THE MYSTERY OF IRMA VEP, SEUSSICAL, POE and More Set for Berkshire Theatre Group's 86th Summer Theatre Season
By: BWW News Desk Feb. 20, 2014
Berkshire Theatre Group and Artistic Director/CEO, Kate Maguire have announced the Summer 2014 Theatre Season offering classic works coupled with contemporary plays.
"For our 86th Summer Season, we are producing a full schedule of musicals, plays, and special theatrical performances for another wonderful summer in the Berkshires with a splendid cast and crew of talented artists from across the nation," said Maguire. "Six extraordinary plays: The Mystery of Irma Vep: A Penny Dreadful, Benefactors, Design for Living, A Hatful of Rain, including two world premieres: Cedars and POE and two wonderful musicals: A Little Night Music and Seussical highlight our schedule and make for an enjoyable mix of masterful and provocative classics and contemporary works. A special week-long performance of A Lover's Tale spotlighting the works of Giuseppe Verdi, Charles Ludlam and Alexandre Dumas and performances by our summer apprentices, our 86th season will be memorable and entertaining for all."
Tickets for season pass holders and members are exclusively available starting Friday, February 21 at 10am. Tickets are on sale to all on Wednesday, February 26 at 10am. Summer season passes are available for purchase at $175 for a four-show pass, $250 for a six-show pass, and $225 for a year-round all-stages pass.
SUMMER 2014 SCHEDULE
THE MYSTERY OF IRMA VEP: A PENNY DREADFUL
by Charles Ludlam
directed by Aaron Mark
featuring Bill Bowers and Tom Hewitt
Previews June 24-June 27
Press Opening/Opening Night: June 28
Talk Back: June 30
Closing: July 19
Tickets: Preview: $42
A: $62 B: $52 C: $42
Performance Dates
Tuesday, June 24 at 8pm (Preview)
Wednesday, June 25 at 7pm (Preview)
Thursday, June 26 at 8pm (Preview)
Friday, June 27 at 8pm (Preview)
Saturday, June 28 at 2pm & 8pm (Opening Night)
Monday, June 30 at 8pm (Talk Back)
Tuesday, July 1 at 8pm
Wednesday, July 2 at 7pm
Thursday, July 3 at 8pm
Friday, July 4 at 8pm
Saturday, July 5 at 2pm & 8pm
Monday, July 7 at 8pm
Tuesday, July 8 at 8pm
Wednesday, July 9 at 7pm
Thursday, July 10 at 8pm
Friday, July 11 at 8pm
Saturday, July 12 at 2pm & 8pm
Monday, July 14 at 8pm
Tuesday, July 15 at 8pm
Wednesday July 16 at 7pm
Thursday, July 17 at 8pm
Friday, July 18 at 8pm
Saturday, July 19 at 2pm & 8pm (Closing)
Broadway Actor, Bill Bowers and Tony Award-nominated, Tom Hewitt take on eight characters in this classic romp of a gothic spoof. Named one of the best plays of the 20th Century by the New York Times and Time Magazine, Aaron Mark directs Charles Ludlam's campy comedy which tells the pell-mell tale of Lady Enid (Hewitt) and Lord Edgar (Bowers) who arrive one stormy night at a haunted and dreary estate to investigate the sudden disappearance of Irma Vep. Sidesplitting antics and mysteries unfold as the two journey from the London manor to the ancient pyramids in Egypt with vampires, werewolves, mummies and more in tow in this satire of Victorian melodrama, Gothic horror and classic films.
"When the idea of Tom, Bill, and I doing this play together came up, I watched them read through the play cold, sitting on a couch, and it was already funnier and scarier than I thought would be possible at the same time," director Aaron Mark recalled. "They are magnetic, powerful performers and Irma Vep is an ingenious piece of work. I'm thrilled to be working with BTG and to be immersing myself in the world of Charles Ludlam, who created one of the most astonishing (and ridiculous, if you will) bodies of work in recent theatrical history. If I had nothing to do with this production, I would be just as excited to see these two very special actors do this hilarious and frightening play."Mark recently wrote and directed Another Medea featuring Hewitt in NYC at the Cherry Lane Theatre as part of the All For One Theatre Festival. Bowers and Hewitt have both previously acted on BTG stages and hail from Missoula, Montana. They also both performed on Broadway together in Disney's The Lion King as Scar (Hewitt) and Zazu (Bowers).
