BASIC Berkshires

We Hold These Truths
2026-07-04 10:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York) | 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.

Shakespeare & Company Presents: Twelfth Night
2026-07-04 19:00 - 2026-07-26 21:00 | Arthur S. Waldstein Amphitheatre, 70 Kemble St. Lenox, MA 01240, Lenox, MA, 01240, United States
Shakespeare & Company Presents: Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare, Directed by Kate Kohler Amory

July 4-July 26 at 7 pm at the Arthur S. Waldstein Amphitheatre

Shipwrecks, disguises, and mistaken identities spark the joyful chaos of Twelfth Night, Shakespeare’s most playful romantic comedy. Love runs amok, wit flies, and nothing is quite what it seems in this sun-soaked tale of music and mischief. Performed outdoors July 4–26 at one of Newsweek’s Top 10 Outdoor Theater Venues in the U.S., this summer production invites audiences to relax, laugh, and revel in Shakespeare under the open sky.
Tickets are $40-$99 and on sale now at shakespeare.org, or by calling the Box Office at (413) 637-3353

100 Years of Movies: “The French Connection” (1971)
2026-07-05 19:00 - 21:00 | Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center, 14 Castle Street, Great Barrington, MA, 01230
“The French Connection” is a neo-noir thriller, known for its strong performances, gritty realism, and exhilarating chase sequences. NYPD detectives Jimmy “Popeye” Doyle (Gene Hackman) and Buddy “Cloudy” Russo (Roy Scheider) are in pursuit of international drug smuggler, Alain Charnier (Fernando Rey) in this Oscar winning Best Picture of 1971. Director William Friedkin, screenwriter Ernest Tidyman and star Gene Hackman also took home Oscars. (Rated R, 1h 44min.)
100 Years of Movies is back! This popular film series celebrates over a century of movies at the Mahaiwe and once again features introductions by director Deborah Reinisch.

Indigo Comedy Night with Cathy Ladman
2026-07-11 18:00 - 22:00 | Indigo Room, 20 Castle Street, Great Barrington, 01230
Performances will take place at 6pm and 8:30pm.
Cathy Ladman’s relatable stand-up presents herself as the self-probing, anxiety-venting person that she is. She has appeared on “The Tonight Show” ten times and had her own “Dry Bar” special in 2024. She’s been on “The Late Late Show” five times, has had her own HBO “One Night Stand” comedy special, and was awarded the American Comedy Award for Best Female Stand Up Comic. Her TV and film credits include: recurring roles on, “I’m Dying Up Here” and “Pretty Little Liars,” “Modern Family,” “Scandal,” “How to Get Away With Murder,” “NCIS: LA, Mad Men,” “Brothers and Sisters,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” “Caroline in the City”(recurring), “Everybody Loves Raymond,” “Politically Incorrect,” “Dr. Katz: Professional Therapist,” “Charlie Wilson’s War,” “The Aristocrats,” “White Oleander,” “What Planet Are You From?,” “My Fellow Americans,” and “Don’t Tell Mom The Babysitter’s Dead.” Her solo show, “Does This Show Make Me Look Fat?” opened this past year.

Tab Benoit
2026-07-12 20:00 - 21:30 | Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center, 14 Castle Street, Great Barrington, MA, 01230
Join us for an exhilarating evening as the legendary multi-Grammy nominee and wetlands activist Tab Benoit brings his high-energy Soul of the Swamp Tour 2026 to stages across America. Known for his passionate performances and deep-rooted connection to the swamp, Tab Benoit is a true master of his craft, boasting over 20 releases that showcase his unique artistry.
With iconic radio hits like “Nice and Warm” and “Cross the Line” from his 90s recordings, critics have often described Benoit’s voice as “Otis Redding-ish,” while his guitar playing is celebrated for its originality and distinctive style. In 2024, he made a triumphant return with his first recording in 13 years, “I Hear Thunder,” signaling that his best work is yet to come.
On the Soul of the Swamp Tour, Tab will take you on a musical journey, performing songs from his vast catalog and digging deep into the rich tones and storytelling lyrics that have made him an admired figure in the music world. True to his authentic style, Tab performs without effects—just a guitar, a cord, and an amp—allowing the magic of his music to shine through his hands , fingers, and his band.

Shakespeare & Company and Spirit of the Circus Presents: Circus & The Bard: The Next Chapter.
2026-07-16 11:30 - 2026-07-26 17:00 | Tina Packer Playhouse, 70 Kemble St., Lenox, 01240
Circus & the Bard: The Next Chapter bounces back July 16–26 at 11:30 am and 2:30 pm at the Tina Packer Playhouse!

