Pioneer Valley Theatre News August 31, 2023

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Pioneer Valley Theatre Newsletter View this email in your browser August 31 - September 20, 2023 It's audition season! Check out the listings below for auditions (and other opportunities) with GCC, Smith College, UMass Amherst, Human Agenda Theater, Amherst Community Theater, Easthampton Theater Company, Valley Light Opera, and the Performance Project. Plus today is the last day to apply to be a performer during First Night in Northampton!  The next issue will include events from September 7 - 27. Submit upcoming events via the link below or by emailing me before Tuesday at midnight. Any questions, comments or feedback? Email me at pioneervalleytheatre@gmail.com Submit Your Theatre Event Amherst Community Theatre Auditions for Seussical! September 15-17 Sign Up Here Easthampton Theatre Company Auditions for Torch Song  September 19 and 20, 6-9 PM More information  / sign up YOUR EVENT HERE $5 per week for your poster and ticket link in top billing! Email me to reserve your dates. Click to Access: Pioneer Valley Theatre Google Calendar Click to Access: Pioneer Valley Theatre Personnel Spreadsheet THIS WEEK IN THEATRE NEWS: from Howlround   How Larissa FastHorse’s The Thanksgiving Play Lays the Groundwork for Native Artists Like Me by Sierra Rosetta From the article:  It’s 3 June 2023. I see the Helen Hayes Theater marquee looming in the distance, and tears immediately come to my eyes. It reads: Hayes Theater THE THANKSGIVING PLAY By Larissa FastHorse Directed by Rachel Chavkin I take pictures of the writing on the doors of the theatre, which describes Larissa FastHorse’s journey to become the first known female Indigenous playwright on Broadway. I take a selfie next to her picture, my sweaty, tear-streaked face beaming next to hers. Even though I have never met FastHorse personally, I like to think that she’s there with me in spirit, as a fellow female Indigenous theatremaker from a small midwestern town. Have you read an interesting article about theatre recently? Send it to me! pioneervalleytheatre@gmail.com PERFORMANCES Historic Northampton presents Pulling at the Roots Three Plays About Northampton History produced by Plays in Place August 31 - September 3, 2023 Staged in the recently restored historic barn and on the grounds of Historic Northampton Commissioned by Historic Northampton and produced by Plays In Place, Pulling at the Roots is a series of three site-specific plays that move the audience through three centuries of Northampton history. Set in the 1670s, Circling Suspicion by playwright Talya Kingston, brings us into the home and mind of Mary Bliss Parsons as she struggles with accusations of witchcraft.  The play features Christine Stevens, Bill Stewart and Linda Tardif. Rose by Jasmine Rochelle Goodspeed, explores a moment in 1750 between famous minister Jonathan Edwards and Rose, who is enslaved by Edwards, as they face being forced to leave Northampton.  The play features Tahmie Der and Matt Haas. Finally, The Optimist's Razor by Patrick Gabridge, shows abolitionists David and Lydia Maria Child in 1842 as they confront a situation that threatens their careers and marriage.  The play features Myka Plunkett and Gabriel Levey. The dramas of Pulling at the Roots examine two important historical themes: the meaning of home and women's search for autonomy. The goal of these plays is to breathe life and humanity into the historic narrative. The company consists of 15 local professional theatre artists and is led by director Brianna Sloane (The Emily Dickinson Project, The Mill Project, The Water Project). The acting ensemble features Tahmie Der, Matt Haas, Gabriel Levey, Myka Plunkett, Christine Stevens, Bill Stewart, and Linda Tardif. Costume design is by Christina Beam. Sound consultation is by Amy Altadonna and lighting consultation is by John Bechtold. Stage management is by Nikki Beck and Gabriel CiFuentes.   Content Advisory: The plays contain themes of child loss and slavery and are recommended for adult audiences. All three short plays are included in each performance, followed by a conversation with the playwrights. Tickets and more information.   