There are quite a few job listings in this newsletter! Take a look if you are looking for some theatrical opportunities. And post yours by emailing me if you have a listing to share!
The next issue will include events from October 12 - November 1. 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
A teacher of mine once said that a show looks best when it’s in the dumpster out back.
We’ve all seen it. The curtain closes on a fabulous production, and suddenly an army of stagehands wielding crescent wrenches and power drills emerges from the wings. What was once a world of magical storytelling is quickly reduced to shrapnel and splinters, burnt-out lamps and half-melted gel, and shreds of fabric and thread. The stage becomes empty as the evidence is dumped out in a process that is repeated at performance venues around the world.
Have you read an interesting article about theatre recently? Send it to me! pioneervalleytheatre@gmail.com
PERFORMANCES
Play Incubation Collective
What's missing from our upcoming public reading of Old Stupid Village by Elizabeth Irwin? You! Be a part of the development of this brand new play by joining us for the final Mini Residency reading of the year and sticking around for a dialogue with the playwright. We are thrilled to be in collaboration with UMass Amherst Department of Theater for this project, and we hope you will join us on their campus for this thought-provoking and supremely funny piece.
Thursday, October 5th
6:30pm
Bromery Center for the Arts
Umass Department of Theater
Room 413
FREE FOR STUDENTS, $10 for General Admission
MAJESTIC THEATER PRESENTS “BRIGHT STAR” OCTOBER 5-15
Season-Opener Features Music by Steve Martin and Edie Brickell
West Springfield’s Majestic Theater will launch its 26th season this Thursday, September 7 with the opening night of Bright Star, a musical featuring a bluegrass score by Steve Martin and Edie Brickell. The play will run through October 15.
Directed by the Majestic’s Associate Producing Director Sue Dziura, Bright Star is set in the Blue Ridge Mountains and is a tale of love, loss and redemption set in the 1920s and 1940s American South. Literary editor Alice Murphy meets a young soldier just home from World War II, and he awakens her longing for the child she once lost. Haunted by their connection, Alice sets out on a journey to understand her past. What she finds has the power to transform both of their lives.
The cast includes Chelsie Nectow, Michael Graham Morales, Emery Henderson, Michael Devito, Megan Mistretta, Parker Fisher, Christine Voytko, Gene Choquette, Ramsey Kurdi, Rob Clark and Max Weinberg. Production stage manager is Stephen Petit, Aurora Ferraro is associate producing manager, and Josiah Durham is technical director.
Subscriptions to the five-play 2023-2024 season will be accepted through October 15, but single tickets are now being sold to all five plays over the phone or in person at the box office. Prices for single tickets for the plays range from $31 - $37. Box office hours are Monday - Friday 10am - 5pm, and Saturday 10am-1pm.
The wearing of face masks in the theater is optional, but any patron feeling symptoms that may be related to COVID are requested not to attend their scheduled performance. They may contact the box office at the Majestic Theater at (413) 747-7797 to reschedule their performance date or a full ticket refund will be provided.
Doors to the theater will open one hour before the start of a show, which is also when the café opens. For more information, visit www.majestictheater.com
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, 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.
New Play Reading Series Hidden in Plain Sight by Yewon Park ’25
Thursday, October 12 at 7:30 p.m.
Acting Studio 1, Mendenhall CPA, Smith College
Free
In “Hidden in Plain Sight” Sopia Lee, a 32-year-old Korean immigrant mother in the United States, faces the sudden loss of her husband June. She is unable to come to terms with his death, and he continues to remain an active existence in her life. However, the reality of June’s passing becomes gradually unavoidable. The hardships of being a low-income Korean American single mother continue to grow, and as a result, June’s continuous absence is more and more apparent. A breaking point is reached as the consequences of Sopia’s denial begin to affect her number-one priority: her 6-year-old daughter Eunice. As Sopia is forced to confront the truth she has buried away, she navigates through the process of grief and loss with the support of her daughter, older sister, and mother. This is a story of motherhood, immigration, community, family, and the Korean identity.
JaDuke Theater
God of Carnage
10/13 at 7pm, 10/15 at 2pm, 10/20 and 10/21 at 7pm, 10/22 at 2pm
JaDuke Theater, Industrial Blvd, Turners Falls MA
God of Carnage was a Tony Award winner for best play in 2009. Two eleven-year-olds get into a skirmish on the playground. One hits the other with a stick and knocks out two teeth. Our play begins as the parents of the boys meet for the first time to discuss the incident and come up with some sort of resolution. What could possibly go wrong? Except everything.
