Berkshire Theatre Group Presents OLIVER! at The Colonial Theatre, Now thru 9/9

At The Colonial Theatre, Berkshire Theatre Group presents Oliver! with music, lyrics and book by Lionel Bart. The show runs from tonight, September 7 to September 9 with performances at 7:30pm on Friday, 2pm and 7:30pm on Saturday and 2pm on Sunday. Oliver! is directed by Travis G. Daly with music direction by Carlton Maaia and choreography by Kathy Jo Grover.

Tickets to Oliver! are $25 for Adults and $10 for Children 16 & Under. Contact the Stockbridge Campus Ticket Office at 83 East Main Street, by calling 413-298-5576 or the Colonial Ticket Office at 111 South Street, Pittsfield by calling 413-997-4444. Tickets can also be bought online at www.berkshiretheatregroup.org. Ticket Offices are open Monday-Friday 10am-5pm, Saturdays 10am-2pm or on any performance day from 10am until curtain. All plays, schedules, casting and prices are subject to change.

Oliver! is BTG's 7th annual Children's Theatre Company production, featuring 219 children and adults from the local community. Adapted from Charles Dickens' novel, Oliver Twist, Oliver! follows the story of a poor boy sold to an undertakers' family from an orphanage. After running away, he meets a parade of colorful characters such as Mr. Bumble, the Artful Dodger, Fagin and his crew of young pickpockets, Nancy and Bill Sykes. Watch as Oliver over comes the evils and greed that keep him from finding his real home. This beloved musical is full of suspense, courage and love, and will leave you begging for more.

The goal of BTG's community production is to bring together children and adults who learn from each other all in the midst of collaboration and creativity. Proceeds from this production benefit many children in Berkshire county beyond those who participate in and enjoy Oliver!. Ticket proceeds benefit BTG PLAYS!, Berkshire Theatre Group's Year-Round Education Program. At the heart of BTG PLAYS! is a passionate commitment to bring live theatre and all its inherent excitement and creativity to children throughout our region. In addition, this is the first theatrical experience on a professional stage that many of these children will have the opportunity to participate in. We hope this experience will stimulate a life-long love of theatre and help produce the next generation of playgoers, if not actors or other theatre professionals.

The personal rewards for children who participate in BTG's annual productions are endless. Children gain self-esteem, listening and creative problem solving skills, public speaking skills as well as learning to work as a team. Theatre is a collaborative art and requires that everyone learn his or her parts individually but also work together in order to reach the goal, a successful production. Children are guided through explorative exercises and training that help them connect their voices and bodies to communicate stories powerfully, with passion and clarity.

The cast of Oliver! includes students from Allendale Elementary, BART Charter School, Berkshire Community College, Berkshire Country Day School, Conte Community School, Craneville Elementary School, Crosby Elementary School, Egremont Elementary School, Farmington River Elementary School, Mount Greylock Regional High School, Herberg Middle School, Home School, Kittredge Elementary School, Lee Elementary School, Lee Middle School, Lenox Memorial Middle/High School, Muddy Brook Regional Elementary School, Montessori School, Monument Mountain Regional High School, Morris Elementary School, Mt. Everett Regional High School, Monument Valley Regional Middle School, Nessacus Middle School, New Marborough Central School, Pittsfield High School, Plunkett Elementary School, Reid Middle School, Richmond Consolidated School, Sinai Academy, St. Mary's School, St. Stanislaus School, Stamford Elementary Elementary School, Stearns Elementary School, Steiner School, Taconic High School, Undermountain Elementary School, Wahconah Regional High School and Williams Elementary School.

CAST

Noah Claypole: DerRick Carter
Mrs. Sowerberry: Pat Davis
Old Lady: Judi Fairweather
MR. Brownlow: David Fisher
Dr. Grimwig: Gary Freifeld
Artful Dodger: Toby Keenan
Charlie Bates: Charles Kerzner
Charlotte: Hannah Koczela
Widow Corney: Alison Larkin
Chairman/Old Sally: Donna Leep
Nancy: Rebecca Leigh
Bet: Caroline Mack
Oliver: Olivia Marchione
Fagin: Ralph Petillo
Mr. Sowerberry: Sam Slack
Mr. Bumble: Tom Towne
Bill Sykes: Chris Vecchia
Mrs. Bedwin: Erin White

The Colonial Theatre, founded in 1903, and Berkshire Theatre Festival, founded in 1928, are two of the oldest cultural organizations in the Berkshires. Having united in November of 2010 under the leadership of Artistic Director and CEO Kate Maguire, these two institutions are providing the Berkshires and beyond with the finest in live theatre, music, dance and the visual arts on five stages in Stockbridge, MA, Pittsfield, MA and Lenox, MA. The Fitzpatrick Main Stage (408 seats), cataloged by the National Register of Historic Places, was originally designed and built by Stanford White as the Stockbridge Casino in 1888. The intimate Unicorn Theatre (122 seats) is a home for emerging artists and new theatrical ideas. The Colonial in Pittsfield (780 seats) re-opened in August of 2006, following a $21 million restoration, and boasts pristine acoustics, classic gilded age architecture and state-of-the-art technical systems. BTG also performs at the newly built outdoor Neil Ellenoff stage at the Mount and at The Garage, a music venue located in the lobby of The Colonial. Together they serve over 100,000 patrons per year and reach over 10,000 students through their educational and outreach programs. For more information on BTF call (413) 298-5536 and on The Colonial call (413) 448-8084.

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