A LITTLE NIGHT MUSICmusic and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
book by Hugh Wheeler
orchestrations by Jonathan Tunick
suggested by a film by Ingmar Bergman
originally produced and directed on Broadway by Harold Prince
directed by Ethan Heard
music direction by Nathan Dame
choreography by Sam Pinkleton
featuring Maureen O'Flynn
at The Colonial Theatre, Pittsfield
Previews June 30-July 4
Press Opening/Opening Night: July 5 at 8pm
Talk Back: July 7
Closing: July 19
Tickets: Preview: $50
Tickets: A: $65 B: $45 C: $25
Sponsored by Greylock Federal Credit Union
Performance Dates
Monday, June 30 at 8pm (Preview)
Tuesday, July 1 at 8pm (Preview)
Thursday, July 3 at 8pm (Preview)
Friday, July 4 at 8pm (Preview)
Saturday, July 5 at 8pm (Opening Night)
Sunday, July 6 at 2pm
Monday, July 7 at 8pm (Talk Back)
Tuesday, July 8 at 8pm
Thursday, July 10 at 8pm
Friday, July 11 at 8pm
Saturday, July 12 at 2pm & 8pm
Sunday, July 13 at 2pm
Monday, July 14 at 8pm
Tuesday, July 15 at 8pm
Thursday, July 17 at 2pm & 8pm
Friday, July 18 at 8pm
Saturday, July 19 at 2pm & 8pm (Closing)
One of Stephen Sondheim's most beloved and award-winning musicals, A Little Night Music offers an amusing and farcical tale of unexpected liaisons, relentless desire, and ill-fated heartbreak in the life of acclaimed actress, Desiree Armfeldt, played by renowned actress, vocalist and Berkshire native, Maureen O'Flynn with a career spanning more than 28 years in singing lead soprano roles at major opera houses including: The Metropolitan Opera, La Scala, and Vienna Staatsoper. She is also a returning actress to BTG having last performed in the much acclaimed, My Fair Lady in 2001.
"I am thrilled to be working again with Berkshire Theatre Group, most especially in this fabulous role in one of the best musical theatre pieces ever written," Maureen O'Flynn said. "The only thing I love more than being on stage, is being on stage at home, so I am doubly blessed."
One eventful weekend, Desiree, her former beau and his wife, and Desiree's current lover and his wife all arrive at a Swedish country estate. Long-held passions are soon rekindled in this classic waltz of a musical directed by Ethan Heard (from BTG's 2013 hit murder mystery, The Cat and The Canary.) Featuring one of Sondheim's most notable show tunes, "Send in the Clowns," A Little Night Music celebrates love and all the foolhardy particulars it entails. "Our production explores the ecstasy and agony of being in love at all ages," Ethan Heard explains. "Whether you are 70, 40, 18, or 13, romantic and erotic love holds sway over us. Although our story is set in turn-of-the-century Sweden, it might as well be taking place in twenty-first century Massachusetts. The trysts, jealousies, doubts, regrets, conquests, and cravings are all delightfully and devastatingly familiar to us here and now." BENEFACTORSby Michael Frayn
directed by Eric Hill at The Unicorn Theatre, Stockbridge
The Larry Vaber Stage
Previews July 9-July 11
Press Opening/Opening Night: July 12 at 8pm
Talk Back: July 14
Closing: July 26
Tickets: Preview: $42; A: $48 Performance Dates
Wednesday, July 9 at 7pm (Preview)
Thursday, July 10 at 8pm (Preview)
Friday, July 11 at 8pm (Preview)
Saturday, July 12 at 2pm & 8pm (Opening Night)
Monday, July 14 at 8pm (Talk Back)
Tuesday, July 15 at 8pm
Wednesday, July 16 at 7pm
Thursday, July 17 at 8pm
Friday, July 18 at 8pm
Saturday, July 19 at 2pm & 8pm
Monday, July 21 at 8pm
Tuesday, July 22 at 8pm
Wednesday, July 23 at 7pm
Thursday, July 24 at 8pm
Friday, July 25 at 8pm
Saturday, July 26 at 2pm and 8pm (Closing)
The acrimonious give and take of life sets up the premise for Michael Frayn's (Noises Off and Copenhagen) Tony Award-nominated Benefactors. In 1960s London, visionary architect David, played by long time BTG alum David Adkins, struggles to follow his dream of transforming the slums at Basuto Road into affordable mass-housing projects as his firm pressures him to design McMansion-style apartments instead. He and his wife, Jane, played by Adkins' real-life partner Corinna May, are also trying to salvage the troubled marriage of their neighbors played by real-life married couple, Colin (Walton Wilson) a former journalist and Shelia (Barbara Sims), a hopeless romantic and retired nurse. Skillfully examining the fragility of human relationships, Benefactors sketches an intricate portrait of 1960s idealism and the toll political and psychological sacrifice has on hope, friendship, and love.
