Smith College Department of TheatreAUDITIONSEURYDICEby Sarah Ruhldirected by Tara Franklin In Eurydice, Sarah Ruhl reimagines the classic myth of Orpheus through the eyes of its heroine. Dying too young on her wedding day, Eurydice must journey to the underworld, where she reunites with her father and struggles to remember her lost…
by Barbara Waldinger One of the most important missions of the Great Barrington Public Theater is: “to develop and produce new plays, with a focus on playwrights and theater artists in the Berkshires.” True to form, the theater’s current production of MADAME MOZART, THE LACRIMOSA, was written, directed, performed, and…
Great Barrington Public Theater announces the cast of its first commissioned work, Madame Mozart, the Lacrimosa, by Anne Undeland. Longtime audience members of GB Public will recognize the piece from its first staged reading in Season 2023. Berkshire favorites take the stage with Tara Franklin in the title role as Constanze Mozart with Ryan Winkles joining…
by Mark G. Auerbach Ali Louis Bourzgui, the Pittsfield actor who starred in the recent Broadway revival of The Who’s Tommy, takes on the role of Orpheus in Hadestown, beginning May 6. For details: https://hadestown.com/ Eliza Gonzales, UMass Theatre Assistant Professor of Voice and Acting, makes her Broadway debut as voice and dialect coach…
James Taylor, WMass resident, may see his music on Broadway. According to Broadway News, Tracy Letts (August Osage County) is penning Fire and Rain, an original musical using the music of the James Taylor songbook. For details: https://www.broadwaynews.com/new-musical-is-in-the-works-featuring-the-songs-of-james-taylor/ Jane Scheckter, the Springfield native who started her career Off-Broadway and in Improv and moved to the…
Chester, Massachusetts – January 27, 2025 – Chester Theatre Company, announces that Christopher Baker and Michelle Ong-Hendrick have been appointed as the new Co-Artistic Directors effective immediately. Baker and Ong-Hendrick replace outgoing Co-Artistic Directors James Barry and Tara Franklin. Baker and Ong-Hendrick bring a track record of outstanding artistry in…
2024 was another amazing theatre season in the Berkshires! These are the highlights of the productions that reminded me of why, for me, the Berkshires are the center of the theater universe. Three fabulous musicals offered something for everyone. YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN at the Colonial Theatre (Berkshire Theatre Group) was worth…
by Mark G. Auerbach (This review originally appeared in Westfield News. Used with the author’s permission.) There are three heroes onstage in Chester Theatre’s 35th season finale, the American Premiere of Tom Wells’ Big Big Sky. First hero is Joel Ripka, an actor with multiple Chester credits, who stepped in at…
