Tribute to Karen Allen, Theatre, Dance, Film, Art & More Set for 6th Annual MADE IN THE BERKSHIRES Festival

Berkshire Theatre Group is pleased to announce the full schedule of events for the Made in the Berkshires Festival, which will be held on November 11 through November 13, at The Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield, MA and The Unicorn Theatre in Stockbridge, MA, celebrating the sixth year of this wonderful festival featuring local art and artists.

Tickets to Made in the Berkshires Festival range in price from $15-$50. Contact the Colonial Ticket Office at 111 South Street, Pittsfield by calling 413-997-4444. Tickets can also be purchased online at www.berkshiretheatregroup.org. The Ticket Office is open Monday-Friday 10am-5pm, Saturdays and Sunday's 10am-2pm or on any performance day from 10am until curtain.

The 6th annual festival features cutting-edge theatrical works performed as staged readings, live music, film, short stories and dance in a festival atmosphere like no other. New and innovative pieces as well as established work will be presented by local Berkshire County playwrights, actors, directors, musicians and performers. Featured as performance blocks, Made in the Berkshires will allow audiences to enjoy the breadth and depth of the artistic talent that has landed in Berkshire County while celebrating the best in the visual and performing arts. Professional artists and artists-in-the-making gather to share their talent with the Berkshire community. The festival will once again be curated by Hilary Somers Deely and Barbara Sims; two local artists who have helped create the rich cultural tapestry that permeates this area.

Made in the Berkshires is Sponsored by:

Festival Sponsors
Ruth Blodgett and David Crane
Wende and David Carver
Hotel on North
Main Street Catering and Events
Mary Mott and Gordon Simmering
Elissa Myers
Diego Ongaro

Corporate Sponsor
JP Morgan Chase Foundation

Post-Show "Taste of the Berkshires" Reception Sponsors
Berkshire Blue Cheese
Berkshire Mountain Bakery
Big Elm Brewing
Chocolate Springs
Elm Street Market
Hilltop Orchards/Furnace Brook
Only in My Dreams Events
Red Lion Inn
Wandering Star

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MADE IN THE BERKSHIRES FESTIVAL SCHEDULE:

Friday, November 11th
at The Colonial Theatre

5pm
Made in the Berkshires
Opening Night Benefit Celebration:
Honoring Actress, Director,
Business Woman and Artistic Associate
Karen Allen
**Dinner is sold out!

7:30pm
Visual Art in Lobby
Tickets: FREE!

8pm
Made in the Berkshires 2016 Opening Night Celebration
Tickets: $50 (includes post-performance: Taste of the Berkshires and Dance Party!)

Saturday, November 12th
at The Colonial Theatre: Garage

12:30pm-2pm
Visual Artist Panel
Tickets: FREE!

Saturday, November 12th
at The Unicorn Theatre

3:30pm-5:30pm
The Shorts (Poetry, Plays and Stories)
Tickets: $15

Saturday, November 12th
at The Colonial Theatre

7:30pm-9:30pm
Dance Extravaganza
Tickets: $15

Sunday, November 13th
at The Colonial Theatre

12pm-6pm
Film Blocks
Tickets: $15 per block
or $35 for all three blocks

There will be a Q&A with film makers after some of the films

Friday, November 11th
at The Colonial Theatre

5pm
Made in the Berkshires
Opening Night Benefit Celebration:
Honoring Actress, Director,
Business Woman and Artistic Associate
Karen Allen
**Dinner is sold out!

The evening will include cocktails, dinner, and a dance party. All proceeds will benefit the next generation of artists fostered through Berkshire Theatre Group's Education Programs. For more information call 413-448-8084 x14

7:30pm
Visual Art in Lobby
Tickets: FREE!

CROP | New Works from the Berkshires visual art installation features works in a variety of mediums by established and emerging artists, including: Audrey Blafield, Lucie Castaldo, Joshua Field, Shawn Fields, Nathan Hanford, Michael King, Stephan Lanphear, Lee Rogers, Mary Carol Rudin, Jeanine Schoeffer, Natalie Tyer, Nicole Webster Clark, Jared Gelormino and Josh Harriman. Co-curated by Rebecca Weinman and Carrie Wright

8pm
Made in the Berkshires 2016 Opening Night Celebration
Tickets: $50 (includes post-performance: Taste of the Berkshires and Dance Party!)