Benefactors is directed by long-time BTG director, writer and actor, Eric Hill who recently directed the annual classic, A Christmas Carol and performed as Ebenezer Scrooge. He has directed many productions at BTG including: Oklahoma!, The Who's Tommy, and A Chorus Line. Adkins and May were featured in BTG'S 2013 Same Time, Next Year. Wilson performed in Eugene O'Neil's Anna Christie which was also performed in 2013 and Barbara Sims is co-curator of the annual Made in the Berkshire Festival.CEDARS
by Erik Tarloff
directed by Keira Naughton
featuring James Naughton
WORLD PREMIERE
Previews July 23-July 25
Press Opening/Opening Night: July 26 at 8pm
Talk Back: July 28
Closing: August 9
Tickets: Preview: $42
A: $62 B: 52 C: $42
Sponsored by Natalie and Howard Shawn
Performance Dates:
Wednesday, July 23 at 7pm(Preview)
Thursday, July 24 at 8pm (Preview)
Friday, July 25 at 8pm (Preview)
Saturday, July 26 at 2pm & 8pm (Opening Night)
Monday, July 28 at 8pm (Talk Back)
Tuesday, July 29 at 8pm
Wednesday, July 30 at 7pm
Thursday, July 31 at 8pm
Friday, August 1 at 8pm
Saturday, August 2 at 2pm & 8pm
Monday, August 4 at 8pm
Tuesday, August 5 at 8pm
Wednesday, August 6 at 7pm
Thursday, August 7 at 8pm
Friday, August 8 at 8pm
Saturday, August 9 at 2pm & 8pm (Closing)
In this world premiere, two-time Tony Award Winner James Naughton takes the stage as Gabe in a one-man comedy, a raw and witty exploration of an estranged father-son relationship. Cedars is directed by Naughton's daughter, Keira Naughton who is a long-time BTG artist. She has acted in productions including: Birthday Boy, Macbeth, Faith Healer and The Book Club Play and most recently directed a stage adaptation of Roman Fever by Edith Wharton which featured Kim Taylor and BTG's Artistic Director, Kate Maguire in 2013.
"Erik Tarloff's writing is smart, funny and ultimately very moving," James Naughton said. "It's an exploration of one man's relationships with his family, his work, and his ever-changing place in the world." Tarloff, who has an extensive professional writing career spanning to both stage and screen for works including All in the Family, the Bob Newhart Show, the Jeffersons, and over 100 episodes for the television show M*A*S*H. He is also an acclaimed New York Times novelist and frequent guest writer for international publications including The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Washington Post, The Washingtonian Magazine, and Vogue. In Cedars, Gabe, a 50-ish defense lawyer, finds himself on the more unfortunate side of life and now, by his father's bedside at Cedars Hospital. Gabe's many troubles, some self-induced and others thrust upon him, are quickly revealed as he bares all in unbridled, cathartic conversations with his non-responsive father. A broken marriage, past heartbreak, a dwindling career, family struggles, new relationships, and a slew of mid-life crises take center stage as Gabe tries to find solid ground amid the mess of his world. "From time to time over the past 20 years or so, I toyed with the idea of a monologue featuring a speaker addressing a person who offers no response, and who most likely isn't even sentient," Erik Tarloff explained. "I suspected such a situation might encourage a sort of emotional candor people normally suppress; it felt inherently dramatic, despite (or perhaps because of) the single voice and the confined physical space. The reason I finally began to write it after all that time I can't really say; it certainly wasn't precipitated by any contemporaneous events in my own life. But once I started, I kept hearing James Naughton's voice delivering the lines. That aspect of the process was uncanny. So when I had a finished draft, I sent him the script with a cover note apologizing for my presumption. Fortunately, he responded positively."DESIGN FOR LIVING
by Nöel Coward
directed by Tom Story
The Larry Vaber Stage
Previews July 30-August 1
Press Opening/Opening Night: August 2 at 8pm
Talk Back: August 4
Closing: August 16
Tickets: Preview: $42
A: $48 Performance Dates:
Wednesday, July 30 at 7pm (Preview)
Thursday, July 31 at 8pm (Preview)
Friday, August 1 at 8pm (Preview)
Saturday, August 2 at 2pm & 8pm (Opening Night)
Monday, August 4 at 8pm (Talk Back)
Tuesday, August 5 at 8pm
Wednesday, August 6 at 7pm
Thursday, August 7 at 8pm
Friday, August 8 at 8pm
Saturday, August 9 at 2pm & 8pm
Monday, August 11 at 8pm
Tuesday, August 12 at 8pm
Wednesday, August 13 at 7pm
Thursday, August 14 at 8pm
Friday, August 15 at 8pm
Saturday, August 16 at 2pm & 8pm (Closing) Lovers and friends, friends and lovers, what's the difference when it comes to interior designer Gilda, playwright Leo, and artist Otto? That's the same question they ask themselves in Nöel Coward's ultra-sophisticated romantic comedy. Design for Living, directed by Tom Story who began his acting career on BTF's Unicorn Stage, now makes his directorial debut on the same stage. Story has performed with BTG for nine seasons including productions: The Glass Menagerie, Camelot, and The Heidi Chronicles and is currently directing Moth at in Washington, D.C. at The Studio Theatre. Set in the carefree 1930s, the freewheeling, amoral, modish trio of characters (Ariana Venturi, Christopher Geary, and Tom Pecinka: graduate students at the Yale School of Drama and cast in BTG's 2013 hit murder mystery, The Cat and the Canary) all fall in and out of love with each other and with others while their mutual friend, Ernest tries to be the moral voice of reason. Themes of self-destruction, celebrity, success and outcomes of romantic machinations are explored through this wicked ménage à trois. Muddled relationships and blurred lines make for a provocative and lively comedy in true Nöel Coward fashion.A HATFUL OF RAIN
