Summer in the Berkshires: A season preview

By Mike Briotta, PRIME Editor
As summertime returns once again to New England, certain sounds are timeless reminders of this warmest season: The soothing drone of a lawnmower; the chatter of children playing outside; and of course a symphony of seasonal attractions in the Berkshires.
The summer of 2011 is no exception. It's chock full of featured artists and performances in far Western Massachusetts. This is a locale that beckons the day-tripper with an easy drive of about an hour.
Whether you're a film buff, arts aficionado, theatre fan, or musical maestro, the Great Barrington scene is once again bustling with exciting events this summer.
Thousands of travelers will return to the pastoral hills of the Berkshires this summer, and planning a seasonal junket there has never been more exciting.

Williamstown Theatre

he Williamstown Theatre Festival (WTF) is a summertime tradition, with performances at the '62 Center on the Williams College campus.
Continuing its 57-year history, Williamstown Theatre Festival hosts award-winning actors, directors and playwrights who join forces to entertain and delight the Berkshire community of year-round and seasonal patrons.
The Main Stage will light up with its share of blockbuster attractions this year.
"The 2011 Main Stage Season consists of the kinds of shows I've loved doing and seeing at WTF — a big screwball comedy, a Restoration gem, and a new romantic musical with some of my favorite songs," said Artistic Director Jenny Gersten.
"Each is challenging in its own way, and I believe they'll show the best of what Williamstown can do on our main stage. To that end, we have added additional performances for the first and final shows to allow them to be seen by as many folks as possible in the Berkshires and beyond."
The Nikos Stage season begins with a revival of Tennessee Williams' incendiary drama, "A Streetcar Named Desire" on June 22. Other plays there include "Three Hotels," a dark tale of corporate misdeeds and personal tragedy.
"These selections represent an ambitious experiment for the 173-seat Nikos Stage", Gersten said. "While new plays continue to be the focus of this venue, the inclusion of innovative revivals of classics gives our audience a fresh and more intimate relationship with these works."
Comedian and playwright Lewis Black comes to WTF, starting July 6, with a modern day farce called "A Slight Hitch" that mocks the all-too-human desire to shape our own destiny.
The story: It's Courtney's wedding day, and her mom, Delia, is making sure that everything is perfect. The groom is perfect, the dress is perfect, and the decorations (assuming they arrive) will be perfect. Then, like in any good farce the doorbell rings. And all hell breaks loose. So much for perfect.
Black will also be performing an evening of stand-up comedy at the WTF starting at 7:30 p.m. on July 18. It's a one-night-only benefit performance in which he will "expound on his love (and hate) of everything from the Berkshires to the Weather Channel."
Tickets for that performance range in price from $40 in the second balcony to $100 each for a Prime Orchestra seat and post-show reception.
These shows join the previously announced Main Stage productions, which include the riotous Restoration comedy "She Stoops to Conquer," and the American Premiere of John Doyle's new musical "Ten Cents a Dance." The Main Stage Season begins July 1 and runs through Aug. 28.
Single tickets for the 2011 Williamstown Theatre Festival season go on sale June 1, and can be purchased online at www.wtfestival.org, by phone at (413) 597-3400 or in person at the '62 Center for Theatre and Dance in Williamstown. For more schedule details, visit www.wtfestival.org.