The Eagles Big Band
The 18-piece Eagles Big Band opens Made in the Berkshires with a swinging medley that sets the tone for a fabulous night of entertainment. Conductor, Steve Sanborn: tenor sax; Manager, Dick Paul: trumpet; Steven Sanborn: tenor sax; Charles DiNunzio baritone sax; Tom Sadin: alto sax; Diane Chicoine: alto sax; Marianne Hall: alto sax; David Potter: trombone; Deanna Fraher: trombone; Ray Kinsella: trumpet; Curt Robbie: trumpet; Tony Russo: trumpet; Marla Eglowstein: bass; David Field: drums; Jane Bailey: French horn; Tom Giovanetti: piano

Festival Highlights from Saturday's Shorts Block

Fall
choreographed by Ruslan Sprague
danced by Ruslan Sprague and Ana Acker
music by Abel Korzeniowski

Festival Highlights from Sunday's Film Festival

Through the Looking Glass
Letters from the works of Catherine Maria Sedgwick, Francis Anne (Fanny) Kemble, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Edith Wharton and Edna St. Vincent Millay.
We see ourselves in the reflections these women cast, and with every leap forward we know that we stand on the shoulders of these remarkable, determined, ordinary, extraordinary women.
Hilary Somers Deely as Catherine Maria Sedgwick
Barbara Sims as Fanny Kemble
JurIan Hughes as Harriet Beecher Stowe
Kate Maguire as Edith Wharton and Normi Noel as Edna St. Vincent Millay
projections by Joe Wheaton

Berkshire Children and Families' Kids 4 Harmony
BCF's Kids 4 Harmony, established in 2011, is a new model for social change. The program is inspired by El Sistema, a visionary global movement that began in 1975 in Caracas, Venezuela. Through intensive, early classical music education, El Sistema seeks to transform the lives of children with little access to opportunity. Now with a worldwide presence, El Sistema has achieved unparalleled success in teaching children to learn and play orchestral music. This approach simultaneously uplifts the children, their families and their communities. El Sistema's mission perfectly parallels the goals of BCF: to improve the lives of children by strengthening family and community relationships. Berkshire Children and Families President and CEO, Carolyn Mower Burns; Kids 4 Harmony Artistic Director, Alicia Stevenson; Kids 4 Harmony Senior Teaching Artist, Courtney Clark.

Violin 1: Geivens Dextra, Gerdlie Jean Louis
Violin 2: Leila Paredes, Tianna Houle
Viola: Johan Serrano, Hannah Beckington
Cello: Gerdrose Jean Louis, Heather Cruz
Pieces: Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 by J.S. Bach, III. Allegro; Por Una Cabeza by Carlos Gardel

Tribute Film to Karen Allen
directed by Alexander Hill

Kate Maguire and Karen Allen in conversation about Karen's career with a montage of clips and photographs.

Funk Box Studio
According to Funk Box Studio founder Andres Ramirez, "We, The B boys, people of this community would like to show the public that this dance is not just spinning on our heads and rap music, this dance is far more than that. It is art, self-esteem, self-love, self-expression, inspiration, discipline, movement, fun, athletics, respect, peace and more importantly it is who you are as a person."

Taste of the Berkshires Reception and Dance Party!
Close out the evening on the Colonial stage for a "Taste of the Berkshires" reception featuring Berkshire farm to table produce, locally crafted foods and music spun by local favorite, DJ BFG.

Saturday, November 12th
at The Colonial Theatre: Garage

12:30pm-2pm
Visual Artist Panel
Tickets: FREE!

The community is invited to join co-curators, Rebecca Weinman and Carrie Wright for a less-than-formal artist panel discussion featuring established and emerging artists.

Saturday, November 12th
at The Unicorn Theatre

3:30pm-5:30pm
The Shorts (Poetry, Plays and Stories)
Tickets: $15

Immortality, I Choose, Percolating Change
poetry by Shellin Lubin

Intensive Care
by Donald Marcus
directed by Hilary Somers Deely
featuring Rocco Sisto as Joe and Kale Browne as George
stage direction by Rudi Bach

It is midnight in a hospital cafeteria; two men, as different in experience and background as night is to day, find common ground in a moment of basic human connection.

Altered Plans
by Constance Bullard
read by Caitlin Teeley

This moving short story takes us into the center of a family coming to grips with a world they don't quite recognize anymore. According to writer, Constance Bullard, "I knew that the US was trying hard not to get involved in the war in Europe. There were a lot of local people who didn't want us getting into it and there was a part of me that agreed."

Message to Billy
by Steven Somkin
directed by Andrew Joffe
featuring Lora Lee Ecobelli as Deborah and Eddie Allen as Fred

Fred and Deborah have been laid off from their respective jobs; they have had to move to a less affluent neighborhood in Pittsfield. Their liberal values are challenged when their 11-year-old son, Billy, encounters a street gang and Fred decides to buy a gun.