Shakespeare & Company presents a staged reading of Hamlet featuring Christopher Lloyd and Finn Wittrock, Friday, Sept. 1 through Sunday, Sept. 3, 2 p.m. Murder both intentional and accidental as well as madness both piteous and pretended will haunt the Tina Packer Playhouse as Shakespeare & Company for a three-performance-only reading of William Shakespeare’s most memorable tragedy. This limited run is directed by Shakespeare & Company Founding Member Kevin G. Coleman, a two-time Tony Award nominee for Excellence in Education, with Associate Director Ariel Bock, who directed Ken Ludwig's Dear Jack, Dear Louise this season at Shakespeare & Company. Its nine-member cast also includes Caroline Calkins, Ptah Garvin, Nigel Gore, David Gow, Dana Harrison, L. James, and Zoya Martin. Scenic design is by Devon Drohan, and costume design by Costume Director Govane Lohbauer.  This production is sponsored by Jenifer and Mark Salzberg. Tickets range from $20 to $75; for more information, visit shakespeare.org or call the Box Office at (413) 637-3353.  “Off the Shelf” play reading series to take place at The LAVA Center Saturdays at 1 p.m.: September 2 The LAVA Center, 324 Main St., Greenfield https://thelavacenter.org/off-the-shelf/  The LAVA Center is proud to present “Off the Shelf,” a play reading series of new classic plays, that will take place on Saturdays afternoons: September 2 at 1 p.m. The plays encompass a range of international, professional plays from the 1960s through the 1990s, and will be read by local actors. There is an optional, $5–10 suggested donation for each performance, to help The LAVA Center cover royalty and production costs. The schedule: Saturday, Sept. 2, 1 p.m.: Can’t Pay? Won’t Pay! by Dario Fo Dario Fo’s modern classic, translated variously as We Won’t Pay, We Won’t Pay!, Can’t Pay, Won’t Pay!, and Low Pay, Don’t Pay! was first produced in 1974. A slapstick comedy with unabashed political tones, overtones and undertones, the play features housewives who are caught up in the action when women of their city protesting high grocery prices take what they want from the store shelves. In their efforts to hide their transgressions, they convince their husbands that the groceries being hidden under their clothes are pregnancies. Like a mashup of “The Honeymooners,” “I Love Lucy,” and Bernie Sanders on the Senate floor, the play delivers laughs and serious commentary on the wealth gap. That it is nearly 50 years old and still so relevant should give us all something to contemplate, even as we enjoy the classic antics. Frances Perkins: A Woman's Work A performance by Jarice Hanson Sunday, September 10th at 2 p.m. One Armory Square, Springfield, MA (off State Street, campus of STCC) Free and open to the public. Ample free parking. Handicap accessible. Sponsored by In the Spotlight, Springfield, MA She was dubbed “The Mother of Social Security;” quite a prestigious title. This was Frances Perkins. Perhaps a relatively famous picture taken in the late 1930’s was that of President FDR waving a pen above his head as he signed the Social Security Act into law. A woman in the back, wearing a drab dress, black hat, and no smile was Frances Perkins, the first female cabinet member in the U.S. as Secretary of Labor for 12 years, and the creator of Social Security. Perkins tackled social reform on many important topics, i.e. child labor laws, the 40-hour work week, women’s working conditions, African-American workers, advocacy for immigrants, and labor unions. In the Spotlight, an arts organization in Springfield, MA, in collaboration with Springfield Armory NHS, host the hour-long play followed by Q&A, directed to the actress in the character of Perkins. The site is wheelchair accessible, lots of free parking, no tickets, no reserved seating. The commission and performance of “Frances Perkins: A Woman’s Work” is paid for, in part, by the Springfield Cultural Council, through the MA Cultural Council, a state agency. New work by Pulitzer Prize-winner Donald Margulies features Karen Allen and Reed Birney New dates have been announced for Shakespeare & Company’s World Premiere  of Lunar Eclipse by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Donald Margulies, starring Karen Allen and Reed Birney, and directed by James