BerkshireLinks

Dave Read

Jazz in Pittsfield May 3 & 5

Jazz in Pittsfield May 3 & 5

Royal Hartigan Blood Drum Spirit BerkshiresJazz.org presents two free programs in Pittsfield the first weekend of May. On May 3 by the Williams College Jazz Group, an ensemble comprising talented students and headed by Andy Jaffe. The 7:30pm concert will take place at Baba Louie’s Backroom, , 34 Depot Street, Pittsfield.

The student members come from around the country and around the world: Max Dietrich, baritone sax (Newton, Mass.); Nina Kumar, drums (Larchmont,N.Y.); Thobo Mogojwe, vocals (Botswana); Chris Janson, bass (Darien,Conn); Jack Schweighauser guitar (Lake Forest, IL). The pianist and leader is Andy Jaffe, the Lyell B.Clay Artist in Residence in Jazz and Director of Jazz Activities at Williams College.

On Sunday, May 5, percussionist, author, activist, and Pittsfield native Royal Hartigan brings the Blood Drum Spirit ensemble to his home town, to honor our ancestors. The 3pm concert will take place at the Zion Lutheran Church at 74 First Street, Pittsfield.

Royal will be joined by saxophonist David Bindman, pianist Art Hirahara, and bassist Wes Brown. His performance will include selections from two of the group’s CDs, “Ancestors” and “Blood Drum Spirit Live in China.” A free will offering is suggested and all proceeds from offerings will be donated to the Pittsfield Area Council of Congregations Emergency Fuel Fund and to Berkshires Jazz, Inc. More info at BerkshiresJazz.org.

Apartments in Lenox, MA

Jan. 02, 2015 Article by

Sunny Bank Apartments
Sunny Bank Apartments in Lenox, MA
Sunny Bank Apartments is located at 140 Housatonic St., near the center of historic Lenox village and convenient to shopping, fine dining, parks, and historic buildings such as the Lenox Library and Lenox Academy. Less than a half-mile from Rte. 7 & 20, the main artery for north-south travel in Berkshire county, we are situated on the “B” bus route, providing easy access to public transportation to north and south county every hour. The Lenox Community Center is just up the street, with 5 tennis courts and a basketball court available for public use.

  • PO Box 146
  • Lenox MA 01240
  • 413-443-637-2775
  • web: SunnyBankLenox.com
  • on BRTA line
  • .6 mi from Rts. 7-20 (Bypass)
  • 5 min. walk Town Hall, Post Ofc.
  • 2 mi. to Tanglewood
  • walk to Canyon Ranch
  • walk to Shakespeare and Co.

Barrington Stage Company 2013 season schedule

Barrington Stage Company 2013 season schedule

Barrington Stage Company, Pittsfield, MABarrington Stage Company’s 2013 season schedules lists some 275 events. Plays featured on BSC stages in 2013 include On the Town, music by Leonard Bernstein, book and lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, The Chosen, by Chaim Potok, adapted by Chaim Potok and Aaron Posner; Much Ado About Nothing, by William Shakespeare, starring Christopher Innvar, Gretchen Egolf, and Mark H. Dold; Clybourne Park by Bruce Norris. Also on tap is the world premiere of Scott and Hem In The Garden of Allah, written and directed by Mark St. Germain. The play is about the artistic and romantic rivalry between F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway.

May 22 – June 8. BASHIR LAZHAR by Evelyn de la Cheneliere, translation by Morwyn Brebner. Directed by Shakina Nayfack. American premiere.