Co-created by Allyn Burrows, Robin Eldridge, and Pedro Reis, Co-directed by Allyn Burrows and Pedro Reis

Shakespeare & Company and Spirit of the Circus reunite for a playful mash-up of jaw-dropping circus acts paired with Shakespeare’s beloved characters. When high-flying feats meet the Bard’s words, sparks fly, laughs abound, and something truly magical happens.

Tickets are $35 for adults, $22 for ages 13-22, and $15 for ages 3-12. Tickets are on sale now at shakespeare.org, or by calling the Box Office at (413) 637-3353

Join us on Wednesday, July 22, and Thursday, July 23, for relaxed, sensory-friendly performances.
What is a Sensory-Friendly Performance?
Sensory-friendly performances are adapted to be less overwhelming and to welcome individuals with a range of sensory needs, including people who are neurodivergent; those with cognitive, social, or physical challenges; first-time theatergoers, and others. These performances offer pre-show materials such as story synopses and “what to expect” guides, along with reduced-intensity lighting and sound, dimmed house lights, and clear theater maps. Performances are relaxed; audience members are free to come and go, and total quiet is not expected. These shows are open to all patrons.

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?

John Waite
2026-07-16 20:00 - 21:30 | Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center, 14 Castle Street, Great Barrington, MA, 01230
John will be performing his catalogue of hits from his 40-year career as both a solo artist and a member of iconic rock bands The Babys and Bad English.
John Waite’s catalogue of hits features some of the most loved songs of the ‘80s and ‘90s – the number one worldwide hit “Missing You,” The Babys’ “Isn’t It Time” and Bad English’s “When I See You Smile” rank amongst some of his biggest international hits and are still heard on radio today. Others include “Tears,” “Change” and “These Times Are Hard for Lovers.” “Every Step of the Way” and “If Anybody Had a Heart” appeared on the soundtrack to the 1986 Demi Moore film “About Last Night.” “Deal for Life,” penned by Martin Page and Bernie Taupin, was featured in the “Days of Thunder” soundtrack.
As a solo artist and as the lead singer of The Babys and Bad English, John Waite was a fixture of album-oriented rock radio stations during the ’70s and ’80s. John Waite has a talent for power ballads and driving arena rock, occasionally touching on new wave-styled power pop as well.

100 Years of Movies: “The Godfather” (1972)
2026-07-17 19:00 - 21:00 | Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center, 14 Castle Street, Great Barrington, MA, 01230
Widely considered one of the greatest films ever made, Francis Ford Coppola’s “The Godfather” charts the rise of a crime family in post-World War II America. Marlon Brando leads an all-star cast, including Al Pacino, Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton, and James Caan. (Rated R, 2h 55min.)
100 Years of Movies is back! This popular film series celebrates over a century of movies at the Mahaiwe and once again features introductions by director Deborah Reinisch.

Years of Movies: “All the President’s Men” (1972)
2026-07-23 19:00 - 21:00 | Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center, 14 Castle Street, Great Barrington, MA, 01230
“All the President’s Men” (1976) is a political thriller about the Watergate scandal. Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman play the Washington Post journalists Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, who broke the story. The film is directed by Alan J. Pakula with an Oscar-winning screenplay by William Goldman. (PG, 2h 18min.)
100 Years of Movies is back! This popular film series celebrates over a century of movies at the Mahaiwe and once again features introductions by director Deborah Reinisch.

Branford Marsalis Quartet
2026-07-24 20:00 - 21:30 | Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center, 14 Castle Street, Great Barrington, MA, 01230
Saxophonist Branford Marsalis is one of the most influential and revered figures in contemporary music. The NEA Jazz Master, Grammy Award winner, and Tony and Emmy Award nominee is equally at home performing concertos with symphony orchestras and sitting in with members of the Grateful Dead, but the core of his musical universe remains the Branford Marsalis Quartet. After more than three decades of existence with minimal personnel changes, this celebrated ensemble is revered for its uncompromising interpretation of a kaleidoscopic range of both original compositions and jazz and popular classics. After receiving Grammy nominations on its last two albums, “Upward Spiral” and “The Secret Between the Shadow and the Soul,” the Quartet made its Blue Note Records debut with the release of “Belonging,” a full album interpretation of Keith Jarrett’s 1974 ECM album of the same name. “The New York Times” commented “Marsalis has tackled imposing jazz masterworks before…but at its best, his ‘Belonging’ goes deeper…it’s a performance that both honors and amplifies.” John Zeugner captured the impact of the Quartet in a review of a live performance, calling it “casually confident, professional, cerebral, and supercharged with energy. The Branford Marsalis Quartet…was all of those adjectives and more.”

