BASIC Berkshires

Tinker Tots
2026-02-17 10:00 - 11:00, 2026-02-24 10:00 - 11:00, 2026-03-03 10:00 - 11:00, 2026-03-10 10:00 - 11:00, 2026-03-17 10:00 - 11:00, 2026-03-24 10:00 - 11:00, 2026-03-31 10:00 - 11:00, 2026-04-07 10:00 - 11:00 (America/New_York) and 18 more dates | Berkshire Athenaeum, 1 Wendell Avenue, Pittsfield, MA, 012201
Come tinker and explore with the library and Pittsfield’s CFCE!
Each week children ages 0-2 (siblings welcome) and their caregivers engage in child-centered play, art, music, storytime, and sensory activities to encourage social, fine and gross motor, and pre-literacy skills.
¡Venga a jugar y explorar con la biblioteca y el CFCE de Pittsfield! Cada semana, los niños y sus cuidadores participan en juegos, arte, música, lectura de cuentos y actividades sensoriales centradas en los niños.
Children under the age of 10 must be accompanied by an adult 18+ at all times.
For more information call the Children’s Library: 413-499-9480, ext. 5.
Sponsored by the Friends of the Berkshire Athenaeum.
Attendance at library programs constitutes consent to be photographed; photos may be used in print or electronic publicity for the Berkshire Athenaeum.

Berkshire Opera Festival's Free Family Concert: Once Upon an Opera
2026-04-12 14:00 - 15:00 | Indigo Room, 20 Castle Street, Great Barrington, 01230
Back by popular demand! Berkshire Opera Festival’s Free Family Concert returns with a lively mix of opera favorites and instantly recognizable melodies. This fun, one-hour interactive performance invites kids and adults to experience live opera up close—perfect for a memorable family outing. This unforgettable afternoon of music is free and open to all ages, but you’ll want to reserve your seats today as seating is limited. Once Upon an Opera is recommended for children of all ages with accompanying caregivers.
Event Details:
Sunday, April 12 at 2:00 PM
Indigo Room, Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center
20 Castle Street, Great Barrington, MA
Duration: 1 hour (no intermission)
Free (reservations encouraged)
Register here:
https://www.berkshireoperafestival.org/onceuponanopera

We Hold These Truths
2026-07-04 10:00 - 16:00 | Norman Rockwell Museum, 9 Glendale Road Route 183, Stockbridge, MA, 01262, United States
Free with admission
Outdoor public reading & Outdoor Music is free for those not entering the Museum
In collaboration with W. E. B. Du Bois Freedom Center, Norman Rockwell Museum will celebrate American independence and democracy with a special day of programming. Listen to a public recitation of the Declaration of Independence read by Berkshire County community residents and civic leaders. Reading will be introduced by Roberta McCulloch-Dews, Vice Chair, Norman Rockwell Board of Trustees and Marcus P. Smith, Du Bois Freedom Center, History and Interpretive Fellow.
Enjoy live music by performers Wanda Houston and Robert Putnam and folk singer Doug Mishkin. Visitors can experience Norman Rockwell’s iconic paintings exploring themes of freedom and civil rights and reflect on what these ideals mean today, as well as make their own art to celebrate America’s birthday.
Spotlight Gallery Talks: 10:15 am, 11:00 am, 11:45 am, 12:15 pm (Spanish), 3 pm, and 3:30 pm.
Pop up Music by Doug Mishkin – Four Freedoms Gallery: 10:30 am to 12:15 pm
Community Reading of Declaration – 1 pm Terrace
Music by Wanda Houston and Robert Putnam immediately after Reading- Terrace
Drop-in July 4th Artmaking Activities – Terrace
Picnic lunches are available for purchase at the Museum’s Terrace Café and visitors are encouraged to bring picnic blankets and enjoy the grounds all day.

Ron Ramsay’s Berkshire Music Salon Series at NRM
2026-07-16 17:30 - 19:00 | Norman Rockwell Museum, 9 Glendale Road Route 183, Stockbridge, MA, 01262, United States
Planned in conjunction with Norman Rockwell’s Museum’s American Stories: Revolution to Rockwell, this three-part musical salon series will explore how artists and songwriters have shaped the American imagination over the last 250 years. Featuring acclaimed Berkshire performers Ron Ramsay and Samantha Talora, each thematic salon blends storytelling, history and a wide range of musical genres including patriotic songs, jazz standards, pop classics, and Broadway favorites.
Terrace seating (weather permitting)
July 16: Inventing America: From Revolution to Rockwell
August 20: American Mirror: Rockwell and the Moral Imagination
September 3: Visions of a Nation: Who Gets to be America?

Shakespeare & Company Presents - Shake It Up: The Remix
2026-07-31 19:00 - 2026-08-03 21:00 | Shakespeare & Company, 70 Kemble Street, Lenox, MA, 01240
A blend of modern music and Shakespearean verse. Co-created by Allyn Burrows and Jacob Ming-Trent, Directed by Allyn Burrows

July 29-August 2 at 3:30 pm, 6 pm, and 7 pm at the Tina Packer Playhouse

The hit that had audiences on their feet returns—revved up and remixed. The Tina Packer Playhouse transforms once more into the Elephant Lounge for Shake It Up: The Remix, an exuberant mash-up of modern music and Shakespearean verse. Audiences are invited to clap, sing, stomp, and dance in the aisles as the players unleash a breathless, rocking revue

Tickets are $25-$78 and are on sale now at shakespeare.org, or by calling the box office at (413) 637-3353