Warwick. Staged September 15 through October 22 at the Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre, five, new Thursday evening performances have been added through the course of the run: Thursday, September 21 at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, September 28 at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, October 5 at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, October 12 at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, October 19 at 7:30 p.m. On a summer night, in the middle of a field on their midwest farm, a long-married couple sits on folding chairs to observe the seven stages of a lunar eclipse. While watching the celestial phenomenon unfold, the two sip bourbon and reflect on land and legacy, on children and dogs, and the accelerating passage of time. Lunar Eclipse is a new work by Margulies (Dinner With Friends, Time Stands Still, Collected Stories). Generously sponsored by Deb and Bill Ryan, Lunar Eclipse will be staged indoors at the Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre on the Shakespeare & Company grounds. Tickets range from $22 for students to $62, and are available at shakespeare.org or by calling the Box Office at (413) 637-3353. Preview shows on Friday, Sept. 15 and Saturday, Sept 16 are $10 less. Opening performance is Sunday, Sept. 17, at 2 p.m.  AUDITIONS & OPPORTUNITIES The Performance Project, a non-profit arts organization based in Springfield MA, is seeking a Booking Agent and/or Tour Coordinator to help plan a local and regional tour of First Generation Ensemble’s Mother Tongue, a 90 minute multilingual physical theater piece. We have funding for a position averaging 20 hours a month.  We’ve received a grant from the NEA specifically to tour Mother Tongue, and although we have extensive experience performing in our area (Hampden, Hampshire and Franklin Massachusetts counties), we need to hire someone with experience who can help to broaden the reach of our tour to other areas in MA and other nearby states.   We hope to find someone who can jump in ASAP and begin to connect with venues, reach out to new presenting partners, and develop our tour schedule for 2023-2024.  As a starting point, we already have a list of potential venues, some with already existing relationships and connections.  Contact: Julie Lichtenburg info@performanceproject.org and Gayle Hudson gaylehudson1@gmail.com The Performance Project’s First Generation is a multilingual physical theater ensemble based in Springfield Massachusetts. Members participate in artistic and leadership training, community building, social justice dialogues, and intergenerational mentoring. First Generation creates multilingual physical theater performances inspired by their own life experiences, and the experiences of their families and communities. Their work touches upon themes such as diaspora, language, culture, xenophobia, transphobia, hypermasculinity, racism, the power of youth voice, liberation, and revolution. The Northampton Arts Council is now accepting performer applications for First Night Northampton 2024 On Sunday, December 31, 2023, the Northampton Arts Council will present the 38th annual community New Year’s Eve celebration and festival of performing arts. Since 1985, First Night Northampton has filled our Paradise City with a 12-hour family-friendly festival of the arts, culminating in a traditional ball-raising from the roof of the Hotel Northampton. Proceeds from First Night Northampton will benefit local artists and community arts activities. We look forward to receiving many proposals and creating a diverse, exciting, family-friendly event. The deadline to apply is August 31, 2023. Proposals are reviewed as they are received, so early applications are recommended. Please submit separate applications for each proposal. Proposals without support materials will not be reviewed. We will be notifying applicants at the end of October. To apply to perform at First Night Northampton 2024, please complete the online application, which can be found at firstnightnorthampton.org. Check out the First Night Northampton 2023 playlist on YouTube. Smith College Department of Theatre AUDITIONS for DANCE NATION by Clare Barron directed by Daniel