and attracts more than 40,000 patrons annually with a core of more than 150 artists. AUDITIONS & OPPORTUNITIES Phoenix in the Holy Land is a play by JuPong Lin and directed by Ash Governman with performances on Oct. 12 &13 at CitySpace in the Pay It Forward Series. $100 honorarium for actors. Learn more and sign up for auditions. Amherst Community Theater Auditions for Newsies! Friday, September 20 from 6:00 pm to 9:15 pm Saturday, September 21 from 10:00 am to 12:15 pm and 1:30 pm to 5:45 pm Sunday, September 22 from 10:00 am to 12:15 pm and 1:30 pm to 5:45 pm Callbacks will be on Monday, September 23 from 6:00-9:00 pm Amherst Middle School https://amherstacts.org/auditions/ Amherst Community Theater is pleased to announce auditions for ‘Disney’s Newsies’, Directed by Megan Healey with Musical Direction by Cindy Naughton and Choreography by Sue Dresser. Set in turn-of-the century New York City, Newsies is the rousing tale of Jack Kelly, a charismatic newsboy and leader of a band of teenaged "newsies." When titans of publishing raise distribution prices at the newsboys’ expense, Jack rallies newsies from across the city to strike against the unfair conditions and fight for what's right! Based on the 1992 motion picture and inspired by a true story, Newsies features a Tony Award-winning score by Alan Menken (Little Shop of Horrors, Sister Act) and Jack Feldman and a book by Tony Award winner Harvey Fierstein (Kinky Boots). Featuring the now classic songs “Carrying the Banner,” “Seize the Day,” and “Santa Fe,” Newsies is packed with non-stop thrills and a timeless message, perfect for the whole family and every audience. 9 performances in January, 2025! Actors, singers, and dancers ages 7-107 are encouraged to audition! Easthampton Theater Company is seeking show/director proposals for its 2025 productions. Access our Google form with the details here We are actively reviewing proposals now, so please get yours in by mid August! Easthampton Theater Company is a production group created by Easthampton and nearby residents to bring quality theater productions and related events to the City. With the support of local businesses, patrons and theater aficionados, ETC strives to become the premiere theatrical venue for locally produced theater within the burgeoning arts scene based in Easthampton. More info about the company and our production is available at our website at easthamptontheater.com. You can also "like" our facebook page at the link below: facebook.com/easthamptontheatercompany WORKSHOPS & CLASSES Shakespeare & Company's free Behind the Curtain lecture series led by Shakespeare scholar Ann Berman. Featuring directors, cast, and design team members as guests, Berman examines various themes surrounding both the Shakespeare and contemporary productions slated for Season 2024 through talks designed to be accessible, engaging, and interactive. Berman holds a Master of Arts in Shakespeare Studies from King’s College, London, and explores topics ranging from historical parallels in Shakespeare’s plays to the effect costumes, scenic design, lighting, and more can have on audience response to a performance. This season will include seven Behind the Curtain lectures held from April through August; Spring talks will be held in the Jane Iredale Lobby at the Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre, while Summer sessions will be held outdoors at the tented Rose Footprint Theatre in the Rose Meadow. Behind the Curtain lectures for the 2024 Season include: Saturday, August 24 – Three Tall Persian Women; guest to be announced All Behind the Curtain lectures are free, but tickets are required. For more information, visit shakespeare.org or call the Box Office at (413) 637-3353. Spend your summer Saturdays at LAVA with new free art, music and theater! WHAT: summer@lava: free visual and performing arts and workshops all summer long WHEN: every Saturday midday, June 22–September 28 WHERE: The LAVA Center, 324 Main St., Greenfield https://thelavacenter.org/summer/  Join The LAVA Center in downtown Greenfield every Saturday this summer for art, music and theater! Our “summer@lava” series features new visual and performing arts and workshops, and happens every Saturday midday, so you can come after your weekly trip to the farmers market, and then hit up the rest of downtown’s cafes, restaurants, library, bookstores and shops afterwards! And best of all — all summer@lava programming is all FREE, funded by the Crossroads Cultural District and the Mass Cultural Council. Improv workshops Join local improv veteran Henry Balzarini every 2nd and 4th Saturday, 11 a.m.–1 p.m., all summer through September for free improv workshops! Using improv games, we will become a fast thinking, in the moment, loose goose brigade. September 14: 2nd Saturdays are for experienced improvisers to join in, share games, and brainstorm. August 24 and September 28: 4th Saturdays are for everyone! — all are welcome, from brand-newbies to the most seasoned veteran, for a series of new improv games every time. Our summer@lava programming is FREE, funded by the Crossroads Cultural District and the Mass Cultural Council. Donations are always welcome! Shakespeare & Company’s Center for Actor Training will host its 9-Day Intensive at its Lenox campus from Thursday, August 22 through Saturday, August 31.  