by Michael V. Gazzo
directed by Greg Naughton at The Fitzpatrick Main Stage, Stockbridge
Previews August 13-August 15
Press Night/Opening Night August 16
Talk Back: July 28
Closing: August 30
Tickets: Preview: $42;
A: $62 B: $52 C: $42 Performance Dates:
Wednesday, August 13 at 7pm (Preview)
Thursday, August 14 at 8pm (Preview)
Friday, August 15 at 8pm (Preview)
Saturday, August 16 at 2pm & 8pm (Opening Night)
Monday, August 18 at 8pm (Talk Back)
Tuesday, August 19 at 8pm
Wednesday, August 20 at 7pm
Thursday, August 21 at 8pm
Friday, August 22 at 8pm
Saturday, August 23 at 2pm and 8pm
Monday, August 25 at 8pm
Tuesday, August 26 at 8pm
Wednesday, August 27 at 7pm
Thursday, August 28 at 8pm
Friday, August 29 at 8pm
Saturday, August 30 at 2pm & 8pm (Closing) The war fought abroad is just as devastating as the war fought within. This rings devastatingly true for Johnny Pope, a Korean War Veteran who has safely returned home to New York City and now struggles with drug addiction after being heavily medicated during his hospital stay. Greg Naughton, founded and served as Artistic Director of Off-Broadway's Blue Light Theater Company in NYC for six award-winning seasons. He is also James Naughton's son and is making his BTG directorial debut with A Hatful of Rain. He performed at The Colonial Theatre last year with his band, The Sweet Remains. "A Hatful of Rain is best known these days as a scene-study staple for acting students," Greg Naughton said. "There have been very few significant productions since its premiere in 1955. But for 20 years, it has been occupying a large space in my imagination. A couple years ago I finally got a little workshop time with it, which only fueled my conviction that it is a "lost classic. And then- this play about a PTSD case (before the term was coined) who returns home addicted to heroin became (unfortunately) very timely again."
In A Hatful of Rain, Johnny's battle strangles his daily life and slowly deteriorates the relationship between him and his family as he attempts to hide and support his habit. His brother, Polo tries to help but there's only so much he can do. His pregnant wife, Celia is convinced he's having an affair and tries to hold their faltering marriage together while their father's visit only adds to the tumultuous downturn of Johnny's life. Gazzo's raw, insightful and carefully crafted storytelling depict the demise of an embattled soul and raises social consciousness on issues regarding addiction and the cost of war for our veterans.
SEUSSICALmusic by Stephen Flaherty
lyrics by Lynn Ahrens
book by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty
co-conceived by Lynn Ahrens, Stephen Flaherty and Eric Idle
based on the works of Dr. Seuss
directed by Travis G. Daly
music direction by Mark Gionfriddo
choreography by Kathy Jo Grover 9th Annual Children's Theatre Production
at The Colonial Theatre, Pittsfield
Opens August 7; Closes August 17
Special Note: As a community production, there is no press night for Seussical
Tickets: Adult A: $30, Child A: $20, Adult B: $25, Child B: $15
Sponsored by Greylock Federal Credit Union Performance Dates:
Thursday, August 7 at 7pm (Opening Night)
Friday, August 8 at 7pm
Saturday, August 9 at 2pm & 7pm
Sunday, August 10 at 2pm
Monday, August 11 at 7pm
Thursday, August 14 at 10am & 7pm
Friday, August 15 at 7pm
Saturday, August 16 at 2pm & 7pm
Sunday, August 17 at 2pm (Closing) The 9th Annual Children's Theatre Production presents Seussical. Dr. Seuss' most-beloved stories all spring to life in one magical musical with all of his classic characters: Horton the Elephant, The Cat in the Hat, the Whos of Whoville, Gertrude McFuzz, Jojo and more! For the second time in a BTG community production, actors will be flown through The Colonial Theatre. Last year's community production Peter Pan was a successful production with a cast of 103 local talented young actors, "The memory [of Peter Pan] will linger as a sterling example of the important mission of our area's performing-arts companies...touching the hearts of thousands of Berkshire youngsters through the irreplaceable joy of live theater, music and dance," said Clarence Fanto of The Berkshire Eagle.
Seussical is an unforgettable tale of friendship, love, family, and community, The Cat in the Hat narrates a whimsical story of Horton the Elephant who must guard a lonely abandoned egg and protect the Whos from all danger! With flying stunts by the actors, unforgettably fun songs and dance, the musical dives into a fantastic and incredible crazy-quilt adventure exploring the wonderful power of imagination, determination and positive thinking!
