BASIC Berkshires

Know Your Rights Training
2025-05-15 12:00 - 13:00 (America/New_York) | Zoom (We will send link when you register)
This training will cover basic Know Your Rights information, including rights in interactions with immigration enforcement, including when immigration comes to your home, stops you while driving or in public, the new registration rule, family preparedness, where to get legal help, and information on notario fraud and immigration scams.

Madeleine Peyroux & Bettye LaVette
2025-05-16 20:00 - 22:00 | Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center, 14 Castle Street, Great Barrington, MA, 01230
Madeleine Peyroux is an American jazz singer and songwriter who began her career as a teenager on the streets of Paris. In every note, Peyroux digs deep, rendering this exquisite work with the disarming grace and gravitas of an artist in peak form.
Bettye LaVette was hailed by The New York Times as “one of the great soul interpreters of her generation.” She is a singer in the tradition of great vocalists who have come before her like Ray Charles, Frank Sinatra, and Dinah Washington, to name just a few.

Tinker Tots
2025-05-20 10:00 - 11:00, 2025-05-27 10:00 - 11:00, 2025-06-03 10:00 - 11:00, 2025-06-10 10:00 - 11:00, 2025-06-17 10:00 - 11:00, 2025-06-24 10:00 - 11:00, 2025-07-01 10:00 - 11:00, 2025-07-08 10:00 - 11:00 and 1 more date | 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.

Know Your Rights & Best Practices for K-12 Educators
2025-05-20 16:30 - 18:00 | Zoom (We will send link when you register)
This training is intended for those working in Massachusetts K-12 schools, including teachers, counselors, administrators. It will cover basic Know Your Rights information, rights in interactions with immigration enforcement, family preparedness, and where to get legal help. We will review guidance to K-12 schools issued by the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office and review best practices with regard to data sharing, responding to ICE presence or requests for information, and navigating conversations with immigrant students and their families. Finally, we will share information about eligibility for in-state tuition and state financial aid for immigrant students.

BASIC Community Engagement & Call to Action Event
2025-05-23 10:00 - 13:00 | Berkshire Innovation Center, 45 Woodlawn Avenue, Pittsfield, MA, 01201, United States
Link to register.
Link to event schedule.

This event’s purpose is to inform the public about what immigrants are currently experiencing under our current administration and to provide information on how the public can be proactive. The event will commence with a welcome address from Ilana Steinhauer (Executive Director, Volunteers in Medicine/BASIC Co-founder) and Melissa Canavan (Executive Director, Berkshire Immigrant Center) sharing the history of the founding of BASIC, its current activity, as well as updates on the state of the county.

Several BASIC affiliate organizations that have volunteer needs specifically in support of the immigrant community will be hosting tables at the event where the public can learn more and sign up. Tables with specific volunteer needs will be hosted by the Community Health Partners, Greylock Federal Credit Union, Literacy Network, Railroad Street Youth Project, and Volunteers in Medicine.

Attendees will be invited to attend action-oriented workshops on the following topics:

“Know Your Rights (for Spanish-speaking volunteers)” presented by the Berkshire Immigrant Center
“Becoming a Peer Coach: Supporting Local Businesses and Organizations with ICE Preparedness Plans,” presented by Ana Suffish of Berkshire Community College and Leigh Doherty of LitNet (co-chairs of BASIC’s Institutional Policy Committee)

“Bystanding Training,” presented by Becky Meier of Berkshire Community College and chair of BASIC’s Community Engagement Committee.

“Sabrina” (1954)
2025-05-23 19:00 - 21:00 | Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center, 14 Castle Street, Great Barrington, MA, 01230
Audrey Hepburn plays the titular role in the romantic comedy-drama “Sabrina,” by celebrated director Billy Wilder. Returning from studying abroad, Sabrina catches the attention of her longtime crush David (William Holden). David’s brother Linus (Humphrey Bogart) worries the romance will interfere with a pre-planned family business-related union. (PG, 1h 53min.)

Shakespeare & Company Free Community Day
2025-05-24 11:00 - 16:00 | Shakespeare & Company, 70 Kemble Street, Lenox, MA, 01240
Shakespeare & Company will hold its second-annual free Community Day on Saturday, May 24 from 11 am – 4 pm, Memorial Day Weekend! This event features live demonstrations and performances, scavenger hunts, film screenings, food trucks with lunches and snacks for purchase, and dozens of other local nonprofits sharing the many ways we all serve the Berkshires – and beyond. For more information, call the Box Office at 413.637.3353 or visit shakespeare.org.