Brief Intermission

Kate and Bill
by Larry Zingale
directed by Barbara Sims
featuring Deann Halper as Kate and Thom Whaley as Bill
stage direction by Rudi Bach

Soap stars Kate and Bill are returning from the funeral of their soldier son Michael who has been killed in the Middle East. On this cold, wintry afternoon, they are forced to face unspoken truths about themselves and their relationship with their son. The perfect glass bubble they have lived in has shattered-can they rebuild it?

Saturday, November 12th
at The Colonial Theatre

7:30pm-9:30pm
Dance Extravaganza
Tickets: $15

Berkshire Pulse
Four Seasons
choreographed by Ruby Aver
Spring: danced by Brighton Sawyer, Kendra Lassor; Summer: danced by Juniper Shalles; Autumn: danced by Sonora Malik, Winter: danced by Tess Ackiewicz and Laura Coe
music: a selection from Prokoviev's Cinderella

BTZ
choreographed by Tom Masters
danced by Brighton Sawyer, Antonius Louw, Zenith Limon
music: "I Will Wait" by 2CELLOS

A Waltz with the Woman In The Milk House
A tribute to the endurance of women in war time
choreographed by Bettina Montano and dancers
Remembrance: danced by Carrie Petrik-Huff, Susan Quinn, Sonora Malik
War, Victory, Aftermath: danced by Carrie Petrik-Huff, Susan Quinn, Sonora Malik, Tess Ackiewicz, Juniper Shalles, Diane Pearlman-Diamond, Sarah Daunt
music: "Mandolino Italiano" by World Music Ensemble, "Midnight Waltz" by Adam Hurst, "Gaucho" by Hot Club Sandwich, "The Ghost Pavane" by Christopher Young
In loving memory of my grandmother, Charlotte Krause

Intersect
choreographed by Bettina Montano
performed by Tess Ackiewicz, Charlotte Adelson, Ruth Bruno, Laura Coe, Katherine Humes, Sonora Malik, Alice McDonald, Rubiella Nejaime, Brighton Sawyer, Juniper Shalles
music by Samba-Ganga Giri

Cantarella School of Dance Modern Group
All the Little Things
choreographed by Olivia Wilber
danced by Madeline Art, Aurora Smedvig, Olivia Kriedeman-Hubbard, Julia C.Y. Rhind, Alexis Barzousky, Petra Orloff, Chloe Boehm, Gianna Maddalena, Paige Campbell

Choreographed by Ruslan Sprague
Hey Paula
featuring Ruslan Sprague and Angessa Lynn
music by Ray Hildebrand

Berkshire Dance Theater
Can't Feel the Classics
choreographed by Jamal Ahamad
danced by Jamal Ahamad
music by Monty Norman, "Classic (Better Than I Ever Been)" by Kanye West, Nas, KRS One, Rakim, Rick Rubin, DJ Premier; "Classic Man" by Jidenna, Amethyst Amelia Kelly, Charlotte Aitchison, Eleanor Kateri Tannis, George Astasio, Jasbir Sehra, Jason Pebworth, Jidenna Theodore Mobisson, John Turner, Jonathan Christopher Shave, Kurtis McKenzie, Milan Wiley, Nana Kwabena Tuffuor, Nathaniel Irvin III, Roman GianArthur Irvin

Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go
choreographed by Stacey Broderick
danced by Sophia Acquista, Jenna Charron, Jessica Charron, Cara Fitzhugh, Elizabeth Malinowski, Lydia Richardson, Emily Taylor
music by Wham

Fantastic Beasts and Where the Wild Things Are
choreographed by Becky Ahamad
danced by Catherine Samson, Jacqueline Lemaire, Grace McGrath
Grace Krzanik, Madeline Zelazo Olivia Sobon, Nicole St. Germain
music by "Amazing" by Kanye West, Jay Jenkins, Malik Jones, Dexter Mills, Jeff Bhasker, "Wild Things" by Alessia Cara, Alessia Caracciolo, Coleridge Tillman, Thabiso "Tab" Nkhereanye, James Ho, "Wild Things (feat. Terry Mak)" by K Theory x Adara, "Roar Cosmic Dawn Club Remix" by Katy Perry, DJ Javi Tambo, Lukasz Gottwald, Max Martin, Bonnie McKee, Henry Walter, "Jungle Bae" (featuring Bunji Garlin and MX Prime)" by Jack Ü