This timely and beautifully written play about a French-Algerian refugee inspired the Oscar-nominated film Monsieur Lazhar. St. Germain Stage at the Sydelle and Lee Blatt Performing Arts Center, 36 Linden Street, Pittsfield. Performances Tuesday-Saturday at 7:30pm, Saturday at 4pm, Sunday at 3pm. Additional matinee Thursday, June 6 at 4pm. Press Opening: Sunday, May 26 at 3pm. Tickets: $40-$46. Tickets to performances May 22 & 23 are $15. Seniors: $32 all matinees. Youth ages 6-18, tickets $15 all performances (subject to availability).
May 28. Post-Show Discussion: BASHIR LAZHAR. St. Germain Stage the Sydelle and Lee Blatt Performing Arts Center, 36 Linden Street, Pittsfield. Following the Tuesday 7:30pm performance.

June 1 – 2. WE MADE THAT: THE SONGS OF MILLER & TYSEN.

The songwriting team who wrote The Burnt Part Boys and The Mysteries of Harris Burdick for the Musical Theatre Lab, perform tunes from those shows and from their new musical Tuck Everlasting. June 1 at 9:30pm and June 2 at 8pm. Tickets are $25, general admission. Mr. Finn’s Cabaret at the Sydelle and Lee Blatt Performing Arts Center, 36 Linden Street, Pittsfield.

June 8 – 9. TONYA PINKINS IN HURRICANE ETHEL: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF ETHEL WATERS.

Tony winner Tonya Pinkins. June 8 at 9:30pm and June 9 at 8pm. Tickets are $35, general admission. Mr. Finn’s Cabaret at the Sydelle and Lee Blatt Performing Arts Center, 36 Linden Street, Pittsfield.

June 12 – July 13. ON THE TOWN, music by Leonard Bernstein, book and lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, directed by John Rando and choreographed by Joshua Bergasse.

A New York City musical comedy bursting with high energy dancing, not to be missed!. Boyd-Quinson Mainstage, 30 Union Street, Pittsfield. Performances Tuesday and Wednesday at 7pm, Thursday-Saturday at 8pm, Wednesday and Friday matinees at 2pm (excluding 6/12, 6/14 and 6/19), Sunday at 5pm. Please note Thursday, July 4 there is no 8pm evening performance; will be a 2pm matinee. Press Opening: Sunday, June 16 at 5pm. Tickets: $20-$65. Performances June 12-14 tickets are $15/$20. Seniors: $39 & $34 all matinees. Youth ages 6-18, tickets $15 all performances (subject to availability).

June 13 – July 6. MUCKRAKERS by Zayd Dohrn, directed by Giovanna Sardelli.