(No hamsters were harmed in the production of this play. We think.)
CLOUDGAZE + Eggtooth Productions Present:
A HAPPENING III -
m e t a m o r p h o s e s
Friday, October 20, 2023 7pm-10pm (ongoing entry)
$20 advance, $25 day of TIX
A Happening III : An Immersive Festival
m e t a m o r p h o s e s
Everything must bend to change, even the gods.
Help us make it happen: https://gofund.me/4a33c54a
After two successful years, Cloudgaze and Eggtooth Productions return to present "A Happening III: Metamorphoses," a two-day multi-arts festival immersing participants in an intimate theatrical world of myth, magic and mystery inspired by Ovid's epic poem.
A true interdisciplinary feat, this festival brings over 30 local performance artists, actors, musicians, and dancers together to stage original work. Featured Valley performers include: Lori Holmes Clark, Jack Golden, Lindel Hart, Marina Goldman, Sam V. Perry, Joshua Ruder, K Adler, Rebecca Schrader, Ashley Kramer, and Tim Kukharchuk.
Set within large-scale installations constructed throughout the Shea Theater Arts Center, monsters, heroes, nymphs, dryads, satyrs, mortals, deities, and other fantastical beings wander through the dark maze of the building, passing through stone gardens, enchanted forests, sensual, twisted underworlds, banquets, piles of bones, seas of fabric, light, sound, and more. Traditional lines of performance blur as players and audience members weave in and out of multiple timelines and narratives. Open exploration is encouraged, but not required. You may decide to sit and watch the action unfold around you. We invite you to choose your own adventure.
"A Happening" celebrates community, creativity, and our power to transform, as well as the unique ability of theater to hold a mirror to violence, grief, and suffering, because, as the stories remind us, change is not always a choice.
Please note, this production is intended to hold a variety of responses to Metamorphoses, and is not an adaptation or a play. Not everything is meant to be seen.
*Please note that the audience may be asked to climb stairs and traverse dimly lit spaces. Audience may also experience art and encounters from the main level of the theater.
*Certain interactions involving witness of mature content will require additional consent
This festival was made possible by support from the Massachusetts Cultural Council.
JaDuke Theater
Skeleton Crew Theater
October 19-21st with shows at 5, 6, 7, and 8pm
JaDuke Theater, 110 Industrial Boulevard, Turners Falls, MA 01376
Skeleton Crew Theater will be having an outdoor adventure show in the woods of JaDuke in Turners Falls MA!
Join the trolls of Greenwood as they try and gather all the needed ingredients for the annual brew!
email to reserve spots: jaduketheater@gmail.com
Must email to reserve spots, pay for ticket at door. It is highly recommended to wear hiking boots for this wooded walk.
Mother Tongue is an original multilingual physical theater performance created by the Performance Project’s First Generation Ensemble. The piece is inspired by the experiences of First Generation ensemble members, their families and communities who are from Congo/Tanzania, Bhutan/Nepal, South Sudan/Darfur, Holyoke, and Springfield, Massachusetts.
The 90 minute performance weaves together movement, music, dance, and stories in Arabic, Swahili, Nepali, and English. The piece incorporates themes of language, culture, identity, diaspora, hypermasculinity, xenophobia, transphobia, racism, the school to prison pipeline and revolution.
Appropriate for ages 12 and up
AUDITIONS & OPPORTUNITIES
The FAC is Hiring:
Business Manager
Contract and Purchasing Manager
Bookkeeper
Website Manager
Director of Education and Engagement
Visual Arts Director
Associate Director of the Augusta Savage Gallery
Production Manager Assistant
See the full listings at:
https://careers.umass.edu/en-us/listing/
Holyoke Community College seeks a Videographer and a Costume Designer for its fall production of A Bright New Boise
Costume Designer will be responsible for procuring all costume pieces and conducting fittings prior to the start of tech. Designer will be responsible for cleaning sorting and returning any rental items at the conclusion of the run. Performance dates November 16-19. Flat fee $800 Email Resume / portfolio to mwhiton@hcc.edu
Videographer: will be responsible for filming original content, as well as procuring stock footage, and programing video cues in Qlab during tech process. Flat fee $1200. Email resume / portfolio to mwhiton@hcc.edu
The Performance Project, based in Springfield MA, is seeking a Lighting Designer/Board OP, Sound Op and Stage Manager for a local and regional tour of First Generation Ensemble’s Mother Tongue, a 90 minute multilingual physical theater piece. We’ve received a grant from the NEA specifically to tour Mother Tongue, and although we have experience performing in our area (Hampden, Hampshire and Franklin Massachusetts counties), this will be our first time touring to other areas in MA and nearby states.