"I am thrilled to bring this beautiful project to life with over 100 local community members of all ages," said Travis Daly. "This story shows us how the power of imagination can transport us to magical world's where 'anything is possible.' In these world's we meet iconic characters who have the courage and heart to show us how believing in someone's voice can strengthen friendship, family and community. 'A person's a person no matter how small.'"A Lover's Tale: Scenes by Giuseppe Verdi, Charles Ludlam and Alexandre DumasThe Lady of the Camellias by Alexandre Dumas
Camille by Charles Ludlam
La Traviata by Giuseppe Verde
directed by Dustin Willis
operatic direction by Carlos Conde
The Larry Vaber Stage
Opens August 23; Closes August 30
Tickets: $30 Performance Dates:
Saturday, August 23 at 8pm (Opening Night)
Sunday, August 24 at 2pm
Tuesday, August 26 at 8pm
Wednesday, August 27 at 7pm
Thursday, August 28 at 8pm
Friday, August 29 at 8pm
Saturday, August 30 at 8pm (Closing)
For one week at The Unicorn Theatre, opera's rising stars perform scenes from the original title piece, Alexandre Dumas' novel The Lady of the Camellias, Giuseppe Verdi's opera La Traviata which was adapted by Dumas' novel, and Charles Ludlam's parody of the novel, Camille.
Ellenoff Musical Theatre Seriesat The Colonial Theatre
$10 Donation Suggested Performance Dates:
Monday, July 7 at 2pm
Monday, July 14 at 2pm
Monday, August 11 at 2pm
Monday, August 18 at 2pm The Ellenoff Musical Theatre Series turns the spotlight on beloved shows from the American Musical canon. Featuring members of the BTG Acting Apprentice Company, these nostalgic performances will include sing-throughs of the full musicals.POE
written and directed by Eric Hill
featuring David Adkins
WORLD PREMIERE at The Unicorn Theatre, Stockbridge
The Larry Vaber Stage
Previews October 2 and October 3
Opening Night/Press Opening October 4
Closing: October 26
Tickets: $35
Performance Dates:
Thursday, October 2 at 7pm (Preview)
Friday, October 3 at 7pm (Preview)
Saturday, October 4 at 7pm (Opening Night)
Sunday, October 5 at 2pm
Thursday, October 9 at 7pm
Saturday, October 11 at 7pm
Sunday, October 12 at 2pm
Monday, October 13 at 2pm
Thursday, October 16 at 7pm
Friday, October 17 at 7pm
Saturday, October 18 at 7pm
Sunday, October 19 at 2pm
Thursday, October 23 at 7pm
Friday, October 24 at 7pm
Saturday, October 25 at 7pm
Sunday, October 26 at 2pm (Closing)
The stories of the masterful wordsmith Edgar Allen Poe come to life. In a brilliant reflection by Eric Hill, we find Poe at the heart and center of his poetic and macabre tales of terror.
ARTISTS BIOS (In Order of Appearance of Shows):
Aaron Mark (Director, Irma Vep) is the writer/director of Another Medea, starring Tom Hewitt, which was recently presented at the Cherry Lane Theatre as part of the All For One Theatre Festival. Other NY directing credits include Ben Rimalower's award-winning monodrama, Patti Issues, which is now touring, and Hedwig and the Angry Inch for BC/EFA at New World Stages. As a writer, his plays have been developed by New York Theatre Workshop, American Theater Group, and the Blank Theatre. He is the writer/director of the independent feature films, Commentary (New Filmmakers/Anthology Film Archives), Random Unrelated Projects (Best Experimental Feature/NYIIFVF), the upcoming Do Not Duplicate, and the documentary, Zbornik Developing (available at SethTV.com).Bill Bowers (Lord Edgar, Irma Vep) As an actor and mime, Bill Bowers has performed in all 50 states, throughout Europe and Asia, as well as on the stages of Broadway (The Lion King, Scarlet Pimpernel), The Kennedy Center, The White House, and major international theatres. He appeared at the Berkshire Theatre Festival in Peter Pan, as well as in his award winning autobiographical solo play, It Goes Without Saying. It Goes Without Saying was subsequently produced Off Broadway at the Rattlestick Theatre. His other plays include Under A Montana Moon, Beyond Words, 'night Sweetheart 'night Buttercup, and HeyokahHokehay. Hailed by critics as "the greatest American mime of his generation," Bill was a student of the legendary Marcel Marceau, and now serves on the faculties of NYU Steinhardt, Stella Adler Conservatory, and the William Esper Studios.Tom Hewitt (Lady Enid, Irma Vep) Broadway: Includes Jesus Christ Superstar, Chicago, Dracula; The Musical, Frank N Furter in The Rocky Horror Show (Tony, Drama Desk nominations), The Lion King. National tours: Urinetown, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Peter Pan. Off Broadway: Treasure Island, Jeffery, Beau Jest (Outer Critics nomination). Recent Regional