Berkshire Theatre

The Berkshire Theatre Festival (BTF) season is headlined by a production of the The Who's classic rock opera "Tommy." It will be produced by BTF and staged at The Colonial Theatre from July 7-16.
The season kick off musical "Tommy" has music and lyrics by Pete Townshend of The Who fame, with additional music and lyrics by bandmates John Entwistle and Keith Moon.
The BTF is previewing the performance from July 7-9, with opening night officially slated for July 9 at 8 p.m. Tickets range in price from approximately $20-$50 each.
The original rock opera, The Who's "Tommy" is at once a show-stopping rock concert and a cautionary tale of the power and perils of celebrity. We witness Tommy Walker from his birth, through the shocking episodes of his childhood that render him deaf, mute and blind, as he conquers the world with his stardom, and finally after the crowds have turned on him.
It features legendary songs by the Who, including "Pinball Wizard," "See Me, Feel Me" and "Tommy, Can You Hear Me?" According to the BTF, "This promises to be the event of the summer in the Berkshires."
In addition, the festival is producing three world premieres, classic plays by A.R. Gurney, Michael Weller and Tennessee Williams.
Summer performances at the BTF conclude Aug. 31, although performances staged at the Colonial continue from Sept. 9-11, featuring the Berkshire Theatre Festival Children's Theatre Company.
BTF's Children's Theatre Company comes to The Colonial Theatre for the first time with the beloved tale of Dorothy Gale going over the rainbow in "The Wizard of Oz."

Tanglewood Tunes


The Boston Symphony Orchestra at Tanglewood, featuring famed cellist Yo-Yo Ma, is shown here led by conductor John Williams last August. PRIME photo courtesy of Hilary Scott and Boston Symphony Orchestra

The Tanglewood summer season again offers a kaleidoscopic array of many of the world's great musicians performing an impressive range of music — from classical to jazz, pop, and rock. Returning to Tanglewood this summer are fan favorites including James Taylor, Yo-Yo Ma, and Garrison Keillor.
A full slate of summer shows is scheduled June 28-Sept. 4, at the Boston Symphony Orchestra's acclaimed summer home located in the beautiful Berkshire Hills, between Lenox and Stockbridge.
This summer's schedule offers four appearances by singer/song writer legend James Taylor. One of Tanglewood's most popular artists, Taylor will return this summer to perform four concerts, opening with a special program in the more intimate setting of Ozawa Hall, June 30.
Taylor makes a special appearance July 1 with the Boston Pops Orchestra. On July 3 and 4, Tanglewood presents The Essential James Taylor, featuring Taylor with his extraordinary band of musicians for two special performances. Fireworks will follow the July 4 concert. All proceeds from the July 4 concert will benefit Tanglewood.
Taylor appears in four concerts June 30 — July 4 that demonstrates his versatility as an artist. On Thursday, June 30 in Ozawa Hall, he offers the music that has made him one of the most iconic artists of our day.
Friday, July 1 brings James Taylor and the Boston Pops, a remarkable collaboration with "America's Orchestra," and on Sunday, July 3 and Monday, July 4, Taylor returns to the Shed with his extraordinary band of musicians for two spectacular performances of The Essential James Taylor. Tanglewood's annual Independence Day fireworks display follows the July 4 concert.
Garrison Keillor brings his "A Prairie Home Companion" to Tanglewood on July 2, marking another favorite Tanglewood tradition. The inimitable Keillor and a colorful cast of friends from the shores of Lake Wobegon has become a favorite Tanglewood tradition and once again broadcasts live from the Shed Saturday, July 2.
The preseason comes to an end Thursday, July 7 as the Mark O'Connor String Quartet makes its Tanglewood debut performing O'Connor's own music, a fascinating blend of bluegrass, swing, and classical.
The 2011 Tanglewood music festival, now in its 74th year as the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, opens on Tuesday, June 28, with a world premiere performance by the Mark Morris Dance Group, and closes with the annual Labor Day Weekend Jazz Festival, Sept. 2-4.
For detailed information about the 2011 Tanglewood season, including how to purchase tickets, priced from $9-$115, visit www.tanglewood.org. Tickets for most Tanglewood events go on sale to the general public February 13; the James Taylor and Train concerts go on sale February 6.
As of these on-sale dates, tickets are available through Tanglewood's website, www.tanglewood.org, and through SymphonyCharge at 888-266-1200.

