BASIC Berkshires

100 Years of Movies: “Bringing Up Baby” (1938)
2026-05-15 19:00 - 21:00 (America/New_York) | Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center, 14 Castle Street, Great Barrington, MA, 01230
‘Bringing Up Baby’ is a classic screwball comedy starring Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant. In pursuit of a major donation for his museum, paleontologist David Huxley (Grant) gets tangled up with an eccentric heiress, Susan Vance (Hepburn), and her pet leopard, Baby. (No rating, 1h 42min.)
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. Join as we highlight the careers of beloved stars lost this past year through 10 titles also programmed with America’s 250thanniversary in mind. For the latest schedule, visit mahaiwe.org/100years.

Tinker Tots
2026-05-19 10:00 - 11:00, 2026-05-26 10:00 - 11:00, 2026-06-02 10:00 - 11:00, 2026-06-09 10:00 - 11:00, 2026-06-16 10:00 - 11:00, 2026-06-23 10:00 - 11:00, 2026-06-30 10:00 - 11:00, 2026-07-07 10:00 - 11:00 and 6 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.

Community Day
2026-05-23 11:00 - 16:00 | Shakespeare & Company, 70 Kemble Street, Lenox, MA, 01240
FREE EVENT
Community Day
Saturday, May 23
11 am–4 pm
Tina Packer Playhouse & the Grounds
Shakespeare & Company announces its third-annual Community Day, a free, family-friendly celebration on Saturday, May 23, from 11 am to 4 pm at the Shakespeare & Company campus in Lenox. Community Day invites guests of all ages to enjoy live performances, demonstrations, and music; interactive activities for all ages; film screenings; food trucks with fare for purchase, and opportunities to learn about more than two dozen nonprofit and community organizations serving the Berkshires and beyond.
Learn more at shakepeare.org or call 413.637.3353!

Ben Folds & A Piano
2026-06-05 20:00 - 22:00 | Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center, 14 Castle Street, Great Barrington, MA, 01230
Ben Folds is an Emmy-nominated singer-songwriter who has created an enormous body of genre-bending music that includes pop albums with Ben Folds Five, multiple solo albums, a holiday album, and numerous collaborative records. He currently tours as a pop artist, while also performing for over two decades with some of the world’s greatest symphony orchestras.

Shakespeare & Company Presents: Fireflies
2026-06-19 19:00 - 2026-07-19 21:00 | Shakespeare & Company, 70 Kemble Street, Lenox, MA, 01240
Shakespeare & Company Presents: Fireflies by Matthew Barber, Directed by Daniela Varon.
From the author of Enchanted April, retired schoolteacher Eleanor Bannister lives alone in tiny Groverdell, Texas, settled into her routines and secure in her standing as the town’s most respected woman. When a hole in her roof brings Abel Brown—a charming, smooth-talking drifter—onto her doorstep, he offers to repair the house and quietly begins to upend her carefully ordered life. As an unexpected late-life romance flickers to life, gossip spreads and doubts surface. Can Abel be trusted, or is he not quite who he seems? Either way, the whole town is watching.
Come Join us at the Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre from June 19 – July 19th at 2pm and 7pm!
Tickets are on sale now at Shakespeare.org, or by calling the box office at (413) 637-1199

Zarna Garg
2026-06-19 20:00 - 21:30 | Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center, 14 Castle Street, Great Barrington, MA, 01230
With her unique blend of humor, wit, and fearless social commentary, Zarna Garg has emerged as a comedic trailblazer. An Indian immigrant mom based in New York City, Zarna showcases her sharp and relatable humor in her first comedy special, ‘One in a Billion,’ available on Amazon Prime. Her second special, ‘Practical People Win,’ is currently streaming on Hulu as part of Hulu’s Hilarious Comedy Series, marking another major milestone in her skyrocketing career.

Straight No Chaser
2026-06-20 20:00 - 21:30 | Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center, 14 Castle Street, Great Barrington, MA, 01230
If the phrase “male a cappella group” conjures up an image of students in blue blazers, ties, and khakis singing traditional college songs on ivied campuses… think again. Straight No Chaser (SNC) are neither strait-laced nor straight-faced, but neither are they vaudeville-style kitsch. They have emerged as a phenomenon with a massive fanbase and a long list of accomplishments including 2 RIAA Gold Certified albums, over 1.5 million concert tickets sold, over 1 billion streams on Pandora, and over 2 million albums sold worldwide. Straight No Chaser is the real deal, the captivating sound of nine unadulterated human voices coming together to make extraordinary music that is moving people in a fundamental sense… and with a sense of humor.

