“Public Speech 101,” a comedy by Mark St. Germain, has its world premiere at the Great Barrington Public Theater from July 14-24. Jim Frangione directs a play about a neurotic amateur actress who leads her local drama class with terrified adults to enter their county’s first annual public speaking competition. Detailed information: www.greatbarringtonpublictheater.org.
“Walk in the Forest”, a drama by Lee Blessing, which tells the story of two superweapon negotiators, one Russian and one American, who meet in private in a forest outside Geneva, in due course comes to life in Shakespeare & amp; Company, July 15 to September 4 at Rome’s Garden Theater in Lenox. Allyn Burrows and Jonathan Epstein will star in the movie. James Warwick is directing. Detailed information: www.shakespeare.org.
Sevenars Concerts continues its season with music by Schubert, Schumann, Dvorak, Franck and Villa-Lobos on July 17, with cellist Christopher James and pianist Luis Ortiz. The performance of “Arpeggione” will celebrate Schubert’s 225th anniversary. James and Ortiz performed together at Severnars in 2018. Pianist Jiayan Sun, whose Beethoven show charmed Sevenars audiences last season, returns on July 24 with an exclusively Schubert program. Detailed information: www.sevenars.org.
Much Ado About Nothing brings Shakespeare’s comedy to life at two local festivals this summer. Kelly Galvin’s staging takes place at Shakespeare & amp; The Company’s New Spruce Theater in Lenox through August 14. Tamara Hickey is Beatrice and L. James is Benedick. Detailed information: www.shakespearew.org. Capitol Classics staging the comedy July 14-31 at the Greater Hartford Shakespeare Festival in St. Joseph’s College in West Hartford, Connecticut. Detailed information: www.capitalclassics.org.
Qualia Dance Collective, a new dance group founded by Fiona Scruggs, made its debut this summer and has performances scheduled at Berkshire Busk in Great Barrington on July 15, Chesterwood Arts Fest in Stockbridge on August 25, and Middletown (Connecticut) Arts Celebration on September 2. The most important events of the season include the new work “Chiaroscuro”. Detailed information: www.qualiadancecollective.com.
OBJECTIVE. Kyle Abraham takes center stage at the Ted Shawn Theater Jacob’s Pillow in Becket, July 13-17. Abraham’s eagerly anticipated evening piece, “An Untitled Love,” for the catalog of the R&B legend D’Angelo, received rave reviews before its arrival in western Massachusetts. Detailed information: www.jacbospillow.org.
The Connecticut Critics Circle Awards honored TheaterWorks Hartford’s “Walden” production with five awards at a ceremony in late June. Walden, staged on the Connecticut River, won Best Art, Best Director, Best Set, Best Sound and Best Lighting. Rob Ruggiero, Artistic Director of TheaterWorks, was honored for the theater’s streaming programs. Playhouse on Park “Five Guys Named Moe” received an award for the best ensemble and choreography. More information: ctcritics.org/2022/06/28/connecticut-critics-give-walden-falsettoland-top-honors.
“Flushing (Make Room For Someone Else)”, a puppet show with songs made for adults, is the first presentation of the last season of Ko Festival at Hampshire College, Amherst. It was created by Eric Bass, co-founder of Sandglass Theater, and Linda Parris-Bailey, co-founder of Carpetbag Theater, and directed by Kathie deNobriga. The show is a story about two retired theater directors passing the torch to the next generation of leaders. Performances take place on July 22-24. Details: www.kofest.com.
Plays in Process, a new initiative from Shakespeare & amp; Company, places solo shows, readings, adaptations of radio plays, nods to Shakespeare’s text and much more in the spotlight. Upcoming presentations include “This Soil, These Seeds” (July 9-10), written and with Bonita Jackson, composed and played by Kristin Vining; “Tilly No-Nody: The Catastrophes of Love” (July 16-17), by Bella Merlin, in which he stars; Tamara Hickey in This Is It (July 23-24), written by Hickey and Kate Kohler Amory; and Samuel Beckett’s first radio play, All That Fall (July 30-31), with Annette Miller. Detailed information: www.shakespeare.org.
Mark G. Auerbach studied theater at the American University and Yale School of Drama. He has worked for art organizations across the country and reported the play for print and broadcast. Mark produces and hosts the shows “ArtsBeat”, “Athenaeum Spotlight” and “On the Mark” for the WCPC, Westfield Channel 15 and WSKB 89.5 FM. His “Arts Beat” column is published on Mondays in The Westfield News. He is a regular contributor to Pioneer Valley Radio and a member of the Berkshire Theater Critics Association.
Note to readers: If you buy something through one of our affiliate links, we may earn a commission.