International Films

The Berkshire International Film Festival (BIFF) creates a world-class festival as an integral part of the cultural fabric of the Berkshires.
BIFF showcases not only the latest in independent feature, documentary, short, and family films but also lively panel discussions and special events focusing on filmmakers and talented artists from both sides of the camera.
The sixth-anniversary season of the Berkshires International Film Festival opens with the hit film "Page One — A Year at the New York Times" and closes the season with award-winning cowboy flick "Buck."
In-between is a special event sponsored by Berkshire Media and Film Commission of "A Letter to Elia" written and directed by Pittsfield native, Kent Jones and legendary director Martin Scorcese. BIFF will host Q&A sessions with filmmakers.
The film festival will feature some 70 independent feature films, documentaries, and shorts. This year's festival will feature films from 15 countries and host over two dozen filmmakers.
"It is with great enthusiasm and excitement that we announce the 2011 line-up of films, events, and awards," said Executive Director Kelley Vickery. "Our sixth anniversary continues with the strong tradition of celebrating the best in independent film and brings those filmmakers and stories to our unique community."
The festival kicks off in Great Barrington with the Sundance documentary hit which puts the spotlight on one of the great journalistic institutions "Page One: Inside the New York Times" directed by Andrew Rossi.
That film offers unprecedented access to the New York Times newsroom and the inner workings of the news desk. With the Internet surpassing print as our main news source and newspapers all over the country going bankrupt, this film chronicles the transformation of the media industry at its time of greatest turmoil.
The Sixth Anniversary Celebration continues its' expansion into Pittsfield and will kick off at the Beacon on Friday, June 3 with a cocktail party prior to the opening night presentation of the Sundance Audience award-winning film "Buck" by director Cindy Meehl and the winning short film of BIFF and Berkshire Bank's Next Great Filmmaker Award.
"Buck" is a richly textured and visually stunning film that follows Brannaman from his abusive childhood to his phenomenally successful approach to horses. A Q&A with the director will follow the screening. "Buck" will be the closing night film of the BIFF on Sunday, June 5 at the Mahaiwe.
Passes are on sale now at $250 and $500. The $150 passes have sold out. Individual tickets may be purchased online at www.biffma.org or by phone at 1-866-811-4111. Tickets may also be purchased by visiting the Triplex Cinema in Great Barrington or the Beacon Cinema in Pittsfield for any film at any venue. In addition, tickets for events at the Mahaiwe, may also be purchased at the Mahaiwe box office. Visit www.biffma.org for more information.

MoCA Flavored


The allure of MASS MoCA includes eye-catching fine art galleries. PRIME photo courtesy of MASS MoCA

Those looking for an art gallery experience in the Berkshires this summer have no further to look than the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASS MoCA). Visitors should be prepared for a full audio-visual experience.
Of particular note at MASS MoCA this summer is the Solid Sound Festival with alternative rock band Wilco. Tune in June 24-26 for the concert event, which is an "intimate three-day celebration of music, comedy, art and community." Comedian John Hodgman is set to perform.
Also worth a visit are attractions including the "Bang on a Can" Summer Music Festival. It's a contemporary music extravaganza from July 13 — 30.
Two live music / silent film events are scheduled at MoCA his summer: "Chaplin" with a live score by Marc Ribot on July 9 and "The Complete Metropolis" on Aug. 6. Ribot, called "One of the most individual of guitarists and a master of introverted ironies" by The Village Voice, turns his attention to one of Chaplin's greatest films. Ribot's haunting solo guitar score makes this classic contemporary, taking its story of a single father struggling to raise his son during The Great Depression.
For the Aug. 6 presentation of "The Complete Metropolis," Alloy Orchestra returns to perform its original live score to the newly restored version of Fritz Lang's magnum opus, which includes 25 minutes of additional footage from this classic film. This version of "Metropolis," just four minutes shorter than the lost original 153-minute cut that premiered in Berlin in 1927, was discovered in 2008 in a library in Buenos Aires.
The New York Times calls this film "A masterpiece of visionary silent cinema. One of the strangest, most fascinating films ever made."
Summer events wrap up at Mass MOCA with a Sept. 4 dance party.
For art gallery events running throughout the summer, visit the group's web site www.massmoca.org. PRIME