Shakespeare & Company announces the 2026 Gala
2026-06-26 16:30 - 23:00 | Shakespeare & Company, 70 Kemble Street, Lenox, MA, 01240
Gala 2026 on Friday, June 26 unfolds between order and enchantment—where integrity meets absurdity. Inspired by Hamlet and Twelfth Night, we will explore the space between clarity and chaos, reason and emotion, truth and illusion.
The moon guides us as a symbol of change, longing, and possibility, while moments of “madness” reveal something honest and human beneath the surface. Like theater itself, the evening will balance craft and imagination, structure and surprise. We invite you to dine and dance under a celestial sky—midnight hues, constellations of light, shimmering metallics, warm candlelight, and a hint of cosmic drama.
The evening begins at 4:30 pm with cocktails under the festive Tina Packer Tents, followed by a special performance tribute in the Tina Packer Playhouse, dinner by Peter Platt of The Old Inn on the Green in the elegant Rose Meadow Tent, and dancing beneath the stars. Proceeds benefit Shakespeare & Company‘s Center for Actor Training, Education Program, and Performances. For more information, write to Director of Development Sunie Gorey at sgorey@shakespeare.org, or call 413.637.1199 ext.180. As a Gala benefactor, you and your guests will receive priority seating for both the performance and dinner. Those who respond by June 12 will be recognized in our print and digital Gala materials, including the Commemorative Gala Program.
Seating is limited, and the Gala traditionally sells out.
Did You Know?
Donor Advised Funds (DAFs) are a wonderful, tax-smart way to support Shakespeare & Company. For our Gala, DAF grants can be directed toward the Paddle Raise or given as a fully charitable donation. Because of IRS rules, DAF grants cannot be used to purchase tickets or tables or to pay for any portion that provides a benefit (like event attendance or meals). DAF gifts must be entirely charitable and cannot provide more than an incidental benefit—directly or indirectly—to the donor or their guests. The prohibition on indirect benefits also means DAF grants generally can’t be used for the “charitable portion” of a ticket even if you pay the benefits portion separately, also known as a “bifurcated payment.” IRS Notice 2017-73, Section 3 covers this in more detail. If you’re considering using a DAF and have questions about how to structure your support, our Development team is always happy to help.

Stéphane Wrembel Quartet
2026-06-26 17:30 - 20:30 | Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center, 14 Castle Street, Great Barrington, MA, 01230
Two performances on 6/26 at 5:30pm & 8:30pm
Stephane Wrembel stands as one of the world’s most celebrated guitarists. Originally from Fontainebleau, France, Wrembel is renowned for his masterful blend of jazz, gypsy swing and world music enchanting audiences across the globe with his unique sound. ‘Rolling Stone’ called him “…a revelation.”
Wrembel is a highly respected composer with original compositions featured in the acclaimed films ‘Midnight in Paris’ (“Bistro Fada”) and ‘Vicky Cristina Barcelona’ (“Big Brother”). ‘Midnight in Paris’ won the Grammy Award for “Best Compilation Soundtrack.” At the 2012 Academy Awards, Wrembel was handpicked by renowned composer Hans Zimmer to join his “All Star Band” performing alongside luminaries like Esperanza Spalding, Pharrell, and Shelia E.

BEATrio: Béla Fleck, Edmar Castañeda & Antonio Sánchez
2026-06-27 20:00 - 22:00 | Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center, 14 Castle Street, Great Barrington, MA, 01230
To be sure, the new all-star trio of Béla Fleck, harpist Edmar Castañeda and drummer Antonio Sánchez features instrumentation that might safely be called uncommon. Unless, of course, you’re already familiar with 19-time Grammy-winner Fleck – the genre-blurring virtuoso who has done more to expand the possibilities of the banjo than any other player in the instrument’s history. From his bluegrass beginnings through his otherworldly Flecktones, his duo with Chick Corea and his reimagining of ‘Rhapsody in Blue,’ Fleck’s work never fails to surprise. What doesn’t surprise is the impeccable caliber of his collaborators – and this new trio includes two of the most gifted musicians of their generation.

American Stories: Rebels and Revolutionaries of the Berkshires
2026-07-01 11:00 - 2026-07-29 17:30 | Norman Rockwell Museum, 9 Glendale Road Route 183, Stockbridge, MA, 01262, United States
Every Wednesday in July; Choose from 11 am or 5:30 pm sessions (each session will be 1.5 hours)
A Berkshire History Course
This summer when America is celebrating its 250th anniversary, join us for this historical and civic education program to learn how the Berkshires played a pivotal role in the founding of our nation.
American Stories: Rebels and Revolutionaries of the Berkshires examines the history of the American Revolution and its reverberating echoes in the region, nation, and world by highlighting the fascinating but complicated biographies of Berkshire County residents who impacted American history and culture from the late eighteenth century onward.
Sign up for the entire series of five classes held at the Norman Rockwell Museum. Each class will begin in the galleries of Norman Rockwell Museum’s American Stories: Revolution to Rockwell with a discussion of a work on view that connects to the theme of that day’s class.
Course Instructor: Justin F. Jackson is a lecturer and visiting scholar at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst

Classes and lectures include:
1) “Declarations of Independence”: Theodore Sedgwick, the Sheffield Resolves, and the Rise of Protest in the Berkshires
2) “Our America”: Daniel Nimham, the Stockbridge Mohicans, and the Revolution’s “Missing Indians”
3) “I Am, Amen”: Black Freedom Struggles in the Berkshires, from Agrippa Hull and Elizabeth Freeman to Samuel Harrison and W.E.B. Du Bois
4) “Do Unto Others”: Rev. Thomas Allen, Shays’s Rebellion, and a Sovereign People’s Constitutions in Massachusetts and America
5) “The Real Thing”: Herman Melville, the Magic of Memory, and Representing the American Dream

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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.