Credits: Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots (La Jolla Playhouse), Kiss Me, Kate (Muny, Reprise! LA), Travesties (Long Wharf, CT Critics Award). Film and TV: Law and Order, All My Children, Julie Taymors' Fools' Fire.Ethan Heard (Director, A Little Night Music) is thrilled to return to Berkshire Theatre Group after directing John Willard's The Cat and the Canary at the Unicorn last summer. Recent directing includes: The Producers and The Coronation of Poppea (Princeton University); Fit For A King (Fordham/Primary Stages); Blogologues: Fame (Lively Productions); Sunday in the Park with George, Julius Caesar, Lottie in the Late Afternoon, Rodeo, and Eligible Receivers (Yale School of Drama); Pierrot Lunaire, All This Noise, Basement Hades, and Trannequin!(Yale Cabaret); Proof and Iphigenia and Other Daughters (Santa Fe Theatre Festival);The Gay Ivy (Dixon Place); ArdoArdo: Monteverdi in Motion and L'Orfeo (Yale Baroque Opera Project); Pullman WA and in a word (Williamstown Workshop); In BoccaAllaLupa (Grotto Theatre). He was Artistic Director of Yale Cabaret's 45th season and founding Co-Artistic Director of Umbrella Hat Productions. He has also assisted directors Nicholas Martin, Thomas Kail, Mark Brokaw, Gilbert Blin, and Annette Jolles, and this spring, he taught Acting and Directing in Musical Theater at Princeton University with John Rando. He was named Resident Director of the chamber music group Cantata Profana and recently became a proud member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society.
Sam Pinkleton (Choreographer, A Little Night Music) is a New York City-based director and choreographer. As a choreographer, his work includes the current Broadway revival of Sophie Treadwell's Machinal (Roundabout); and numerous Off-Broadway shows including Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812 (Kazino), Mr. Burns, A Post-Electric Play (Playwrights Horizons), Marie Antoinette (Soho Rep), Stage Kiss (Playwrights Horizons), and Buyer and Cellar (Barrow Street). Other recent choreography includes Spring Awakening (Olney Theater Center), The Material World (Dixon Place) and Love Machine (Incubator Arts Project). As a director, Sam has developed and directed new work with The Vineyard Theatre, Ars Nova, The O'Neill, Joe's Pub, Abingdon Theatre Company, Primary Stages, Rattlestick, and City Theatre. Sam is co-director of The Dance Cartel's long-running ONTHEFLOOR at the Ace Hotel. Upcoming choreography projects include Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief (Theatreworks USA/Lucille Lortel Theatre) and the new musical Fly By Night (Playwrights Horizons). Sam teaches Bustin' Moves at NYU, is a company member of Witness Relocation, and an Associate Artist with The Civilians.Nathan Dame (Music Director, A Little Night Music) is originally from Ogden, Utah and makes his home in Brooklyn, New York. Some recent credits: Music Supervisor: Mr. Burns by Anne Washburn, music by Michael Friedman (Playwrights Horizons). Music Director: Adam Lives by Rob Baumgartner (Goodspeed NMF); Pump Boys and Dinettes (Geva Theatre); The Lightning Thief (Theatreworks USA); Assoc. Music Director: What's It All About? (New York Theatre Workshop); Fly By Night (Dallas Theater Center); Triassic Parq: The Musical (Amas Musical Theatre); Himself and Nora (NYMF, Tritone Productions); 40 Naked Women, a Monkey, and Me (O'Neill Cabaret Conf.); Nightmare Alley (NYMF, Tritone Productions); Music Assistant: First National Tour of The Addams Family.Maureen O'Flynn (Desiree Armfeldt, A Little Night Music) Born and raised and still living in her beloved Berkshires of Massachusetts, Maureen O'Flynn has had a more than a 28 year career singing leading soprano roles in virtually every major opera house in the world; Metropolitan Opera, La Scala, Vienna Staatsoper, Dallas Opera, La Fenice, Dallas Opera to name a few. She has shared the stage with Bryn Terfyl, Stephanie, Blythe, Renee Fleming, Leo Nucci, Roberto Alagna and sung under the batons of Riccardo Muti, Marco Armiliato, Nello Santi, and Maurizio Benini. Throughout her career, Ms. O'Flynn performed as much musical theatre and straight theatre as her opera career would allow. She played the role of Guenevere in Camelot, and Eliza in My Fair Lady with Berkshire Theatre Festival, Jenny in Company with Berkshire Public Theatre, and the dual roles of Queen/Claudia in Joan Ackermann's The Taster at Shakespeare & Co in 2010. In 2011, Maureen presented her first cabaret, At the Crossroads, at Feinstein's in NYC. Still performing, she teaches voice at Hartt School of Music, and maintains private voice studios in the Berkshires and NYC.