A political and psychological thriller about secrecy and privacy in the modern world. St. Germain Stage at the Sydelle and Lee Blatt Performing Arts Center, 36 Linden Street, Pittsfield. Performances Tuesday-Saturday at 7:30pm, Saturday at 4pm, Sunday at 3pm. (Additional matinees on Thursday, June 27 and July 4 at 4pm). No 7:30pm performance on July 4. Press Opening: Wednesday, June 19 at 7:30pm. Tickets: $40-$46. Seniors: $32 all matinees. Low priced previews June 13 & 14 are $15. Youth ages 6-18, tickets $15 all performances (subject to availability).
June 18. Post Show Discussion: ON THE TOWN. Boyd-Quinson Mainstage, 30 Union Street, Pittsfield. Following the Tuesday 7pm performance.
June 20. Post-Show Discussion: MUCKRAKERS. St. Germain Stage the Sydelle and Lee Blatt Performing Arts Center, 36 Linden Street, Pittsfield. Following the Tuesday 7:30pm performance.
June 22. BSC ANNUAL SUMMER GALA featuring a performance of ON THE TOWN at 4pm at the Mainstage, 30 Union Street, Pittsfield. Followed by a spectacular party with dinner, dancing and a silent auction at St. Joseph’s High School, 22 Maplewood Ave, Pittsfield, as Barrington Stage celebrates Pittsfield educator and visionary Shirley Edgerton.
June 29. UP CLOSE with the cast of ON THE TOWN. June 29 at 10:30pm. Tickets are $15, general admission. Mr. Finn’s Cabaret at the Sydelle and Lee Blatt Performing Arts Center, 36 Linden Street, Pittsfield.
June 30 – July 1. Paul Green and the Jewish Jazz Project: Traditional Klezmer Favorites and Jewish Jazz Fusion. June 30 and July 1 at 8pm. Tickets are $25, general admission. Mr. Finn’s Cabaret at the Sydelle and Lee Blatt Performing Arts Center, 36 Linden Street, Pittsfield.
July 6 – 7. Mr. Finn and his All-Star Songwriters, Take #1. July 6 at 9pm and July 7 at 8pm. Tickets are $20, general admission. Mr. Finn’s Cabaret at the Sydelle and Lee Blatt Performing Arts Center, 36 Linden Street, Pittsfield.
July 8. LINDA LAVIN “Possibilities” with Billy Stritch on piano. Boyd-Quinson Mainstage, 30 Union Street, Pittsfield, 8pm. Tickets: $75 VIP seating includes post-show reception with Ms. Lavin; $45, $35.
July 9. Musical Theatre Apprentice Cabaret. 10pm. Tickets are $10, general admission. Mr. Finn’s Cabaret at the Sydelle and Lee Blatt Performing Arts Center, 36 Linden Street, Pittsfield.
July 14 – 15. SIBLING REVELRY with ANN HAMPTON CALLAWAY and LIZ CALLAWAY. 8pm. Tickets $45, general admission. Mr. Finn’s Cabaret at the Sydelle and Lee Blatt Performing Arts Center, 36 Linden Street, Pittsfield.
July 16. Gutless and Grateful: A Musical Feast with Amy Oestreicher. 8pm. Tickets are $20, general admission. Mr. Finn’s Cabaret at the Sydelle and Lee Blatt Performing Arts Center, 36 Linden Street, Pittsfield.

July 18 – August 3. THE CHOSEN by Chaim Potok; adapted by Chaim Potok and Aaron Posner. Directed by Aaron Posner.

The much-beloved story of two boys, two fathers, and two very different Jewish communities in Brooklyn during World War II. Boyd-Quinson Mainstage, 30 Union Street, Pittsfield. Performances Tuesday and Wednesday at 7pm, Thursday-Saturday at 8pm, Wednesday and Friday matinees at 2pm (excluding 7/19), Sunday at 5pm. Press Opening: Sunday, July 21 at 5pm. Tickets: $20-$58. Performances July 18-20 tickets are $15/$20. Seniors: $39 & $34 all matinees. Youth ages 6-18, tickets $15 all performances (subject to availability).

July 19 – August 10. BSC’s Musical Theatre Lab presents A World Premiere musical SOUTHERN COMFORT,

music by Julianne Wick-Davis, book and lyrics by Dan Collins, starring Jeff McCarthy and Annette O’Toole, directed by Tom Caruso. St. Germain Stage at the Sydelle and Lee Blatt Performing Arts Center, 36 Linden Street, Pittsfield. A new musical about transformation, love and redefining family. Performances Tuesday-Friday at 7:30pm, Saturday at 4pm and 8pm, Sunday at 3pm. Press Opening: Wednesday, July 24 at 7:30pm. Tickets: $40-$46. Tickets to performances July 19 & 20 are $15. Seniors: $32 all matinees. Youth ages 6-18, tickets $15 all performances (subject to availability).
July 23. Post-Show Discussion: THE CHOSEN. Boyd-Quinson Mainstage, 30 Union Street, Pittsfield. Following the Tuesday 7pm performance.

July 24 – August 11. BSC’s Youth Theatre presents Disney’s THE LITTLE MERMAID JR.

