WAM Theatre Announces Flying Cloud Institute As Recipient For Fall Production

In accordance with their unique mission of arts as activism WAM Theatre has announced that a portion of the box office for their Fall production of Galileo's Daughter will be donated to the Flying Cloud Institute.

The production will run at the Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre Shakespeare & Company, Lenox, MA from October 18 - November 3, 2024, and before transferring to Central Square Theater in Cambridge, MA.

Tickets for the Berkshire run are on sale now, and a portion of box office sales goes to funding the Girls Science After School Programs run by Flying Cloud Institute in Berkshire County.

"Flying Cloud is honored and excited to partner with WAM Theatre to support the young scientists and artists in our community!” said Executive Director Maria Rundle. “WAM and Flying Cloud have a shared mission to amplify the voices of female and non-binary-identified youth in our community and to give them the space and support to discover the creative, curious, and capable people they are: as actors, writers, scientists, engineers, and artists!"

This partnership represents an on-going relationship between the two organizations who have co-facilitated workshops and community conversations around the importance of amplifying girls' voices and opportunities in science and arts. The Science Club members have attended WAM productions, as Rundle explains: “WAM has generously opened its doors to our Young Women in Science participants since 2017, inviting us to the stage again and again to meet dynamic characters like 18th century scientific genius Emilie du Châtelet, and Yasmeen Al-Hamad, a Yemeni-American teenager who loves science but doesn't fit the image her teachers have of who is STEM-capable.”  Through Galileo's Daughter they will have a chance to meet Maria Celeste and understand how instrumental she was to the world changing discoveries of her famous father Galileo Galilei.

Each year since its inception in 2010, WAM has connected with sister-social justice organizations and donated a portion of the proceeds from ticket sales from their main stage production to an organization(s) whose mission connects to the theme of the play. Over the years WAM has connected with over 26 organizations and donated over $100,000. They've focused primarily on supporting Berkshires-based organizations, but when the fit with the play is right they have also partnered with national and even international organizations -- such as the Mother of Peace Orphanage in South Africa and Edna Adan Hospital in Somaliland. Each year this commitment to giving back grows stronger and evolves.

"Like Maria Celeste's character in Galileo's Daughter, the arts and sciences share a love of inquiry and discovery,” said Managing Director Molly Merrhew. “WAM is delighted to deepen our collaboration with Flying Cloud through this play, and contribute to the creation of spaces that empower the vibrant voices, curiosities, creativity, and intellect of girls. WAM's ambitious mission, to share our box office income with an organization working on the front-lines of creating opportunities for women and girls, sets our organization up to be a catalyst for change–  through the stories we tell, and community partnerships we build.”

Your ticket purchase contributes to Flying Cloud Institute's ability to offer a FREE After School Science Club at a public school in Berkshire County while sustaining WAM Theatre whose mission is to center the stories and lives of women and girls. 

WAM will offer equitable seating for this production and encourage patrons to select the ticket price that best fits their needs. Tickets range from $25-$100. WAM invites audience members to choose from one of the suggested price levels, while keeping in mind that the higher ticket price you are able to select, the more we will be able to donate to the Flying Cloud Institute.  WAM Theatre also offers group tickets (for groups of ten or more) and $5 for EBT card holders. 

Tickets for Galileo's Daughter are on sale now. To purchase tickets, visit wamtheatre.com or contact The Shakespeare and Company Ticket Office by calling (413) 637-3353. 

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