David Sedaris to Speak at The Colonial Theatre, 10/19

Berkshire Theatre Group is proud to announce that David Sedaris, NPR Humorist and Bestselling Author of Naked, Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim and Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk, will be speaking at The Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield on Wednesday, October 19 at 7:30pm.

Tickets are VIP: $75 A: $65 • B: $45 • C: $25. The VIP tickets include preferred seating. Tickets may be purchased in person at the Colonial Ticket Office at 111 South Street or by calling (413) 997-4444 or online at www.TheColonialTheatre.org. The Ticket Office is open Monday-Friday 10am-5pm, Saturdays 10am-2pm or on any performance day from 10am until intermission.

With sardonic wit and incisive social critiques, David Sedaris has become one of America's pre-eminent humorists. The great skill with which he slices through cultural euphemisms and political correctness proves that Sedaris is a master of satire and one of the most observant writers addressing the human condition today.

After being born in Binghamton, New York, Sedaris grew up in Raleigh, North Carolina with his parents and five siblings. As a child who was attracted to the arts and who questioned his sexuality, Sedaris struggled to fit into Raleigh's white suburbia while growing up. However, these childhood difficulties have provided Sedaris with some of his best inspiration. Sedaris admits that "I've been keeping diaries for 27 years. For the most part, it's just garbage, so I go through them, take whatever's good and make a master list." He truly understands the power of writing what one knows.

It is Sedaris' talent for universalizing his personal family stories that has gained him such a large following and dedicated readership. According to Sedaris, "Writing gives you the illusion of control, and then you realize it's just an illusion, that people are going to bring their own stuff into it." It is this ability to bring one's own stuff to Sedaris' work that has made his writing so beloved. Sedaris' pieces appear regularly in The New Yorker and have twice been included in "The Best American Essays."

Sedaris has also been featured on the radio and on NPR. After Ira Glass discovered Sedaris reading excerpts from his diary in a Chicago club, Sedaris eventually made his NPR debut on the Morning Edition, reading his essay "SantaLand Diaries," which chronicles his time working as an elf at Macy's during Christmas time. His hilarious and truthful works have earned him nominations for three Grammy Awards for Best Spoken Word and Best Comedy Album.

In addition to writing his own literature, he and his sister, comedian Amy Sedaris, have collaborated on several theatrical endeavors. Some of their plays include Stump the Host, Stitches, Incident at Cobbler's Knob, The Book of Liz and One Woman Shoe, which won an Obie Award. Their works have been presented at La Mama Theatre, Lincoln Center, and the Drama Department in New York City.

This reading will feature selections from Sedaris' older works as well as writings never heard before, guaranteed to delight and incite audiences.

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