Directed and choreographed by Christine O’Grady. At Berkshire Museum, 39 South Street, Pittsfield. Performances Wednesday-Friday at 7pm, Matinees Wednesday and Thursday at 2pm (excl. 7/24); Saturday at 10am and 3pm; Sunday at 3pm (additional Monday matinee July 29 at 1pm). Tickets: $8-$15. A Museum/Theatre Pass is available for $25 (adults) and $13 (youth).
July 27 – 28. JOE ICONIS & FAMILY. July 27 at 10:30pm and July 28 at 8pm. Tickets are $25, general admission. Mr. Finn’s Cabaret at the Sydelle and Lee Blatt Performing Arts Center, 36 Linden Street, Pittsfield.
July 31. Post-Show Discussion: SOUTHERN COMFORT. St. Germain Stage at the Sydelle and Lee Blatt Performing Arts Center, 36 Linden Street, Pittsfield. Following the Wednesday 7:30pm performance.
August 3. UP CLOSE with the cast of SOUTHERN COMFORT. 10:30pm. Tickets are $15, general admission. Mr. Finn’s Cabaret at the Sydelle and Lee Blatt Performing Arts Center, 36 Linden Street, Pittsfield.

August 8 – 25. MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING by William Shakespeare, starring Christopher Innvar, Gretchen Egolf, and Mark H. Dold, directed by Julianne Boyd.

Shakespeare’s witty war of words between Beatrice (Egolf) and Benedick (Innvar) is set in romantic 1930s Italy. Boyd-Quinson Mainstage, 30 Union St., Pittsfield. Performances Tuesday and Wednesday at 7pm, Thursday-Saturday at 8pm, Wednesday and Friday matinees at 2pm (excluding 8/9), Sunday at 5pm. Press Opening: Sunday, August 11 at 5pm. Tickets: $20-$58. Performances August 8-10 tickets are $15/$20. Seniors: $39 & $34 all matinees. Youth ages 6-18, tickets $15 all performances (subject to availability).
August 9 – 10. Mr. Finn and his All-Star Songwriters, Take #2. August 9 at 10:30pm and August 10 at 8pm. Tickets are $20, general admission. Mr. Finn’s Cabaret at the Sydelle and Lee Blatt Performing Arts Center, 36 Linden Street, Pittsfield.
August 12. For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf by Ntozake Shange. Part of the 2013 WordXWord Festival, 7pm. Staged reading directed by Dawn Monique Williams. Boyd-Quinson Mainstage, 30 Union St., Pittsfield. Tickets are $15, reserved seating.
August 13. Post-Show Discussion: MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING. Boyd-Quinson Mainstage, 30 Union Street, Pittsfield. Following the Tuesday 7pm performance.

August 15 – September 29. SCOTT AND HEM IN THE GARDEN OF ALLAH. Written and directed by Mark St. Germain.

A world premiere play about the artistic and romantic rivalry between F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway. St. Germain Stage at the Sydelle and Lee Blatt Performing Arts Center, 36 Linden Street, Pittsfield. Performances August 15 – September 1: Tuesday-Saturday at 7:30pm, Saturday at 4pm (excluding August 17), Sunday at 3pm (additional matinee on Thursday, August 29 at 4pm). Performances September 6-29: Wednesday-Saturday at 7:30pm, Saturday at 4pm and Sunday at 3pm. Press Opening: Wednesday, August 21 at 7:30pm. Tickets: $40-$46. Seniors: $32 all matinees. Low priced previews August 15 & 16 are $15. Youth ages 6-18, tickets $15 all performances (subject to availability).
August 17 – 18. Musical Theatre Apprentices: 10-Minute Musicals. August 17 at 10:30pm and August 18 at 8pm. Tickets are $10, general admission. Mr. Finn’s Cabaret at the Sydelle and Lee Blatt Performing Arts Center, 36 Linden Street, Pittsfield.
August 19. For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf by Ntozake Shange. Westside Community Arts Project. 7pm, Staged reading directed by Dawn Monique Williams. St. Germain Stage the Sydelle and Lee Blatt Performing Arts Center, 36 Linden Street, Pittsfield. FREE, but reservations are strongly recommended.
August 20. Post-Show Discussion: SCOTT AND HEM IN THE GARDEN OF ALLAH. St. Germain Stage the Sydelle and Lee Blatt Performing Arts Center, 36 Linden Street, Pittsfield. Following the Tuesday 7:30pm performance.
August 25. Sam Salmond. Tickets $20, general admission. Mr. Finn’s Cabaret at the Sydelle and Lee Blatt Performing Arts Center, 36 Linden Street, Pittsfield.