100 Years of Movies: “The Philadelphia Story” (1940)
2025-06-06 19:00 - 21:30 | Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center, 14 Castle Street, Great Barrington, MA, 01230
George Cukor’s classic comedy “The Philadelphia Story” stars Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn, and James Stewart in a romantic romp about marriage and high society. The film marked Katharine Hepburn’s box office breakthrough, and earned two Oscars – Best Actor (Stewart) and Best Adapted Screenplay. (Not rated, 1h 52min.)
Following last year’s success, the Mahaiwe will continue its “100 Years of Movies” series with film director and educator Deborah Reinisch. Reinisch will introduce each film with a brief lecture at the top of the screening.

Met Opera Live in HD: Rossini’s “Il Barbiere di Siviglia”
2025-06-07 13:00 - 15:30 | Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center, 14 Castle Street, Great Barrington, MA, 01230
Russian mezzo-soprano Aigul Akhmetshina headlines a winning ensemble as the feisty heroine, Rosina, alongside American tenor Jack Swanson, in his Met debut, as her secret beloved, CountAlmaviva. Moldovan baritone Andrey Zhilikhovsky stars as Figaro, the ingenious barber of Seville, with Hungarian bass-8 baritone Peter Kálmán as Dr. Bartolo and Russian bass Alexander Vinogradov as Don Basilio rounding out the principal cast. Giacomo Sagripanti conducts Bartlett Sher’s madcap production.

London’s National Theatre in HD: “A Streetcar Named Desire”
2025-06-13 19:00 - 21:00 | Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center, 14 Castle Street, Great Barrington, MA, 01230
Gillian Anderson (“Sex Education”), Vanessa Kirby (“The Crown”), and Ben Foster (“Lone Survivor”) lead the cast in Tennessee Williams’ timeless masterpiece. As Blanche’s fragile world crumbles, she turns to her sister Stella for solace – but her downward spiral brings her face to face with the brutal, unforgiving Stanley Kowalski. From visionary director Benedict Andrews, this acclaimed production was filmed live during a sold-out run at the Young Vic Theatre in 2014.

🌿 BOTANICAL INK MAKING WORKSHOP 🌿
2025-06-14 10:00 - 16:00 | MA
🌿 BOTANICAL INK MAKING WORKSHOP 🌿
Spend the day on-farm: inspired, connected, and grounded
Join us at Farm & Field, a 200 acre working farm in the Hudson Valley for a special one-day workshop on Saturday, June 14th for Botanical Ink Making.
We’ll gather plants and flowers from the fields and garden, learn how to turn them into vibrant botanical inks, and enjoy a farm-to-table lunch together outdoors.
Whether you’re an artist, gardener, or just curious about working with natural color – come join us. No experience needed. Be ready to slow down, explore, and connect with the land.
📅 Saturday, June 14 | 10am – 4pm
Chatham, NY (2.5 hrs from BKN, 25 min from Hudson, NY & Great Barrington, MA)
Details + Registration:
👉 farmandfieldny.com/workshops/botanical-inks-06-14-2025
> Make and take home your own wild inks
> Harvest Walk – foraging in fields & gathering in dye garden
> Learn responsible foraging practices
> Seasonal outdoor farm lunch included

📸 Follow along on Instagram: @farmandfieldny
🖊️ Questions: email Jill at jill@farmandfieldny.com
Please share with anyone who might be interested!

Norman Rockwell Museum: Summer Saturdays for Families
2025-06-14 11:00 - 15:00 | Norman Rockwell Museum, 9 Glendale Road Route 183, Stockbridge, MA, 01262, United States
June 14 @ 11:00 am EDT – 3:00 pm EDT
Join us for fun and interactive programming inspired by the art of Norman Rockwell and Walter Wick, creator of the I Spy books for children. Try your hand at making art inspired by these beloved illustrators. You’ll want to return again and again with a variety of fun and engaging experiences for the whole family; it’s the perfect way to spend some quality time together on your Saturdays this summer!
Free with Admission, Drop-in – no reservation required.
https://www.nrm.org/events/summer-saturdays-for-families/

Visit

Juneteenth Black Music Appreciation Month Free Concert
2025-06-14 12:00 - 15:00 | MA
Tendai Muparutsa
Misty Blues
Sample the Cat
Diego Mongue Band/Chantell
Come and go as you please. All welcome at MCLA Church Street Center 265 Church St, North Adams

Steve Earle: Solo & Acoustic
2025-06-14 20:00 - 22:30 | Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center, 14 Castle Street, Great Barrington, MA, 01230
Steve Earle is one of the most acclaimed singer-songwriters of his generation. A protege of legendary songwriters and a master storyteller in his own right. Earle’s 1988 hit Copperhead Road was made an official state song of Tennessee in 2023, and in 2024, he was invited to become the newest member of the Grand Ole Opry.