Red and the Wolf
choreographed by Becky Ahamad
danced by Jacqueline Lemaire, Sophia Acquista, Victoria Alibozek, Cara Fitzhugh, Lydia Richardson, Jessica Charron, Jenna Charron, Madison Hopkins
music by "Roman's Revenge" by Nicki Minaj, Onika Maraj, Marshall Mathers, Kaseem Dean Trevor Smith, "Out of the Woods" by Taylor Swift, Jack Antonoff, Toy Armada & DJ GRIND Anthem Mix, "Big Bad Wolf" by Duck Sauce, "Hollow Moon (Bad Wolf)" by Awolnation, Aaron Bruno, Goshfather & Jinco Remix, "Animals" by Maroon 5, Adam Levine, Shellback, Benjamin Levin, Dub n Trap, Trap Remix

Never Too Much
choreographed by Jamal Ahamad
danced by Jamal Ahamad
music by Luther Vandross

Panda, Panda, Panda
choreographed by Becky Ahamad
danced by Jacqueline Lemaire, Sophia Acquista, Victoria Alibozek, Cara Fitzhugh, Lydia Richardson, Jessica Charron, Jenna Charron, Grace Krzanik, Grace McGrath, Madeline Zelazo, Olivia Sobon, Nicole St. Germain, Madison Hopkins, Elizabeth Malinowski
music by "Controlla-DJ Flex Remix" by Drake, Aubrey Graham, Matthew Samuels, Allen Ritter, Dwayne Chin-Quee, Stephen McGregor, Moses Davis, Donald Dennis, Gary Jackson, PatRick Roberts
Andrew Thomas "Panda Instrumental" by Designer, Sidney Selby III, Adnan Khan

Brief Intermission

Albany Berkshire Ballet
Nocturnes
choreographed by Mary Giannone Talmi
danced by Ruslan Sprague, Anna Acker, and Lisa McBride
music by Chopin

Choreography by Lisa Avery
danced by Lisa Avery and Franck Felix
sculpture and visual projections by Joe Wheaton
music by Prince "When Doves Cry"
danced by Karen Auge, Lisa Avery, Melissa Campbell, Marilyn Kirby, Sylvana Kirby, Valerie Lanfair, Geri Powers, Denise Rocca
music by David Bowie "Let's Dance"

Choreography by Ruslan Sprague
Fall
choreographed by Ruslan Sprague
danced by Ruslan Sprague and Anna Acker
music by Abel Korzeniowski

Funk Box Studio
"We, The B boys, people of this community would like to show the public that this dance is not just spinning on our heads and rap music, this dance is far more than that. It is art, self-esteem, self-love, self-expression, inspiration, discipline, movement, fun, athletics, respect, peace and more importantly it is who you are as a person."

Sunday, November 13th
at The Colonial Theatre

12pm-6pm
Film Blocks
Tickets: $15 per block
or $35 for all three blocks
There will be a Q&A with film makers after some of the films

12pm-1:40pm
Touch the Air (35 min.)
by Alice Spatz and Eric Shepherd
based on the poetry of America's 19th Poet Laureate, William Jay Smith

The Grazers (69 min.)
by Sarah Teale and Lisa F. Jackson
With interest in farm-to-table food on the rise, a small band of upstate New York farmers sees an opportunity to hold on to their endangered farms by raising and selling grass-fed beef. Forming a cooperative, they soon discover that the marketplace surprisingly can't support their simple ambitions. Jackson and Teale follow their efforts for two years, through near collapse to an uncertain future, exposing in microcosm the struggles of small-scale farming in our modern, industrial world. An intimate, character-driven chronicle of the group's struggle Grazers: A Cooperative Story illuminates timely issues regarding our food system. At stake are their farms, the small communities around them, the health of the land and a way of life.

2pm-3:30pm
Bob and The Trees (1 hr. 31 min.)
written and directed by Diego Ongaro
co-photography direction by Chris Teague

It is deep winter in rural Massachusetts. Bob, a 50-year-old logger with a soft spot for golf and gangsta rap, is struggling to make ends meet in a merciless industry. When a rotten investment threatens the family business, Bob begins to heed the instincts of his ever darkening self.

"I met Bob Tarasuk seven years ago, shortly after I moved to the rural town of Sandisfield from Paris. Bob-a fast talking, attention-loving, rap enthusiast turned farmer with an infectious sense of humor-has been a forester in the area for three decades and is a well-known character in the Berkshires, taking care of and maintaining countless acres of woods," says Diego Ongaro.