August 30-31. SONGS BY RIDICULOUSLY TALENTED COMPOSERS AND LYRICISTS YOU PROBABLY DON’T KNOW BUT SHOULD…

Narrated by Tony Award-winner William Finn. Boyd-Quinson Mainstage, 30 Union Street, Pittsfield. A BSC Labor Day weekend tradition. Performances Friday and Saturday at 8pm. Tickets: $25-$35.
September 1. Staged Reading DANCING LESSONS by Mark St. Germain directed by Julianne Boyd at 7pm. A new play from the author of Freud’s Last Session, The Best of Enemies and Dr. Ruth, All the Way, Dancing Lessons centers on a high-functioning young man with Asperger’s Syndrome as he tries to navigate a relationship with a Broadway dancer, now sidelined with injuries. Tickets are $15, reserved seating. Boyd-Quinson Mainstage, 30 Union Street, Pittsfield.
September 21 – 22. LOVE & TAKE OUT with MICHELE BROURMAN. September 21 at 9:30pm and September 22 at 7:30pm. Tickets are $25, general admission. Mr. Finn’s Cabaret at the Sydelle and Lee Blatt Performing Arts Center, 36 Linden Street, Pittsfield.

September 26 – October 13. CLYBOURNE PARK by Bruce Norris,

Boyd-Quinson Mainstage, 30 Union Street, Pittsfield. A co-production with Dorset Theatre Festival. Performances Thursday at 7pm, Friday and Saturday at 8pm, Sunday at 3pm. Two added performances: Saturday October 5 at 2pm and Sunday, October 13 at 7pm. Press Opening: Sunday, October 7 at 3pm. Tickets: $20-$40. Low-priced previews on September 26 – 28 are $15/$20. Seniors: $38 all matinees. Youth 18 and under $15 all performances. Additional matinees for student groups are scheduled. Contact Group Services at 413-236-8888 for more information.
October 3. Post-Show Discussion CLYBOURNE PARK. Boyd-Quinson Mainstage, 30 Union Street, Pittsfield. Following the Thursday 7pm performance.

Barrington Stage Company tickets contact information

Single tickets will go on sale February 15, 2012. Subscriptions for the Mainstage and Stage 2 seasons are now available. Mainstage FlexPasses start $108 and Stage 2 Passes start at just $81. Groups of 15 or more should contact Group Sales at 413 236-8888 for additional discounts. Affordable Theatre For All Continues In 2012:

  • All shows, casting and schedule subject to change.
  • Mainstage: 30 Union Street – BSC Stage 2: 36 Linden Street (Pittsfield VFW)
  • Box Office: 413-236-8888 – Administration: 413-499-5446
  • Single tickets will go on sale February 15, 2012
  • Website: barringtonstage.org

Berkshires museums and historic sites

April 21, 2016 Article by

Interactive map showing Berkshires museums and historic sites. The map icons can be clicked to reveal links for further information about the museum or historic site, as well as a link that opens a form below the map where you can get driving, walking, and/or bicycling directions to the venue. These popular Berkshire county destinations are included:

  • Arrowhead – Herman Melville home,
  • Berkshire Athenaeum,
  • Berkshire Museum,
  • William Cullen Bryant Homestead,
  • Chesterwood – Daniel Chester French studio,
  • Clark Art Institute,
  • Col. John Ashley House – Mumbet home,
  • W.E.B. DuBois Center,
  • Frelinghuysen Morris House,
  • Hancock Shaker Village,
  • Lenox Athenaeum,
  • MASS MoCA,
  • Mission House,
  • The Mount – Edith Wharton Restoration,
  • Naumkeag,
  • Norman Rockwell Museum,
  • Ventfort Hall,
  • Williams College Museum of Art.