We currently have two professionals (lights/sound) who know the show and have been running lights and sound, however they will not be available for all performance dates, so we are looking for people to learn the show and take some of the performances. We do not have a stage manager and are looking to full that position.
Mother Tongue is a devised multilingual physical theater piece created by the Performance Project’s First Generation Ensemble. The piece is inspired by the experiences of First Generation ensemble members, their families and communities who are from Congo/Tanzania, Bhutan/Nepal, South Sudan/Darfur, Holyoke, and Springfield, Massachusetts. The 90 minute performance weaves together movement, music, dance, and stories in Arabic, Swahili, Nepali, and English. The piece incorporates themes of language, culture, identity, diaspora, hypermasculinity, xenophobia, transphobia, racism, the school to prison pipeline and revolution.
The Majestic Theater
Searching for a Tech. Director
The Theater Project, inc., dba Majestic Theater, located in West Springfield, Massachusetts is seeking an immediate hire for a Theater Carpenter / Technical Director.
The Majestic is a year-round 229 seat professional theater operating under and SPT6 contract with Actors Equity Association. We produce a five play subscription season September to June, in July and August a three production Children’s Theater, and musical concerts over the Summer. More at: majestictheater.com
This is a full time position which requires a number of years of hands-on experience in live theater and a skill set that includes carpentry, welding, and rigging. The Technical Director should also be versed in both stage lighting and sound design.
They are responsible for maintaining the scene shop in good working order with a focus always on safety. Additionally, from time to time, there may be repair and/or maintenance projects at the theater itself for which the TD is responsible.
Interested candidates should send an email to Business Manager, Regina Diemand with cover letter and current professional resume.
Real Live Theatre seeks a grant writer and/or co-producer for our Summer 2024 premier of When The Mind’s Free, an original dance-theatre piece which lifts language, ideas, and story from Shakespeare’s King Lear and places them in a contemporary context, that of a lesbian family dealing with the early onset Alzheimer’s of their matriarch and the opioid addiction of their youngest daughter.
We are looking for someone with grant-writing/producing experience who has a particular interest in supporting projects relating to one or more of the following: theatre, dance, LGBTQ issues, community engagement, Alzheimer’s education, and opioid addiction education.
The ideal candidate:
-is connected to a variety of funding sources
-is willing to think both in and out of the box about creative funding and presenting opportunities
-has excellent communication skills
-enjoys being part of a team, while also working independently
-will find personal fulfillment in being actively involved in bringing this project to life
The language in the piece is mainly contemporary and has emerged out of improvisations outlined and shaped by the director and performed by the ensemble, as well as in consultation with memory care organizations, caretakers, families, and individuals dealing with memory loss. In When The Mind’s Free, the epic arc of King Lear is condensed into one day in the life of this family. Scenes of caregiving, some of which blossom into imaginative play, others of which devolve into frustration and tears, are interspersed with dances which take the audience outside of that repetitive reality, into the inner thoughts and emotions of the characters.
We are guided in our work not only by our study of the text of King Lear, but also by these big questions: What does it mean to have accurate memories, and why do we need them? Separated from our memories, who are we? Can we maintain intimate relationships without shared memories? How can the Buddhist principle of non-attachment help us in caring for those with memory loss and those who struggle with addiction? And finally, how do we bring levity and light into our darkest hours?
A core component of this project is direct community engagement; each performance of the piece will be accompanied by a facilitated space for discussion. We hope to give audience members time to reflect on their experiences of caregiving and being cared for, to share stories and resonances, and to connect with local resources and with one another. From our own experiences, we know how lonely caregiving can be, and we hope to provide space to foster community connectedness.
Part-time; contract terms negotiable. Salary $30-$50 per hour commensurate with experience. Please send a letter of interest and resume to reallivetheatre@gmail.com.
WORKSHOPS & CLASSES
WAM Theatre Invites Artists and Community Members to Free “Devised Theater” Workshops
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
K and E Theater Group’s Dance Studio Continues this Fall!
Join Eddie Zitka, Artistic Director of K and E Theater Group, two times a week learning musical dance choreography and feel more confident in your movement at your next audition! Studio lasts through November 16 – every session is different!
Classes available for beginners and intermediate/advanced dancers!
In the BEGINNER session
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
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 dancers on Thursdays from 7-8 PM in Southampton, MA at the First Congregational Church of Southampton, 212 College Highway.