Eric Hill (Director, Benefactors) directed Berkshire Theatre Group's production of A Christmas Carol, Oklahoma!, A Chorus Line, 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 the title role in A Christmas Carol, A Man for All Seasons, Dimetos and The Father.David Adkins (David, Benefactors) 20 seasons at BTG including: Same Time, Next Year, Homestead Crossing, Sylvia, No Wake, Faith Healer, Waiting for Godot, Love! Valour! Compassion!, The Misanthrope, The Father, The Middle Ages (by A.R. Gurney), Hasty Heart, and Charley's Aunt. Broadway: National Actors Theater: St. Joan; Manhattan Theater Club: Boy Gets Girl; Primary Stages: Sabina, Immaculate Misconception; Aquila Theatre Co.: Agamemnon (Olympia Dukakis). Women's Project: Transfigures. Regional: Barrington Stage, San Jose Rep: Mandrake Root (Lynn Redgrave); Merimack Rep: Seafarer (IRNE nomination); Goodman Theater, George St. Playhouse, Kennedy Center, ACT - San Francisco; Huntington; Center Stage; Long Wharf, Denver Center Theatre,. Theater; and others. TV: The Americans, Without A Trace; Trinity; Chicago Hope; Law & Order; L & O SVU; Blaq Jaq (Forrest Whitaker); PBS: Ben Franklin; The New York Soaps. Juilliard.
Corrina May (Jane, Benefactors) is delighted to be returning to the BTG for her fourth season. BTG: Same Time, Next Year (Doris), Homestead Crossing (Anne), Two-Headed (Lavinia). National Broadway Tour: The Graduate with Jerry Hall/Linda Gray/Lorraine Bracco/ Kelly McGillis/Morgan Fairchild (Mrs. Braddock, u/s Mrs. Robinson). NYC: premiere of Thirty Story Masterpieces by Tommy Smith. Regional: Merrimack Rep, Portland Stage Homestead Crossing; Redhouse Frozen; Syracuse Stage The Smell of the Kill, Romeo & Juliet; Capitol Rep The Smell of the Kill; Repertory Theater of St. Louis Misalliance; Studio Arena The Dining Room, Season's Greetings; Virginia Stage Co. Terra Nova, Twelfth Night, Blithe Spirit; Philadelphia Theater Co. Sight Unseen. Shakespeare & Company (22 seasons): 28+ productions including King Lear, The Memory of Water, Twelfth Night, A Winter's Tale, A.R.Gurney's Ancestral Voices, Enchanted April, Roman Fever, Jack and Jill, Betrayal, Songs from the Heart, Fortune and Misfortune, House of Mirth, Macbeth, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Hamlet, Much Ado About Nothing. Wharton Salon: Xingu, Autre Temps. Film: Split Ends (starring); Speck's Last; Rain Without Thunder. Television: Unforgettable (CBS); Law & Order (NBC); Evening at the Pops (PBS); Bourbon Street (indie pilot). Playwright: Dancing with the Czar. Designated Linklater voice teacher, Guild-certified Feldenkrais practitioner. Proud to be a union member!Walton Wilson (Colin, Benefactors) is delighted to return to BTG for a second season following last summer's Anna Christie. New York stage credits include: productions at Brooklyn Academy of Music, Culture Project, La Mama, Lincoln Center/Clark Theatre, PS 122, Public Theatre/NYSF, and Vineyard Theatre. Regional credits include Actors Theatre of Louisville, Alley Theatre, American Repertory Theatre, Dallas Theatre Center, The Empty Space, Stages Repertory Theatre, Shakespeare Festivals of Dallas, Houston, Santa Fe, and St. Louis, Swine Palace, Williamstown Theatre Festival, and Yale Repertory Theatre. He is a long-time member of Shakespeare & Company.Barbara Sims (Sheila, Benefactors) has appeared in the Broadway productions of Noises Off, Entertaining Mr. Sloan, A Streetcar Named Desire, and Arms and the Man, and Off-Broadway in Juno and the Paycock, Trip to Bountiful, Laura Dennis, Communion, and Entertaining Mister Sloan. Regional credits include Berkshire Theatre Group (standby/performed for Jayne Atkinson in last season's The Lion in Winter), Williamstown Theatre Festival, GeVa Theatre, Alley Theatre, Stages Repertory Theatre, Houston Shakespeare Festival, Shakespeare and Co. Film /Television: Law and Order SVU, Guiding Light, One Life to Live. She is Co-Curator of "Made in the Berkshires," an annual arts festival that celebrates and produces original work from a wide variety of artists and storytellers who live in Berkshire County.Erik Tarloff (Playwright, Cedars) Erik Tarloff has written professionally since his college years. Much of his early work was written for the screen, both large and small. His list of credits includes almost one hundred situation comedy scripts, including multiple episodes of M*A*S*H, All in the Family, the Bob Newhart Show, the Jeffersons, Alice, Room 222, Housecalls, My World and Welcome To It, and many others. He has been nominated for an Emmy Award, a Writers Guild Award, and an NAACP Image Award. He is the author of two previous plays, Something to Hide and Another Week-End in the Country. The latter was produced at the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco, the former at the Richmond Shepherd Theater in Los Angeles, where it won the Dramalog Award for Playwriting and First Honorable Mention at the Beverly Hills Theater Guild Awards. He has had fiction published in The Paris Review, Penthouse, Slate, and anthologized in the volume Last Night's Stranger. He has contributed reviews and articles to Earth, The New York Times, The New York Times Magazine, The New York Times Book Review, The Washington Post, The Washington Post Book Review, The San Francisco Chronicle Book Review, Working Woman, Washingtonian Magazine, San Francisco Focus, Vogue, Salon, The American Prospect, the Jewish Daily Forward, and The Financial Times, among others. He has been a frequent contributor to the British magazine Prospect, where he is a contributing editor. He has also published music criticism (both popular and classical), literary criticism, a diary from the 1996 Democratic Convention, and an assortment of other features in Slate, where he was a regular book critic for several years. He is currently an occasional blogger at TheAtlantic Online. He currently lives in Berkeley, California, with his wife, economist Laura Tyson.
