PITTSFIELD, Massachusetts — At a time when adolescence is increasingly defined by isolation, Barrington Stage Company’s (BSC) Playwright Mentoring Project (PMP) might prove that vulnerability is a superpower. Entering its 26th year, the nationally-recognized program continues to serve as a vital sanctuary for identity and expression.
Under the leadership of BSC Education Director Jane O’Leary, PMP guides students to transform personal struggles — from body image to school stress — into theater. The program’s singular mentorship model pairs students with creative professionals who facilitate deep, honest connection, and draw students who might face challenges in finding their place within traditional academic structures to the stage. The 2026 PMP Tour is the program’s biggest showcase in its more than two decade history.
“This spring we feature seven student playwright groups and seven original plays tackling social media culture, mental health, and even calls for civic engagement,” notes O’Leary. “There’s comedy, vulnerability, and a whole lot of creativity.”
The 2026 PMP Spring Tour features students from BART, Charles H. McCann Technical School, Drury, Herberg Middle School, Hoosac Valley, Lee Middle and High School, Lenox High School, Mount Greylock, Pittsfield High School, Taconic, TECCA, W.E.B. Du Bois, and Wahconah Regional High School. This season’s data reveals a shifting landscape of youth identity, with 12% of students identifying as non-binary or trans and 23% identifying as students of color, while nearly half of the company consists of returning participants.
“Everyone has a story, and they might not even know what it is yet,” says one PMP student-participant. “But it doesn’t mean that the story isn’t there.”
The 2026 PMP School Tour will include performances at Wahconah Regional, Pittsfield High, Lenox Memorial, Mt. Greylock, BART, and Hoosac Valley.
Spring Tour Public Performances
- March 31, 7:00 PM (St. Germain Stage): The Impact of Today and MISSED/understandings
- April 1, 7:00 PM (MCLA Church Street Center): From Our Eyes and An Older Bigger Screen
- April 2, 7:00 PM (St. Germain Stage): Prism Storm, Dream Play, and Our Streets
All PMP Festival – Saturday, April 11
The season culminates at the St. Germain Stage with three performances at 11:00 AM, 2:00 PM, and 4:00 PM, allowing audiences to experience all seven plays in one day.
Tickets
Spring Tour tickets are first-come, first-served. All performances are Pay What You Can. To reserve tickets for the All PMP Festival, call 413-236-8888 or visit barringtonstageco.org/Tickets.
Season subscriptions for the Barrington Stage summer season are now on sale. Single tickets for the 2026 season will go on sale in early spring. For more information, visit BarringtonStageCo.org.
About the Playwright Mentoring Project
A recipient of the Coming Up Taller Award and the Massachusetts Commonwealth Award, PMP is a six-month theatre program for Berkshire County youth. It provides a safe, confidential space to explore life’s complexities through writing and performance. The program is offered at no cost with no audition required.
About Barrington Stage Company
Barrington Stage Company (BSC), under the leadership of Artistic Director Alan Paul and Managing Director Greg Reiner, is an award-winning theater located in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, in the heart of the cultural Berkshires. BSC’s mission is to produce compelling work; to develop new plays and musicals; and to engage our community with vibrant, inclusive educational outreach programs.
BSC attracts more than 60,000 patrons each year annually and earned national honors for its superior-quality productions and comprehensive educational programming, including the award-winning Playwright Mentoring Project, the Musical Theater Conservatory, Youth Theater, KidsAct! and other initiatives. The company is integral to the economic revitalization of downtown Pittsfield.
BSC’s reputation for excellence began with a smash revival of Cabaret that moved to Boston in 1997 for an extended run. The theater’s prominence grew with the world premiere of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee by William Finn and Rachel Sheinkin (BSC 2004; Broadway 2005-2008, winner of two Tony Awards). Other notable productions include the world premiere of Christopher Demos-Brown’s American Son (BSC 2016; Broadway 2018); Mark St. Germain’s Freud’s Last Session (BSC 2009; Off-Broadway 2010-2012); Leonard Bernstein, Betty Comden & Adolph Green’s On the Town (BSC 2013; Broadway 2014, four Tony Award nominations); Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s Company, starring Aaron Tveit (2017); and West Side Story in honor of Leonard Bernstein and Jerome Robbins’ centenaries (2018).
BSC supports the development of new work through two core programs: PlayWorks, focused on new plays, and the Musical Theatre Lab, dedicated to new musicals. Since 1995, the Company has produced 49 new works, 22 of which have transferred to New York and major regional theaters nationwide.