Newsmakers
Mazel tov to Alex Hill, Richmond native, on his marriage to Nicole Rodriguez, on February 15, in Punta Cana. Hill, who got his start at Berkshire Theatre Group. received the 2024 Emmy Award for his work on Trafficked with Mariana van Zeller. Alex is the son of Berkshire Theatre Group Artistic Director and CEO Kate Maguire and director Eric Hill.
The Springfield Community Theater of MA has made a star-studded debut, with area celebrities in a production of A.R. Gurney’s Love Letters over Valentine’s Day Weekend. Founder Vana Nespor directed rotating casts of Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno opposite former WWLP-TV22 anchor (now Broadcasting faculty member at Western New England University) Brenda Garton; and StageWest founder Steve Hays opposite former Western Mass News director and anchor Kathy Tobin. They have ambitious future plans, including 1776 and A Christmas Carol, all at 52 Sumner in Springfield. For details: https://www.springfield-community-theater-of-ma.org/
Michael Buster McMahon, a program host on Westfield Community Programming and 89.5fm/WSKB, will have his new full-length comedy Sanctuary Much, featured in a staged reading on March 14-16 at Exit 7 Players in Ludlow. Several of McMahon’s short plays have been put on locally in Western Mass and Northern Connecticut, as well as featured in his youtube series called The Michael Buster McMahon Televised Radio Playhouse and Used Tire Company. Smash
McMahon will direct. For details: https://www.exit7players.org/shows/new-original-play-stage-reading-of-sanctuary-much-
Smash, the new Broadway musical, has a Barrington Stage Company connection. BSC Associate Artist Beowulf Boritt, has designed sets for the new Broadway musical, which is choreographed by Associate Artist Joshua Bergasse, who staged On The Town in Pittsfield (and later Broadway). Associate Artist Alejo Vietti designs the costumes. For details: https://smashbroadway.com/
Mike Wartella, Berkshire-raised actor with multiple Broadway credits, and teaching artist at Berkshire Theatre Group, co starred in an industry reading of the Broadway bound revisal of the musical Big Fish with a cast including Patrick Wilson, Jordan Danica, and Nikki Renee Daniels. Tony winner Jerry Zaks directed.
Boca, the comedy by Barrington Stage Company’s Jessica Provenz, began life as a playlet at Barrington Stage,in its 10×10 New Play Festival, before being developed as a full-length play, which had its world premiere in Pittsfield. It’s finally making its Gulf Coast premiere, at The Florida Rep in Fort Myers, through March 2. For details: https://www.floridarep.org/the-season-tickets/
Unreconciled, Jay Sefton’s award-winning play, began life at Chester Theatre, and then moved to Ireland, New York, Pittsburgh, and Los Angeles. It swings back to the area, with performances at The Majestic in West Springfield on June 26-27, and Philadelphia on April 5 (as a benefit for CHILD USA). In the fall, the show lands in Cotuit. For details: https://www.unreconciledtheplay.com/
Passages: Paulina Stark, international opera star and a member of the faculty at the UMass Department of Music from 1985-2005, has passed away. Ms. Stark had an international career as a soprano in opera, oratorio, and recital. She was a guest soloist with the Hallé Orchestra in England (under the direction of Sir John Barbirolli), the Jerusalem Symphony (Sergiu Comissiona), Houston (Lawrence Foster), Dallas (Eduardo Mata), and the Springfield Symphony Orchestra. She performed leading lyric soprano roles with the Houston Grand Opera, L’Opéra Nationale de Monte Carlo and elsewhere.
Westfield Community Programming produced an hour-long special, The Burrage Brothers on Broadway, which profiles Westfield siblings Nick Burrage (Moulin Rouge) and Joshua Burrage (Boop, The Musical) on their journey to The Big Apple. Stream here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_2UrEhBhEk
Mark G. Auerbach studied theatre at American University and The Yale School of Drama. He has worked for arts organizations nationwide, and reported on the arts for print and broadcast. Mark produces and hosts ArtsBeat, Survivor Stories and On The Mark for WCPC15 and 89.5fm/WSKB. He’s a regular contributor to Berkshire onstage and a member of the Berkshire Theatre Critics Association.