James Taylor to Star in Berkshire Theatre Group's A CHRISTMAS CAROL,

Berkshire Theatre Group is pleased to announce the reprise of our annual community production of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, adapted by Eric Hill and presented for the first time at The Colonial Theatre. Revel in the joy and redemptive power of Christmas as told in the timeless tale of Ebenezer Scrooge, the infamous miser who is reformed and shown the error of his ways by four spirits. Journey back to Victorian England and experience the classic story filled with terrific turns and infused with holiday music.

This community production is dedicated to the memory of Jack Fitzpatrick. A Christmas Carol's founding sponsor is The Fitzpatrick Family. Additional sponsors include Greylock Federal Credit Union and Berkshire Life, A Guardian Company.

Artistic Director/CEO, Kate Maguire, explained that "My long-time collaborator, Eric Hill, and I recently engaged in a lively discussion regarding plays that may best serve the times we live in. As we spoke we recognized it is indeed this play, A Christmas Carol, which may be one of the greatest stories ever written about goodness and greed. We seek, in the theatre, to understand what it means to be human. We are honored to work with this diverse company to celebrate the spirit of Dickens, in this most perfect setting, at this most treasured time of year."

Eric Hill and E. Gray Simons III will co-direct again and return to the stage with fellow company members Kim Taylor, Michael Brahce, Ralph Petillo, Gail Ryan and Chris Vecchia. Joining the community cast this year will be award-winning musician and Berkshire local, James Taylor, in the role of Bob Cratchit; as well as four graduate students from BTG's partner academic institution, Brandeis University, Sarah Elizabeth Bedard, Sam Gillam, Brandon Green and Eddie Shields; three of Berkshire Theatre Group's Artists-in-Residence, Rachael Balcanoff, Jacob Gold and Lauren Stanek; in addition to 20 children, representing nine different schools and seven different towns in the Berkshire area.

Of working with James Taylor, director Eric Hill said, "It's a thrill to direct James Taylor in his theatrical debut - the process for A Christmas Carol is one of celebration and sharing of our common humanity on a community level. I know that James will bring his inherent charm and gentleness to bear in his portrayal of Bob Cratchit, a good and unpretentious man. To work with Kim, Rufus and Henry Taylor again will only add to the joy."

A Christmas Carol runs December 17-30 at The Colonial Theatre. Tickets are $25 for adults and $15 for children. There are also sponsor tickets available for $100 for adults and $50 for children, which include a donation to the Berkshire Theatre Group's Education Program.

Tickets will be on sale via phone at 413-997-4444 and walk up at 111 South Street, Pittsfield, MA 01201 to Berkshire County residents exclusively on Saturday 11/12 from 12pm-5pm, Sunday 11/13 from 10am-5pm and Monday 11/14 from 10am-5pm. On Tuesday 11/15 tickets will go on sale for all and will be available online at www.JamesTaylor.com as well as via phone and walk up. A maximum of four tickets may be purchased in any one transaction. Standard Ticket Office hours are Monday-Friday 10am-5pm, Saturdays 10am-2pm or on any performance day from 10am until intermission.

28 tickets from each performance will be donated to Charity Partners, a national fundraising platform dedicated to supporting the world's most admired charities and a regular charitable platform for James Taylor tours and concerts. Charity Partners tickets are available on www.ticketsforcharity.com. 100% of the donations from this community production will be evenly split to benefit Berkshire National Resources Council and Berkshire Theatre Group. Donors will receive a premium seat to A Christmas Carol as well as guaranteed parking, a CD/DVD of James Taylor's One Man Band, filmed at the Colonial, a copy of Nicholas Whitman's book The Colonial Theatre: A Pittsfield Resurrection and a special holiday reception complete with cookies, hot chocolate and holiday cheer.

Tickets to A Christmas Carol have already been donated to The Academy at Charlemont, Berkshire Benevolent Association for the Blind, The Little Red School House, NA Women's Softball League, The Berkshire Botanical Gardens, Berkshire Medical Center, The Richmond School, St. Helena's Chapel, the Rudolf Steiner School, Berkshire Bank Foundation, Hillcrest Commons, Berkshire County Kids' Place, Berkshire Health Systems and First United Methodist Church.

Eric Hill (Co-Director, Adaptor) will return to direct and play Scrooge for the sixth year in a row. This past summer Mr. Hill directed Berkshire Theatre Group's production of The Who's Tommy as well as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs at the Neil Ellenoff Stage at the Mount. Additional BTG directing credits include Macbeth, Endgame, Faith Healer, The Einstein Project, Amadeus, The Glass Menagerie, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, and The Caretaker. Previous acting credits include A Man for All Seasons, Dimetos, and The Father. Mr. Hill also serves as the Louis, Francis and Jeffrey Sachar Professor of Theater Arts at Brandeis University.

E. Gray Simons III (Co-Director) has worked at Berkshire Theatre Group for more than a decade as an actor, playwright, teacher, and director. He most recently directed over 150 local community members in BTG's production of The Wizard of Oz. Mr. Simons' previous BTG directing credits include Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Babes in Arms, Peter Pan, Oliver!, Where Has Tommy Flowers Gone, and Holiday Memories. Previous acting credits include One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Moby Dick Rehearsed and Wilder, Wilder.

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 helm 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 four 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 (800 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. 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. To purchase tickets, call (413) 997-4444 or (413) 298-5576 or go online to www.berkshiretheatre.org or www.thecolonialtheatre.org. Announcements regarding December programming at the Unicorn and Spring programming at the Colonial will be coming soon.

 

Photo Credit: Walter McBride/WM Photos

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