The film was shot on location in The Berkshires, MA during one of the coldest winters on record. Diego very much wanted to film the feature in the snow and was nervous, as the dates approached that there wouldn't be any snow on the ground. Luckily, prior to filming, the Polar Vortex hit the Northeast and dropped several feet of snow.

Film Festivals and Awards: Sundance Film Festival (2015, World Premiere), Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (2015, International Premiere), Crystal Globe (Jury Prize for Best International Feature Film), Ecumenical Prize; Woodstock Film Festival (2015, NY Premiere), Haskell Wexler Award for Best Cinematography, Honorable Mention, Ultra Indie Award

4pm-6pm
Ewe Topia (8 min.)
by Ben Hillman
A bit of Cosmic Nonsense set to Bach's "Sheep May Safely Graze." A piano sits in the heart of a pastoral dreamscape, where a shepherdess, the goddess Pan, and Johann Sebastian Bach rock out to protect their flock of sheep.

Official Selection Toronto Independent Film Festival, Official Selection Berkshire Int'l Film Festival, Official Selection Athens, Ohio Int'l film Festival, Official Selection Winterthur Int'l Kurzfilmtage

Goodbye Alan (12 min.)
written by Richard Dresser
directed by Joe Cacaci
produced by Black Ice MASS Media and Black Ice Entertainment
executive producers: Joe Cacaci, John Whalan, Richard Dresser, Treat Williams

Goodbye Alan is the third in a trilogy of short films called Public Speaking,
starring Treat Williams. In Goodbye Alan, a man arrives late at a memorial service (horrible traffic, not his fault) to deliver the eulogy for his best friend, who died owing him $1,200.00.

The Paper Trail (49 min.)
by Producer Kelly Carty and Jonathon Bee
Mr. Bee, with the help of producer Kelly Carty, interviewed a series of authors, booksellers and editors who live or spend time in the Litchfield Hills literary belt. Such notable writers as Susan Orlean, Simon Winchester, Courtney Maum, Mary Randolph Carter, Spencer Reiss and Peter Richmond have all participated and are highlighted in the film. Each reveals their beginnings as authors, their writing process and concerns about and hopes for the future of books for both writers and readers.

Somethin's Fishy (6 min.)
produced and directed by Larry Burke
Somethin's Fishy is about a guy who, on a hot summer day, takes a dip in a murky Berkshires pond, only to find some very surprising and wonderful inhabitants.

What We Were (12 min.)
written by Jackson Teeley, directed by Wilder Bunke
A young musician returns to his hometown to confront the realities of fame, the inevitability of change and the importance of home.

The Gnomist (19 min.)
produced and directed by Sharon Liese
co-produced by Cynthia Wade, with associate production by Samantha Hake
photography direction by Ty Jones
edited by Jeremy Carr

The Gnomist is a true story about the mysterious appearance of fairy homes in a suburban forest and the magical experience shared by three women.

Sunday, November 13th
at Hotel on North

6pm-7pm
Meet the Filmmakers: Festival Wrap Party
This event is for all Film Block ticket holders

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The Colonial Theatre, founded in 1903, and Berkshire Theatre Festival, founded in 1928, are two of the oldest cultural organizations in the Berkshires. In 2010, under the leadership of Artistic Director and CEO Kate Maguire, the two organization merged to form Berkshire Theatre Group (BTG). Berkshire Theatre Group's mission is to support wide ranging artistic exploration and acclaimed performances in theatre, dance, music and entertainment. Every year, BTG produces and presents performances to over 68,000 attendees and, through our Educational Program, serves over 13,000 Berkshire County schoolchildren annually. BTG's celebrated stages reflect the history of the American theatre; they represent a priceless cultural resource for the community. The Fitzpatrick Main Stage, cataloged by the National Register of Historic Places, has been home to the Berkshire Theatre Festival since 1928. Nestled at the corner of Main Street and Yale Hill Road in Stockbridge, this 318-seat theatre epitomizes summer theatre for many of its faithful patrons. The intimate 122-seat Unicorn Theatre in Stockbridge, is BTG's home for new and experimental works, showcasing world premieres and reimagined classics. Built in 1903 and declared a National Historic Treasure in 1998, the 780-seat Colonial Theatre is a cornerstone of Pittsfield's revitalization. Re-opening to the public in 2006 after a $21 million restoration, the Colonial serves as a cultural resource for the community. Located in the lobby of the Colonial, the 150-seat Garage is a convertible space that serves as a dance floor, stage for comedians, bands, theatre and more.

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