Elihu Kramer Somewhere in America, an army of pre-teen competitive dancers plots to take over the world. And if their new routine is good enough, they’ll claw their way to the top at Nationals in Tampa Bay. A play about ambition, growing up, and how to find our souls in the heat of it all. Auditions:  Sunday, September 10 and Monday, September 11, 7:00-9:00 PM Acting Studio 1, Mendenhall CPA Please let us know if you are interested but unable to make either date. Callbacks will be on Tuesday, September 12 Performances:  October 26, 27, 28 at 7:30 PM and October 28 at 2:00 PM in Hallie Flanagan Studio Theatre Casting Breakdown:  9 Actors. Actors of all ages and identities are encouraged to audition. No dancing ability is required! (But also it would be cool if some people can dance/move.) DANCE TEACHER PAT – The head of the dance studio. AMINA – The star dancer. ZUZU – Always second best. CONNIE – A talented dancer who thinks she should play the role of Gandhi. LUKE – The only male dancer on the competition team. MAEVE – The oldest and least talented dancer on the team. SOFIA – Knows what’s up. ASHLEE – Future president of a post-apocalyptic USA. VANESSA/THE MOMS – Could’ve been a phenomenon./Means well. Grown-up Wendy. Audition Prep:  No appointment necessary. Sides from the script will be available at the audition for cold reads. No preparation necessary. Perusal scripts available at Josten Library. Contact/Questions:  Production Manager, Nikki Beck, ncbeck@smith.edu Director, Daniel Elihu Kramer, dkramer@smith.edu GCC Theater Auditions for ANGELS IN AMERICA When: Auditions Mon, Sept 11 at 4pm-7pm* Tue, Sept 12 at 4pm-7pm* Callbacks Wed, Sept 13 at 4pm* * Plan on attending either Monday OR Tuesday for Auditions, as well as Wednesday for Callbacks. You can arrive anytime during the 3-hour audition time, but arriving closer to the start is better for pairing you with other actors. Where: Sloan Theater, GCC Main Campus, 1st Floor South Building Special Note: We will be casting for Part One with the actor having the opportunity to do both, Part One and Two. Additional Info: Productions: Pulitzer Prize- and Tony Award-winning play Angels in America, Part One & Two, by Tony Kushner, Directed by Tom Geha Fall 2023 - Part One: Millennium Approaches Rehearsal Dates: Sep 18 -Nov 9 Performance Dates: Nov 10 -18 Spring 2024 - Part Two: Perestroika Rehearsal Dates: Feb 5 -Apr 11 Performance Dates: Apr 12 -20 Prep: No audition preparation or production experience required, though audition sides and character breakdowns are available online at: https://tinyurl.com/CharactersSides Open to all students, faculty, staff, and the surrounding community Questions? Feel free to contact Tom Geha at gehat@gcc.mass.edu Human Agenda Theater Audition  September 11 at 6:00 PM Human Agenda Theater is casting BIPOC woman/nonbinary actor for the world premiere of the play Gorgons by Megan E. Tripaldi at Hawks and Reed, Greenfield, MA. Medusa is dead; Stheno and Euryale, her two sisters, remain. As a century passes, they are left behind to process their grief over her demise and their grief over being trapped in the shadows by the gods and to figure out who they are without her.   Actors will receive a $200 stipend to help cover gas over the rehearsal process. We typically rehearse in Turners Falls or Amherst. We will rehearse September- March 2024. Show dates are March 8-10 and March 15-17. Tech week is March 4-7. We want to practice once to a few times a week, gradually increasing the schedule as the performances approach. This is an extended rehearsal process because the show's musical, shadow play, design, and physical elements need to be created.   Auditions will be held on September 11, but we can schedule an alternate day if that day does not work for you. Auditions will consist of reading sides from the script and working with the ensemble. Please let us know if you are interested at humanagendatheater@gmail.com.   