100 Years of Movies: “The Maltese Falcon”
2025-06-19 19:00 - 21:30 | Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center, 14 Castle Street, Great Barrington, MA, 01230
“The Maltese Falcon” stars Humphrey Bogart and Mary Astor in a detective drama centered around a mysterious prized falcon statuette. Highly acclaimed upon its release and since considered a classic, the film noir was one of the first 25 movies selected by the Library of Congress in its National Film Registry. (Not rated, 1h 41min.)
Following last year’s success, the Mahaiwe will continue its “100 Years of Movies” series with film director and educator Deborah Reinisch. Reinisch will introduce each film with a brief lecture at the top of the screening.

World Premiere: Lawrence Goodman’s The Victim
2025-06-19 19:00 - 2025-07-21 21:00 | Shakespeare & Company, 70 Kemble Street, Lenox, MA, 01240
The World Premiere of The Victim by Lawrence Goodman runs through July 21 at Shakespeare & Company. Three women, three interconnected monologues: a successful New York doctor (Stephanie Clayman) whose racial diversity training has gone horribly wrong. A health aide grappling with racism during the COVID-19 pandemic (Yvette King). A Holocaust survivor (Annette Miller), facing her own horror and finding her way back to love and healing. Who gets to call herself a victim? Who is the perpetrator? Staged at Shakespeare & Company in 2024 as a reading in the Plays in Process series, The Victim is about identity, our blindness to others, and the human capacity for cruelty and compassion.

KidNet by LitNet
2025-06-25 10:30 - 12:00 | Stockbridge Library, 46 Main Street, Stockbridge, 01262
LitNet and The Stockbridge Library invite you to KIDNET!
LitNet y la biblioteca de Stockbridge los invitia a KIDNET!

Wednesday, June 25 from 10:30 to 12:30 at the Stockbridge Library
Miercoles, 25 de juno, 10:30 a 12:30 a la biblioteca de Stockbridge

FREE/GRATIS!

Join us for bilingual stories and music (with Natalia Bernal), crafts, book giveaways, and food!
Acompáñenos por cuentos bilingues y musica con (Natalia Bernal), artesanias, libros gratis, y comida!

LINK TO REGISTER:
https://forms.gle/1EbS2jRyohXRhpvE9

BIC Know Your Rights Presentation (in Spanish)
2025-06-25 17:00 - 18:00 | MA
Join us on Zoom to learn about essential legal rights
of immigrants, how to handle interactions
with law enforcement or Immigration and
Customs Enforcement (ICE), and resources
to stay informed and prepared.
These presentations empower immigrants,
service providers, and community members
with practical guidance and support.

BIC Know Your Rights Presentation - English
2025-06-25 19:00 - 20:00 | Unitarian Universalist Meeting of South Berkshire, 1089 Main Street, Housatonic, MA, 01236
Join us in-person in Housatonic to learn about essential legal rights of immigrants, how to handle interactions with law enforcement or Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and resources to stay informed and prepared.
These presentations empower immigrants, service providers, and community members with practical guidance and support.

BIC Know Your Rights Presentation - English
2025-06-26 17:00 - 18:00 | MA

Board Game Night / Noche de juegos de mesa
2025-07-07 18:00 - 20:00 | Hot Plate Brewing Co, 1 School St, Pittsfield, 01201
Join the library and our friends from Mana Crypt at Hot Plate Brewing Co. for Board Game Night! Mana Crypt and the Berkshire Athenaeum will provide a curated selection of new and favorite games for attendees to choose from and play (you can also bring your own or select a game from Hot Plate’s ongoing supply). Bring friends along to play, or make new ones at this casual game night!

Romeo & Juliet
2025-07-12 19:00 - 2025-08-10 21:00 | Shakespeare & Company, 70 Kemble Street, Lenox, MA, 01240
Presented under the Berkshires’ summer skies this summer, Romeo and Juliet proves that even the ultimate case of love at first sight can lead to… well, chaos.
Meddling families and murderous duels meld to offer an evening of sword fights, swinging soirees, and secret weddings — but the play is also full of exuberant vulgarity, harsh brutality and above all, the tingling, unbearable delight of young love.