Designed for mid-career actors, educators, directors, and others seeking professional and artistic development, the 9-Day Intensive is inspired by Shakespeare & Company’s Month-long Intensive. Director of Training Sheila Bandyopadhyay said the workshop offers participants an opportunity to immerse themselves in Shakespeare training and make connections with like-minded artists in a robust, accessible format.  “We regularly hear from artists in the mid-stages of their career that they wish they could attend our renowned Month-long Intensive in the winter, but their schedules simply do not permit them to do so,” said Bandyopadhyay. “For those out there who are juggling teaching, acting, directing, parenting responsibilities, and the like, the 9-Day Intensive is ideal.” The daily schedule includes classes in Linklater Voice, Movement, monologue and scene work, and the format and tuition include admission to three Shakespeare & Company shows staged at the height of its 2024 performance season.  Tuition is $1,495 with partial scholarships available for BIPOC artists. Early payment, alumni, and union member discounts are also available. Limited on-campus housing is available on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information or to apply, visit shakespeare.org or call 413.637.1199, ext. 114. Starlight's Youth Theatre Starlight Fall Acting Classes Beginning Sep 7, 2024 Grades 4-5 – The Jungle Book Saturdays, 9:45am – 10:30am This class will focus on character development- how their character walks, talks, acts, and reacts. They will learn about the importance of using those skills to express the character’s emotions, motivations, and actions. They will also learn about the importance of telling the story and working as an ensemble. Classes begin Saturday, September 7th at Mapleridge Church and Community Center Performances will be Saturday, November 2nd at the Eric Carle Museum Grades 6-7- The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe Saturdays, 10:30am – 11:30am When Lucy comes across the old wardrobe standing alone in the spare room, she thinks she has found a good place for hide and seek. But then she tumbles headlong into a magical world of fauns, dwarves, and giants, of animals that talk and horses that fly – the land of Narnia. It is so extraordinary that at first her brothers and sister don’t believe it could be real. Soon, though, Peter, Edmund and Susan find Narnia too and the adventures really begin. This class will focus on the play in its entirely- sets, costumes props and sound effects to bring this magical story to life. Classes begin Saturday, September 7th at Mapleridge Church and Community Center Performances will be Saturday, November 2nd at the Eric Carle Museum Grades 8-12- Act Now! Saturdays, 11:45am – 1:00pm This class will focus on strengthening your acting skills. We will first work on selecting, developing, and presenting monologues. Then your growth will continue as you work within an ensemble on short one acts and scenes. Classes begin Saturday, September 7th at Mapleridge Church and Community Center Performances dates and locations TBA https://starlights-youth-theatre.org/fall-classes-2024/ Submit your workshop, class, audition, performance, or any other theatre opportunity here! Western Massachusetts Theatre Companies Academy of Music Theatre Amherst Community Theater Arena Civic Theatre A.C.T. Youth Theatre Black Cat Theater Chester Theatre Company CitySpace Cold Spring Community Theatre Completely Ridiculous Productions Drama Studio Double Edge Theatre Easthampton Theater Company Eggtooth Productions Exit 7 Players Ghost Light Theater Greenfield Community College's Theater Department Hampshire Shakespeare Company Happier Valley Comedy Hawks and Reed Performing Arts Center Human Agenda Theater Ja'Duke Center for the Performing Arts K and E Theater Group Ko Theater Works/Ko Festival of Performance Majestic Theater Mount Holyoke College Rooke Theatre No Theater Northampton Community Arts Trust Northampton Playwrights Lab PaintBox Theatre Panopera Pauline Productions Performance Project Phantom Sheep Players Play Incubation Collective Real Live Theatre Red Thread Theater Royal Frog Ballet Serious Play Theatre Ensemble Shakespeare Stage Shea Theater Arts Center Silverthorne Theater Smith College Department of Theatre South Hadley Players St. Michael's Players Starlight's Youth Theatre, Inc. Strident Theatre Theater Between Addresses TheatreTruck Turbulent Times Theater UMass Department of Theater UMass Theatre Guild Unity House Players Valley Light Opera Valley Players Ware Community Theatre Westfield Theatre Group Wilbraham United Players World and Eye Want to know even more about events in Western Massachusetts and beyond, including reviews, interviews, and previews? In the Spotlight, Inc. Berkshire on Stage Stagestruck ArtsBeat TV/Radio and News Column Local Theater Critic Max Hartshorne Copyright © 2024 Western Mass Theatre, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you signed up to receive the Western Mass Theatre Newsletter. This newsletter is published weekly on Thursdays and all information about upcoming performances and auditions is reader submitted. The newsletter is limited to information about theatre in Western Massachusetts. unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences