Two women recovering from recent traumas in their lives make an uneasy acquaintance as they cope with their issues.
Pittsfield, MA – On November 6, Berkshire Theatre Group (BTG) and Kate Maguire (Artistic Director, CEO) are delighted to present a staged reading of The Things I Cannot Change written by Pia Wilson and directed by Stori Ayers at The Unicorn Theatre in Stockbridge, MA. The Things I Cannot Change follows two women who live in the Halcyon gated community as they recover from recent traumas in their lives—Patricia, an African-American emergency room physician, who nearly died from a physical attack on the job, and Madeline, a white woman, who struggles financially and emotionally after her much older husband dies, leaving everything in his will to one of his adult sons. The two women periodically cross paths in the private park within their community and make an uneasy acquaintance with each other as they try to cope with the issues in their lives.
About the Playwright
Pia Wilson has been a Newark Creative Catalyst grant recipient, Traveling Master for Dramatist Guild Foundation, resident with the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, Sundance fellow and member of the 2008 Emerging Writers Group at The Public Theater. Her plays have been produced by AD Players, Crossroads Theatre, Workspace Collective, Drew University, Adelphi University, Horse Trade Theater Group and The Fire This Time play festival. Her fiction podcast, If I Go Missing The Witches Did It, starring Gabourey Sidibe, is available wherever you listen to podcasts and was listed as one of the Best New Podcasts of 2021 by Variety and Mashable. In television, Pia was a staff writer for NatGeo’s Genius Aretha and BET’s Sacrifice.
About the Director
Stori Ayers is a New York-based Actor, Director and Co-founder of [RARE] Lotus Productions. Originally from Washington, D.C., she has a passion for stories that challenge social norms, create conversations in the community, and ignite within her generation a spirit of activism. This past season Stori directed the world premiere of Confederates by Dominique Morisseau at Signature Theatre, NYC. She also directed Ms. Morisseaus’ Blood at the Root at Chautauqua Theatre Company, Paradise Blue at The Geffen Playhouse and associate directedon Skeleton Crew on Broadway. Stori assistant directed the world premiere of August Wilson’s one-man show, How I Learned What I Learned, at the Signature Theatre (NYC). She was the 2018 & 2019 Directing Fellow at Chautauqua Theater Company where she assistant directed An Octoroon (Dir. Giovanna Sardelli); Into the Breeches (Dir. Laura Kepley); One Man, Two Guvnors (Dir. Andrew Borba); and Amish Project (Dir. Sarah Wansley). Other directing credits include: Skeleton Crew (Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati); When Statues Fall (Cleveland Playhouse); Night Vision; Third Grade (Playing On Air); Blood at the Root (University of Michigan); Single Black Female (Penn State School of Theatre); Hip Hoperella; Here I Go, Boys. Wish Me Luck; and Fires in the Mirror (Fletcher Collins Theatre). Up next, Stori will be directing the world premiere of I’m Back Now by Charly Evon Simpson at Cleveland Playhouse (Jan 2023). Stori is a proud member of SDC and Actors’ Equity, holds a B.A. from Mary Baldwin University, an MFA in Acting from Penn State University, and is the former Executive Assistant to writers Dominique Morisseau and Katori Hall.
At The Unicorn Theatre
The Things I Cannot Change
written by Pia Wilson
directed by Stori Ayers
at The Unicorn Theatre
on the Larry Vaber Stage
Staged Reading: Sunday, November 6 at 2pm
Tickets: Suggested Donation of $10-$20
Safety Protocols
For safety protocols please visit BTG’s COVID-19 information page: www.berkshiretheatregroup.org/covid-19-information/
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. In 2010, under the leadership of Artistic Director and CEO Kate Maguire, the two organizations 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 11,000 Berkshire County school children annually. In July2020, Berkshire Theatre was the first company in the United States to earn approval fromActors’ Equity Association to produce a musical (Godspell) in the wake of the COVID-19Pandemic.