By Mark G. Auerbach
DARLENE ZOLLAR
Playhouse on Park announced its 2020-21 season at its online fundraiser last weekend. The 12th season opens with David Arrow’s Kennedy: Bobby’s Last Crusade (September 16-October 4), which follows the story of Kennedy’s short campaign for President of the USA. Peter Rothstein’s All is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914 follows (December 2-20). The New Year brings the Kander and Ebb blockbuster musical Chicago (January 20-February 21) and all that jazz to West Hartford for the new year. Darlene Zollar directs. Stoptime dance theater returns March 12-28, followed by Kill Move Paradise, the New York Times Critics Pick (April 14-May 9). Sondheim’s Into The Woods (June 30-August 89) closes the season. Playhouse on Park will also have a Theatre For Young Audiences performance series. Mama D’s Outrageous Halloween Romp plays the theatre October 21-31. For details: www.playhouseonpark.org.
COCO
Berkshire Theatre Group, in partnership with the City of Pittsfield, launches Sunset Cinema Outside, a series of family-friendly films shown in the parking lot of Pittsfield’s Taconic High School. The gates open at 6:30PM and movies screen around 8:30PM (sunset). Friday’s movie is Newsies: the Broadway musical (which features Westfield native Josh Burrage). Saturday’s movie is The Wiz—Live! You pay by the carload. The series continues with screenings of The Iron Giant on July 17, and Coco on July 18. For details: www.berkshiretheatregroup.org.
Chesterwood, the former summer home, studio, and gardens of renowned 20th century sculptor Daniel Chester French, and a Stockbridge National Trust for Historic Preservation Site since 1969, is open for summer tours. Two-hour tour passes and pre-paid timed parking must be purchased online in advance for visitations Thursday through Sunday from 10AM-4PM. A current exhibit features contemporary sculpture of Rick and Laura Brown. For details: www.chesterwood.org.
PITI THEATER
Piti Theatre Company, an international touring troupe based in Shelburne Falls, has been busy re-inventing their theatre work in a digital format given COVID-19. One example of this new approach will be on offer through the Toronto Fringe Collective, an online festival that grew out of the cancellation of the Toronto Fringe Festival where Piti had planned to offer their pro-pollinator production To Bee or Not to Bee as part of the Fringe’s KidsFest. Piti’s pieces are part of a collection of digital work made by 50+ theatre companies from around the world and premiering through July 12 at www.fringetoronto.com. The Festival is operating on a “pay what you can” model where patrons can “tip” the artists. Upcoming performances include: Sammy and “Le Grand Buffet”: Making up Problems , a video from the world of Piti’s solo clown performance July 7-9, which encourages all ages to create (and solve!) their own physical comedy “problems” using common objects found around the house. On July 10-12, they present Hawaii 5G: This is the first episode of a new Piti podcast series geared for ages 16+ inspired by the television series Hawaii Five-0 and the nationwide roll-out of 5G wireless infrastructure with no safety testing. The solo show culminating a year’s worth of podcasts will premiere at the Ko Festival of Performance in Amherst next summer. For details: www. ptco.org
STAN FREEMAN
The Northampton Arts Council is now accepting performer applications for the 36th annual First Night Northampton 2021, which is scheduled to be held on December 31. Since 1985, First Night Northampton has filled the Paradise City with a 12-hour family-friendly festival of the arts, culminating in a traditional ball-raising from the roof of the Hotel Northampton. Proceeds from First Night Northampton will benefit local artists and community arts activities. Applications from performers and performance groups are due before August 31, but are being reviewed as received. For details: https://www.firstnightnorthampton.org/performances/
COVID19 News
The Big E has cancelled its 2020 season. There is precedent in the Exposition’s 104-year history when the Fair was put on hold during World War and for five years during World War II. Ticketholders for the Zach Williams concert on September 20 will be refunded in full. For details: www.thebige.com.
Shakespeare & Company is cutting expenses and launching the Springboard fundraising campaign to help cover the loss of earned income from ticket sales this summer. The Company’s administrative offices will be on limited hours and limited operations July 6 through October 4. During this time, many of the Company’s full-time staff of 26 will be furloughed. A small team will remain active to handle administrative tasks, virtual programming, fundraising, and property management. Furloughed staff will continue to receive their full health benefits. The Company plans to resume education and performance programming come November, health guidelines permitting. For details: www.shakespeare.org.
Online…
The Metropolitan Opera’s upcoming streams include Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin (from 2013) with Anna Netrebko on July 10; Puccini’s Madama Butterfly with Hui He and Paulo Szot (from the current season) on July 11. and Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde on July 12. For details: https://www.metopera.org/user-information/nightly-met-opera-streams/
The San Francisco Opera streams Rossini’s Cinderella on July 18, and Janacek’s The Makropulos Case on July 25. For details: https://sfopera.com/opera-is-on/streaming/
Keep in Mind…
ArtsBeat TV/Radio features The Majestic Theater’s Danny Eaton, director of The Pitch, with playwright Stan Freeman in conversation, along with a profile of actor/teacher and “goof” Gabriel Levey who is running workshops to help people laugh. The program airs at 8AM on July 10 on 89.5fm/WSKB and WCPC15. To stream: www.westfieldtv.org.
SEAN HARRIS
Althea and Angela, a new play by Todd Olson will premiere on the new Playhouse on Park’s program on From The Porch: A Summer Series at the Hill-Stead Museum in Farmington, CT. Staged by Artistic Director Sean Harris in a reading format, the play is about two world-ranked tennis players, one a Black woman from Harlem, and one a Jewish woman from Liverpool, who are asked to play doubles. Performance date is July 12 with a raindate of July 13. A talk-back with actors and director Harris follows. Performance venue is outdoors, and people can bring food, beverages, chairs, and blankets. Masks must be worn. For details: www.playhouseonpark.org.
Mark G. Auerbach studied theatre at American University and the Yale School of Drama. He’s worked for arts organizations and reported on theatre for newspapers and radio. Mark produces and hosts ArtsBeat TV/Radio for WCPC15 and 89.5fm/WSKB, and is a contributor to Pioneer Valley Radio.