Half an Evening with David Rasche
2026-07-25 19:30 - 21:00 | Indigo Room, 20 Castle Street, Great Barrington, 01230
David Rasche, star of HBO’s “Succession” and ABC’s “Sledge Hammer!” and local resident, is pleased to bring his performance “Half an Evening with David Rasche” to the Indigo Room in a delightful evening of painful memories and personal insults that are tied together with a collection of original songs that he originally wrote himself and were written by him originally. Some of these songs have never before been sung in public, perhaps for good reason. Some are love songs, some comedic, some are bittersweet, some just bitter. He is not above a cheap joke, and nothing is beneath him. Songs will include the bossa nova favorite “Sand Up in My Crack,” the enchanting jazz waltz, “I Wish I Was Married to Your Wife,” the historic actor/prison/chain gang song, “Never Going to Work Again,” and not many more. The songs are musical, and short enough to accommodate the most limited attention span. Someone else will be playing the piano, so don’t worry. This show will be just long enough that exactly when you are thinking, “It’s time to go,” the last song will be finishing and your coat will be waiting for you at the door. “Thank God, David Rasche is finally doing a show,“ someone might have said, maybe. It’s a performance you will be happy to have seen.
David Rasche began his career at Chicago’s famed Second City, where he worked with John Candy, Bill Murray and others. His many TV appearances include “Columbo” and “VEEP,” and, most recently, “Dying for Sex,” with Michelle Williams. He has also appeared in movies, such as “In the Loop,” directed by Armando Iannucci, who also did “VEEP,” and “About My Father” with Robert DeNiro. He has appeared both on Broadway and off.

Shakespeare & Company Presents: Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune
2026-07-30 14:00 - 2026-08-23 21:00 | Shakespeare & Company, 70 Kemble Street, Lenox, MA, 01240
Shakespeare & Company Presents: Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune

By Terrence McNally, Directed by Nicole Ricciardi

July 30-August 23 at 2 pm and 7 pm at the Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre

Set over the course of a single late night in a small Hell’s Kitchen apartment, Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune is a tender, funny, and deeply human play about two people standing at the edge of connection. Frankie, a guarded waitress, and Johnny, an earnest short-order cook, work together at a Manhattan diner. After their first date, they find themselves in bed—and talking through the night.
What unfolds is an intimate conversation filled with humor, vulnerability, and longing. Johnny, a hopeful romantic, believes he may have found something rare and real. Frankie, shaped by past disappointments, keeps her defenses firmly in place. As they circle each other—sometimes clashing, sometimes connecting—the play reveals the quiet courage it takes to risk love after life has left its marks.
Accompanied by the soft glow of Debussy’s “Clair de lune,” playing on the radio at Johnny’s request, McNally’s play blends gritty realism with gentle romance. Both funny and achingly honest, Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune explores loneliness, resilience, and the possibility that even late in the night—and later in life—love may still be waiting.
Tickets are $40-$99 and are on sale now at shakespeare.org, or by calling the Box Office at (413) 637-3353
Content Advisory: Frankie & Johnny takes an honest, often funny look at two adults on the late-night hours of a first date. Please be advised that the production includes moments of sexual intimacy and brief nudity.

100 Years of Movies: “The Right Stuff” (1983)
2026-07-30 19:00 - 21:00 | Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center, 14 Castle Street, Great Barrington, MA, 01230
“The Right Stuff” is an epic America story about sending the first Americans into space. Sam Shepard stars as test pilot Chuck Yeager who broke the sound barrier, only to find himself yesterday’s news with the ascent of the camera-ready Mercury 7 astronauts. Additional cast includes Ed Harris as John Glenn and Scott Glenn as Alan Shepard. (Rated PG, 3h 13min.)
100 Years of Movies is back! This popular film series celebrates over a century of movies at the Mahaiwe and once again features introductions by director Deborah Reinisch.