Keira Naughton (Director, Cedars) BTG: directed Roman Fever in Mary & Edith, and acted in Birthday Boy, Macbeth, Faith Healer and The Book Club Play. Most recently, she appeared in These Paper Bullets at Yale Rep. She has appeared on Broadway in The Rivals (Lincoln Center Theater), Dance of Death, and Three Sisters. Her Off-Broadway credits include The Jammer, Hunting and Gathering, Indoor/Outdoor, All My Sons, Lucy, The American Clock, Tesla's Letters, Roses in December and Hotel Universe, among others. Other regional theatre credits include The Dining Room (Westport Country Playhouse); Becky Shaw (Huntington Theatre); A Delicate Balance (Yale Rep), Proof (Arena Stage, Helen Hayes Award nomination); Company (Kennedy Center Sondheim Celebration); Faith Healer, Macbeth, The Book Club Play (Berkshire Theatre Festival); Uncle Vanya, Wonder of the World (Barrington Stage); Shakespeare & Company, Cleveland Playhouse, and Williamstown Theatre Festival. Her television and film appearances include The Leftovers (HBO), Body of Proof, 3 Lbs., Law & Order: SVU, Sex and the City, All My Children, Blair Witch 2 and Cradle Will Rock. She is a singer/songwriter in the band The Petersons. She also teaches yoga and acting and received her MFA from Tisch School of the Arts at NYU.
James Naughton (Gabe, Cedars) has appeared on-screen in The Devil Wears Prada playing Meryl Streep's husband, co-starred opposite Barbara Hershey in the independent film Childless, and was also seen in The Weinstein Company's Factory Girl, playing Sienna Miller's father, and Warner Brothers Independent Films Suburban Girl, alongside Sarah Michelle Geller and Alec Baldwin. Naughton has won two Tony Awards as 'Best Actor in a Musical' for Chicago and City of Angels, the latter earned him a Drama Desk Award as well. He starred in the Broadway production of Democracy as Willy Brandt opposite Richard Thomas. Naughton's other theatre credits include Four Baboons Adoring the Sun, I Love My Wife, Whose Life is it Anyway, Drinks Before Dinner and Losing Time. On Broadway, Naughton has directed Arthur Miller's Tony nominated production of The Price and Paul Newman in Thornton Wilder's Our Town. Naughton has also directed Brace Yourself at Berkshire Theatre Group in 2012.Greg Naughton (Director, A Hatful of Rain) is pleased to be making his BTF debut. Greg founded and served as Artistic Director of Off-Broadway's Blue Light Theater Company in NYC through 6 seasons and 16 productions- including the Obie-Winning Oedipus (starring Frances McDormand and Billy Crudup), Waiting for Lefty (starring Marisa Tomei, directed by Joanne Woodward), The NY premiere ofAmazing Grace by Michael Cristofer (starring Marsha Mason), and their inaugural production of Odets' Golden Boy in which Greg also played the title role. Other acting credits include numerous Off-Broadway and regional productions (including many at Williamstown Theatre Festival), TV & film. Greg has spent much of the last decade on hiatus from the theater, traveling with his band The Sweet Remains. His songs have also been covered by many other artists (most recently for his wife, Kelli O'Hara's Sony debut). Travis G. Daly (Director, Seussical) BTG directing credits: A Christmas Carol,Pinocchio, OLIVER!, Way Out West, The Wizard Of Oz, History's Mysteries Revealed, Annie, The Great Beyond, Hansel & Gretel's Grimm Tale, Peter Pan.About Berkshire Theatre Group: 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 (400 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 outdoor Neil Ellenoff stage and at The Garage, a music venue located in the lobby of The Colonial. BTG serves over 100,000 patrons per year and reaches over 17,000 students through its educational and outreach programs. For more information on BTG call (413) 448-8084. To purchase tickets, call (413) 997-4444 or go online to www.BerkshireTheatreGroup.org.
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