About Us: Human Agenda Theater celebrates the collaborative process of creating and sharing stories of the human experience through ground-breaking, interactive, and weird forms of ensemble-based devised theater. We are committed to uplifting and integrating practices of pay equity/profit-sharing, radical accessibility, and culture-building within our company and surrounding communities. Instagram: @humanagendatheater Email: humanagendatheater@gmail.com Wanted for UMass Theater: Nimble performers who love comedy! Do you love comedy? More importantly, do you love performing comedy? If the answer to those questions is yes, UMass Theater needs you at the auditions for its upcoming fall shows! This fall, we present two comedies, and we're auditioning for both Sept. 11 & 12. THE HATMAKER'S WIFE by Lauren Yee, willl be directed by Gina Kaufmann (familiar to audiences locally as a UMass faculty member and director of many works at Silverthorne Theater). It'll be followed by THEY DON'T PAY? WE WON'T PAY! by Dario Fo and Franca Rame in translation by Jon Laskin and Michael Aquilante, directed by Behnam Alibakhshi, who brought us Aurash last year. Both The Hatmaker's Wife and They Don't Pay? We Won't Pay! require nimble actors with a keen sense of comic timing. Auditions will be held for both shows on Monday, September 11 and Tuesday, September 12 from 6:30 - 10:30 in The Curtain Theater. Performers can audition once to be considered for both shows! Please arrive in our Greenroom 15 minutes before your chosen audition time to register and fill out paperwork. Callbacks will be Wednesday, September 13 and Thursday, September 14 from 6:30 - 10:30 pm. Rehearsals are 4 hours per session for 5 sessions per week and are typically 6:30 - 10:30 pm. DESCRIPTIONS: The Hatmaker's Wife, by Lauren Yee, is a whimsical, comic fable about finding family. Rehearsals start September 18th and performances run Oct. 27 - Nov. 4 in the Curtain theater.  Characters: Hetchman - Our hero.  Hetchman the hatmaker.  Curmudgeonly. Hetchman's Wife - Also our hero.  Nondescript.  Does she have a name?  Who knows. Meckel - Hetchman's neighbor and only friend.  Cheerful, popular and kind.  He is the opposite of Hetchman. Wall - A wall.  A storyteller.  Guardian of the Hetchmans. Voice - A young woman.  Does she have a story? Gabe - Voice's boyfriend.  Easy-going in a way Voice has never been. Golem - A golem, akin to the Jewish Golem of Prague.  Only makes sounds, but does intuit what is going on. Eats a lot. Made of mud.   The characters of Hetchman, Meckel and Gabe are male-identifying.  The characters of Hetchman's Wife and Voice are female-identifying.   They Won't Pay? We Won't Pay! is an Italian comedy about the conflict between working-class people and a capitalistic vision of rules and morality. This battle leads people to change and redefine morality principles in their social life when they are facing a brutal and unfair situation imposed by power holders because they want to survive. Rehearsals start October 2 and performances run Dec. 1-8 in the Rand Theater.  Characters: Antonia - Unemployed Housewife Giovanni -  Antonia’s Husband; Factory Worker Margherita -  Antonia’s Younger Friend; Temp-Worker Luigi - Margherita’s Husband; Factory Worker and Housing Policeman Federal Agent and Undertaker Giovanni's Father -  Elderly Man and Assistant Undertaker Various Police Officers, Agents and Laborers The roles of Housing Policeman, Federal Agent, Undertaker and Giovanni's Father are played by the same actor. How to prepare: Please prepare a one-to-two minute contemporary monologue. Alternatively, you may chose to prepare one of the following monologues from They Don't Pay: 1) P 5,6 Antonia OR 20 P 22,23 Giovani  All roles are open to actors of any race, ethnicity, gender identity, ability, age or body type. We are seeking a diverse cast. Please prepare a one-to-two minute contemporary monologue. Whimsy is appreciated, though not required. Most importantly — bring your true and open self! We look forward to seeing you. Community members welcome! In addition to the monologue, auditioners will also play with a short scene from The Hatmakers Wife — a partner will be randomly assigned at the auditions. The audition scene: Page 16 - 17, Hetchman and Hetchman's Wife, from "Ey. Ey, wife!" through "You look for hat. Yourself."  (No accents, please.) Visit SignUp Genius for the signup sheet, a link to the scripts and audition scene, and additional details. Amherst Community Theater SEUSSICAL Auditions! September 15 and 15 at 6:00 PM Bangs Community Center, Amherst Amherst Community Theater announces auditions for Seussical! Sept. 15-17, 2023, callbacks 9/18, Bangs Community Center, Amherst. Appointments: go to amherstacts.org (contact Producer for alternative dates to Rosh Hashana). Dr. Seuss’s whimsical brilliance comes to life in this musical extravaganza! With lavish sets and costumes and a full orchestra, this show will transport audiences of all ages with its unforgettable characters and heartwarming story of loyalty and acceptance. Nine performances, January 2024 at the 600-seat Bowker Auditorium, UMass. Calling actors, singers, and dancers ages 7-107! More information, including character descriptions and audition music, posted 8/1: www.amherstacts.org/auditions or contact producer@amherstacts.org Facebook event Technical Director Iolanthe production Valley Light Opera Starting Sept. 6, 2023 Technical Director needed to supervise set build for Valley Light Opera's fall production of the Gilbert and Sullivan comic opera, Iolanthe. Duties include: Scheduling crew meetings one or twice a week till set is completed. Working with set designer to design the set. Instructing volunteers on basic carpentry jobs. Supervising volunteers as they work on the set. Supervising the transportation of the set to the Academy of Music for performance. Supervising set strike on November 12. Schedule: We rehearse Sunday, Monday and Wednesday eves starting September 6 till dress rehearsal on or about November 1. You do not need to attend rehearsals. You will build the set in a separate rented space during this period. Historically, our tech director scheduled building times on Saturdays, 9:00-3:00 and Tuesday evenings so that cast and crew members could be free to volunteer their building skills. Performances are November 3, 4, 5, and 10, 11, and 12 at the Academy of Music, Northampton. Honorarium: There is a modest honorarium of $350 for the period, and of course all materials and rentals are paid by VLO.  If interested: please apply to Jill Franks, Assistant Director.  Phone (with texting): 931-920-0368. Email: jfranks@umass.edu Easthampton Theater Company Auditions: Harvey Fierstein's Torch Song September 19 6-9 PM September 20 6-9 PM St. Philip's Church Parish Hall Easthampton, MA Audition Announcement for Easthampton Theater Company's Production of Harvey Fierstein's Torch Song When: Tuesday Sept.19th and Wednesday Sept.20th from 6pm to 9pm with callbacks Sept. 27th 6-9PM. Location: St. Philips Church Parish Hall, 126 Main Street, Easthampton, MA Script/Version: This is the 2-act 2018 Broadway revival titled simply Torch Song (not the Trilogy) and the script is available from Concord Theatricals as well as other on-line sources. The two act version is very faithful to the original. All roles are open, actors must be 18+ prior to first rehearsal. Description: The life of Arnold Beckoff, a torch song-singing, Jewish drag queen living in New York City, is dramatized over the span of the late 1970s and 1980s. Told with a likable, human voice and considerable humor, Torch Song follows Arnold’s odyssey to find happiness in New York. All he wants is a husband, a child, and a pair of bunny slippers that fit, but a visit from his overbearing mother reminds him that he needs one thing more: respect. Directed by Edward Ryan Produced by Michael O. Budnick and Jason Rose-Langston Rehearsals are scheduled to begin in early November in Easthampton with performances in late January and early February, 2024. Please go to to the following link for detailed information and sign-up instructions. Easthampton Theater Company WORKSHOPS & CLASSES We Just Want to Dance with You! Join the K and E Theater Group Summer Drop-In Dance Studio Join Eddie Zitka, Artistic Director of K and E Theater Group, two times a week this summer learning musical dance choreography and feel more confident in your movement at your next audition! Studio begins July 18 through September 7! Classes available for beginners and intermediate/advanced people! In the BEGINNER session on Tuesdays YOU CAN EXPECT: - Isolation warm-ups - Acting-based dancing exercises across the floor - A musical theater combination that will change weekly  In the INTERMEDIATE/ADVANCED session on Thursdays YOU CAN EXPECT: - Warm-up across the floor - A more complicated and technical musical theater combination that will change weekly - Combinations will be taught similar to an audition setting Classes available for beginners on Tuesdays and intermediate/advanced people on Thursdays from 7-8 PM in Southampton, MA at the First Congregational Church of Southampton, 212 College Highway. All class sessions are $10 and must be paid for at the door with cash or check. Check out www.KETG.org/summer-dance-studio-2023 for more information and to sign up for your session! Each week's sign up will open the Monday prior. Shakespeare & Company has announced its series of Merry Wanderers’ Guided Tours, hosted in July and August at Shakespeare & Company.  General Manager Steve Ball (with dog Willie) leads a two-hour walk through the Company’s stages, artists’ rehearsal studios, costume and prop shops, weapons armory, and more. meeting with some of the artisans involved in creating theater at Shakespeare & Company along the way. The Summer Season’s Merry Wanderers’ Guided Tours will meet in the lobby of the Tina Packer Playhouse.  Thursday, August 31, at 10:30 a.m.  Each Merry Wanderers’ Guided Tour will admit a maximum of 30 patrons, with tickets costing $15 for adults and $8 for students. Tickets can be reserved at shakespeare.org. For more information, call the Box Office at (413) 637-3353, or email boxstaff@shakespeare.org. Drama Studio Fall Classes September 7  41 Oakland St. Springfield MA Drama Studio acting classes are small in size and are taught by a professional faculty. Most classes include weekly 90-minute sessions over 24 weeks from September to May. Some classes are 60-minutes long and some intensives have fewer weeks per semester.  All classes perform in an informal “sharing” of their work at the end of each session. https://dramastudio.org/drama-studio-classes Shakespeare & Company’s Center for Actor Training is offering a six-session, online class  titled Linklater Voice: The Progression II. Beginning Tuesday, Sept.19, classes are held from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. EST on Tuesdays through October 24. Using the techniques set forth in Kristin Linklater’s practical approach to voice training, including from her book Freeing the Natural Voice, participants explore the potential of voice as an actor or public speaker by creating connections between thoughts, body, and voice. This class reinforces the relaxation, and generous vibration, explored in the first half of the Progression, and investigates how the voice can be strengthened by isolating and then blending the different resonators, expanding breath capacity, and finding an easy and efficient articulation.  The class will be led by actor, teacher, and director Tom Giordano, a designated Linklater Voice teacher and Shakespeare & Company artist. As the class focuses on the second half of the Progression, some experience with Linklater Voice is recommended. Tuition is $250, and scholarships are available for BIPOC artists. Discounts are also available for training alumni as well as members of acting unions and the Shakespeare Theatre Association. For more information or to apply, visit shakespeare.org or call (413) 637-1199, ext. 114. WAM Theatre Invites Artists and Community Members to Free “Devised Theater” Workshops   Introduction to Devised Theatre with Priscilla Kane Hellweg Saturday September 23rd, 1:30-4pm In-person at the WAM Hub in downtown Lenox Priscilla will guide the group through devised theatre exercises to share ideas and together imagine a better tomorrow.  We will draw upon our collective ideas, hopes, experiences, and practices to create a distilled performance of theater, dance, and rhythm as a final sharing, just for us! “Telling stories is the way we all connect with each other; you can fall in love with a fellow human in an instant,” said Teaching Artist Priscilla Miller. “I think teaching is like that; people in a room together get a chance to feel our collective humanity. We're all here to tell some story that's burning a hole in our pocket, and at some point or another, we're all scared or stuck, but we persist. I respect the desire in all of us to create. I'm thrilled to partner with WAM. The work and the mission of this company are aligned with social justice and storytelling.”  