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Berkshires history

To read about the history of the Berkshires, we recommend the Berkshire Historical Society, which is located at Herman Melville’s Arrowhead; and the Berkshire Athenaeum is another popular source.

Views atop Monument Mountain

Video showing views from the top of Monument Mountain on a crisp, clear October morning showing the Berkshires in all its autumnal splendor.

On Monument Mtn

Bartholomew’s Cobble

Apr 19, 2013 Article by

We visited Bartholomew’s Cobble, a National Natural Landmark located on the southern edge of the Berkshires, for a hike on Sept. 22, 2013, the Autumn equinox. The hike was led by Rene Wendell, the affable and knowledgeable ranger who oversees the Cobble, which is a property of the Trustees of Reservations, the oldest regional land trust in the world.

Rocks,ferns, giant Cottonwood tree at Bartholomew’s Cobble

Bartholomew’s Cobble’s 60 acres contain a degree of biodiversity that matches the 60,000 acres of Acadia National Park in Maine. We hiked along fewer than half of the Cobble’s 5 miles of trails, in order to identify species of ferns, visit the Housatonic River floodplain area where 1,800 trees were planted in a recent restoration project, including Silver Maple, Box Elder, Cottonwood, Sycamore, Tulip Tree, Hackberry, and seven varieties of disease-resistant Elms, and to see Wendell enter the 2nd largest Cottonwood tree in the state, a 230 year-old specimen which was #1 until a storm felled a giant limb.

About Bartholomew’s Cobble

Bartholomew's Cobble, Sheffield, Massachusetts, view of a ledge with ferns; photo: wiki user Daderot.
Bartholomew’s Cobble, Sheffield, Massachusetts, view of a ledge with ferns; photo: wiki user Daderot.
Bartholomew’s Cobble is a 329 acre site, owned and administered by the Trustees of Reservations, that was created by geologic upheavals when the Taconic and Berkshire ranges were formed. It is a 100′ high bedrock outcropping, containing 800 species of plants, that began as coral reefs, shells, and sand as many as 500 million years ago when this area was an inland sea. When the Taconic and Berkshire mountains were formed, the still-forming strata were pushed upward and flipped over, leaving the rough and rugged underbelly exposed for millennia.

The reservation’s more recent farming history lives on through herd of cattle grazing along the river. The cobbles consist mostly of quartzite and marble, whose alkaline soil supports an unusual array of flora – you’ll find one of North America’s greatest diversities of fern species here. The reservation also boasts one of the largest Cottonwood trees in the state. It’s this amazing diversity that led to the Cobble’s designation as a National Natural Landmark in 1971. Download Bartholomew’s Cobble trail map (PDF).

The high point at Bartholomew’s Cobble, Hurlburt’s Hill, rises 1,000 feet to a 20-acre upland field on the Massachusetts–Connecticut border that offers panoramic views northward up the Housatonic River Valley.

Bartholomew’s Cobble map and driving directions

  • Weatogue Road
  • Ashley Falls
  • Sheffield, MA
  • Telephone: 413.229.8600
  • E-mail: bcobble@ttor.org

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Bartholomew's Cobble trail map

How to get to Bartholomew’s Cobble

From Rt. 7 South in Sheffield, turn right onto Rt. 7A and follow for 0.5 mi. Turn right onto Rannapo Rd. and follow for 1.5 mi. Turn right onto Weatogue Rd. to entrance and parking (30 cars) on left. From Rt. 7 north in Canaan, CT, turn left onto Rt. 7A and cross state border. Turn left onto Rannapo Rd and follow for 0.8 mi. Turn left onto Weatogue Rd. Continue as above.