We’ve introduced new prices this fall with the new Dance Studio Punchcard – session pricing varies on the amount of times you come!
New pricing is below:
INDIVIDUAL DROP-IN SESSION - $15
FIVE-SESSION CARD - $60
EIGHT-SESSION CARD - $80
Cash or check payment accepted at the door!
Check out www.KETG.org/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’s Center for Actor Training has announced a new workshop, The Art of the Audition, to be held Saturday, Oct. 7 and Sunday, Oct. 8, led by the Company’s Artistic Director Allyn Burrows.
Designed to better prepare actors for Shakespeare auditions, this two-day workshop will be held at Shakespeare & Company campus in Lenox, Mass., from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Burrows will work with participants to craft their next Shakespeare audition, offer practical feedback, and add valuable insight into the business of acting.
Burrows said the workshop will be an opportunity for actors to “tune-up” audition pieces and to examine them with fresh eyes in a changing environment.
“Working on these pieces can be a lot of fun, and enlightening," he said. “Your audition pieces are not only your calling card in an ever-shifting industry, but also a chance to take a moment to share insight into material that you can call your own.”
The workshop is appropriate for actors looking to improve or revisit audition pieces as well as those new to the audition process. Tuition is $385, and single-occupancy dorm rooms are available for an additional $50 per night. Scholarships available for People of the Global Majority/BIPOC artists; alumni and union discounts are also available.
Sulis Studio
Invisibility and Presence
November 4 at 9:00 AM
Sulis Studio, 221 Pine St., Florence, MA
Clown drops us into the here & now, where doors of imagination open & all is possible, guiding us to meet ourselves, each other & the world in fresh, often unexpected ways. The results can be affirming & liberating! The only requirement for workshops is a pinch of willingness to show up, let go, & open to the music of our attention. We do this together, through dynamic improvisation & reflection. Whether you are new to Clown, or already a seasoned performer, this work is sure to enliven your path. Improvisation, presence & listening are at the heart of our approach. Silence, stillness, & the spaces between us light our way. This is an invitation to playfully explore the poetry of being human. All are welcome!
Sarah’s approach to teaching is inspired by her adventures as a psychotherapist, language teacher, actor, musician, & more. In 2008, Sarah encountered Clown, to her surprise & delight. Enlivened by the world of Clown, she has dedicated herself to personal & shared experiences of spontaneous play through the recovery of lost stories, invisible worlds, real dreams, the body’s imagination & other creative origins that empower us. She has discovered that Clown connects us to the poetry of being human. She weaves traditions in the expressive & healing arts, the gifts of present-moment experience & a legacy of Clown that is refreshed when it is shared. In 2021, Sarah founded a center for the playful arts in Columbia County, NY, where she facilitates Clown workshops & community events & gives private sessions to support individuals on their pathways to wholeness. Sarah lives in Ghent, NY.
The Center for Actor Training at Shakespeare & Company will hold its 43rd session of its Month-long Intensive for mid-career actors at its Lenox campus from January 3 through 29.
For six days a week, morning to night, participants immerse themselves in voice, movement, text analysis, exploration of the actor/audience relationship, sonnet work, scene work, clown, stage fight, and in-depth discussions about the function of theater and the role of the actor in today’s world.
Director of the Center for Actor Training Sheila Bandyopadhyay said the Intensive offers training in classical text that can easily be applied to all forms of acting.
“The Month-long is a unique opportunity for actors to concentrate on their craft in a supportive and courageous community of artists,” she said. “Alumni of the Month-long routinely find that our training is transformative for their work and is applicable to contemporary as well as classical acting.”
Complete applications are accepted on a rolling basis until the Intensive is filled, however an early payment discount of $500 is offered until Saturday, Sept. 30.
A limited number of scholarships are available for People of the Global Majority/BIPOC artists through the Dennis Krausnick Fellowship Fund; scholarship applications are due Sunday, Oct. 1.
Tuition costs include double-occupancy housing and all meals. Housing is located on the Shakespeare & Company campus; a limited number of single rooms may be available for an additional fee of $750. The campus is fully, COVID-19 vaccinated, including full-time employees, seasonal staff, artists, volunteers, and program participants. To ensure the health of the Shakespeare & Company community, all Center for Actor Training participants must be vaccinated against COVID-19 including the latest booster shot. Masks may be required for certain classes and events. As conditions of the global pandemic are ever-evolving, these guidelines are subject to change and will be updated accordingly.
For more information, including regarding the topics covered during the Intensive, contact training@shakespeare.org.
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