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

An Evening with Heather Headley
2026-07-31 20:00 - 21:30 | Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center, 14 Castle Street, Great Barrington, MA, 01230
Tony and Grammy Award winner Heather Headley considers her multi-faceted career a blessing. She was born and spent most of her childhood on the beautiful Caribbean island of Trinidad. The family moved to the United States in the early ‘90s where Heather’s love for the arts continued.
In 1997 Heather won the role of Nala in the original Broadway cast of the Elton John and Tim Rice’s hit Tony winning musical “The Lion King.” While still in “The Lion King,” Heather was asked to audition for the title role in the writing duo’s next Broadway venture together, “Elton John and Tim Rice’s Aida.” Her portrayal of the Nubian princess, Aida, won her the praise of critics and the prestigious Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical. In addition to other awards, she also received the coveted Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical. That year she was listed as one of “People Magazine’s” 50 Most Beautiful People and “Essence Magazine’s” 30 Women To Watch. In 2012 Heather made a triumphant return to the stage, starring in “The Bodyguard” in London’s West End, where she gained the critics praise and a new fan base overseas.
Heather continued her musical success on the pop charts with her 2002 debut album on RCA Records, “This Is Who I Am” which featured productions by several top-flight producers. Two songs, “He Is” and the album track “I Wish I Wasn’t,” both emerged as Top 5 R&B and Dance chart hits. Heather earned numerous accolades for “This Is Who I Am,” including Grammy Award nominations for Best New Artist and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance. Heather returned in January 2006 with “In My Mind,” her long-awaited second solo album. The opening title tune single became Heather’s first number one hit, topping the Dance and R&B charts.
In 2009 Heather released “Audience of One” for which she won the Grammy Award for the Best Contemporary R&B Gospel Album. In 2012 she released “Only One In The World,” an album that featured songs that Heather wrote as well as some of her favorite covers. To the audience’s and critics’ delight, Heather made her return to Broadway in 2016 starring in the Tony Award-winning “The Color Purple,” in the role of Shug Avery. In 2018, Heather had a recurring role on “Chicago Med” playing the formidable Gwen Garrett. In 2021 Heather won the critics’ praise for her role of the Witch in the New York City Center’s production of “Into The Woods.” Heather can currently be seen as a series regular on the Netflix series “Sweet Magnolias.”

Shakespeare & Company Presents: Hamlet by William Shakespeare, Directed by Ariel Bock
2026-08-13 19:00 - 2026-08-30 22:00 | Shakespeare & Company, 70 Kemble Street, Lenox, MA, 01240
Shakespeare & Company Presents: Hamlet by William Shakespeare, Directed by Ariel Bock

August 13-30 at 2 pm and 7 pm at the Tina Packer Playhouse

Hamlet is Shakespeare’s most searching play—a gripping story of grief, conscience, and the cost of action. Haunted by his father’s ghost, a young prince must navigate a world of secrets, power, and betrayal, where nothing is as it appears. By turns thrilling, darkly funny, and deeply human, this August production brings Shakespeare’s language to life with clarity, physicality, and immediacy.

Tickets are $40-$99 and on sale now shakespeare.org, or by calling the Box Office at 413.637.3353
Free Youth Tickets are sponsored by the Harvey and Virginia Kimmel Family Fund of the Philadelphia Foundation. Learn more at shakespeare.org.

Shakespeare & Company Presents: Midsummer Dreamers, Created by Kirsten Peacock and Nick Nudler
2026-09-01 19:00 - 2026-09-03 21:00 | Shakespeare & Company, 70 Kemble Street, Lenox, MA, 01240
Shakespeare & Company Presents: Midsummer Dreamers, Created by Kirsten Peacock and Nick Nudler of Cosmic Mirth

September 1-3 at 7 pm at the Tina Packer Playhouse

Two lovers fall asleep angry—and wake inside a rare vision, challenging them to confront each other and themselves.
Blending the poetry of A Midsummer Night’s Dream with physical theater, aerial performance, and rambunctious comedy, Midsummer Dreamers reimagines Shakespeare’s classic as a surreal, seductive journey through a couple’s subconscious. Performed by just two actors, this 90-minute whirlwind explores love, resentment, reconciliation, and the mysterious forces that shape our inner worlds.
Tickets are $35 for Adults; $22 for Ages 13-22; $15 for Ages 3-12, and on sale now at shakespeare.org, or by calling the Box Office at 413.637.3353

Content Advisory: This production includes strobe lights, suggestive content, and brief staged violence.

Shakespeare & Company Presents: The Norwegians by C. Denby Swanson, Directed by James Warwick
2026-09-04 19:00 - 2026-10-04 21:00 | Shakespeare & Company, 70 Kemble Street, Lenox, MA, 01240
September 4-October 4th at 2 pm and 7 pm at the Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre

Set in a Minnesota bar where heartbreak is served alongside beer, The Norwegians is a sharp, surprising dark comedy about love gone wrong—and the lengths we go to set things right. Betty and Olive, two women reeling from romantic betrayal, hatch an unlikely plan: hiring a pair of Norwegian hitmen to deal with the men who wronged them.
Enter Tor and Gus, professional killers who turn out to be unfailingly polite, disarmingly gentle, and almost aggressively nice. As the women’s simmering rage collides with the hitmen’s courteous manners, the play finds humor in the contrast between Midwestern civility and the brutal business at hand.
With witty dialogue and a clever premise, The Norwegians explores the culture of America’s “flyover country,” where kindness runs deep—even in the most unexpected professions. At once dark, funny, and oddly tender, the play examines love, revenge, and cultural identity, reminding us that people are rarely what we expect and that even the politest among us may be capable of surprising extremes.
Tickets are $30-$88 and on sale now at shakespeare.org, or by calling the Box Office at 413.637.3353