Devising Theatre Online with Nicole Orabona Saturday, September 30, 2023, 2-4pm On-line over zoom Curious about expanding your artistic practice and connecting digitally with a greater sphere of collaborators? Using improvisation and collaboration, participants in this workshop will explore the process of creating art and connecting using digital platforms. While this workshop will be taught through the lens of theater, creative artists of other disciplines––as well as anyone ready to discover their creativity––are welcome and encouraged to participate.  “As a theatre maker and activist, I am such a huge fan of WAMs mission and absolutely chuffed to present this workshop!” says Teaching Artist Nicole Orabona. “My theatre practice thrives in a collaborative environment. During the early isolating days of the pandemic, I was lucky enough to find ways to make art virtually that could fill me with the same satisfaction of rolling around on the floor in a studio. I'm excited to share these practices with the WAMily!” Community Story Circle with Maizy Scarpa Saturday October 7, 2023, 2-4pm In-person at the WAM Hub in downtown Lenox This third workshop (not currently open for public enrollment) invites participants to give voice to challenges, dreams, fears and desires present in their communities today. Through a story exchange facilitated by WAM Director of Community Engagement Maizy Scarpa, Community Story Circle aims to create a space where we imagine—and begin to build—a future where WAM more fully meets the needs and aspirations of our neighbors, in an ever-changing world. What do you need to feel welcomed? And what do you hope to find once you’re here?  “As long as humans have had fire to gather around, we’ve met in circles to unpack our fears and dreams through storytelling. This is a powerful act; in the process we combat isolation, understand ourselves and our neighbors better, and build community. Sharing stories, real or imagined, is also a crucial step towards creating intentional and positive change.” Free to all participants. Donations to WAM Theatre’s Community Engagement programs welcome. Visit  www.wamtheatre.com/workshops/ asap to reserve your spot or to learn more Submit your workshop, class, audition, performance, or any other theatre opportunity here! Pioneer Valley Theatre Companies Academy of Music Theatre Amherst Community Theater Arena Civic Theatre A.C.T. Youth Theatre Black Cat Theater Chester Theatre Company CitySpace Cold Spring Community Theatre Completely Ridiculous Productions Drama Studio Double Edge Theatre Easthampton Theater Company Eggtooth Productions Exit 7 Players Ghost Light Theater Greenfield Community College's Theater Department Hampshire Shakespeare Company Happier Valley Comedy Hawks and Reed Performing Arts Center Ja'Duke Center for the Performing Arts K and E Theater Group Ko Theater Works/Ko Festival of Performance Majestic Theater Mount Holyoke College Rooke Theatre No Theater Northampton Community Arts Trust Northampton Playwrights Lab PaintBox Theatre Panopera Pauline Productions Performance Project Phantom Sheep Players Play Incubation Collective Real Live Theatre Red Thread Theater Royal Frog Ballet Serious Play Theatre Ensemble Shakespeare Stage Shea Theater Arts Center Silverthorne Theater Smith College Department of Theatre St. Michael's Players Starlight's Youth Theatre, Inc. Strident Theatre Theater Between Addresses TheatreTruck Turbulent Times Theater UMass Department of Theater UMass Theatre Guild Unity House Players Valley Light Opera Ware Community Theatre Westfield Theatre Group Wilbraham United Players World and Eye Want to know even more about events in the Pioneer Valley and beyond, including reviews, interviews, and previews? Pioneer Valley Theatre Google Calendar In the Spotlight, Inc. Berkshire on Stage Stagestruck ArtsBeat TV/Radio and News Column Local Theater Critic Max Hartshorne Copyright © *|CURRENT_YEAR|* *|LIST:COMPANY|*, All rights reserved. *|IFNOT:ARCHIVE_PAGE|* *|LIST:DESCRIPTION|* Our mailing address is: *|HTML:LIST_ADDRESS_HTML|* *|END:IF|* unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences  *|IF:REWARDS|* *|HTML:REWARDS|* *|END:IF|*