Weekend Preview Sept 22-26
ALISON CHASE PERFORMANCE ART at MASS MOCA
Choreographer, director, master-teacher and theatrical artist Alison Chase has challenged seven dancers and her technical team to help her create a physical retelling of Gabriel Garcia Márquez's famed short story, “The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World.” After a week-long residency, Alison Chase Performance will present the project as a work-in-progess showing on Saturday, September 25, at 8 in MASS MoCA’s Hunter Center. Eventually the work will include dancers, musicians and projections sharing the narrative in an intricate interweaving of live video feed, projected film and photos, dance and live music. The work-in-progress will include portions of these elements.
Mysterious, enigmatic and widely popular, “The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World” captures the events in a small fishing village when the body of an unusually tall and magnificent corpse washes ashore. The unknown man is named Esteban and is lovingly embraced by everyone, perhaps because he symbolizes for them the fragile beauty of life. Themes of community, myth, and the ideals of mankind are commonly ascribed to the work. It is sometimes viewed as a slice of 100 Years of Solitude, the famed novel that catapulted Garcia Márquez to fame, helped establish magical realism as a literary genre, and led to his Nobel Prize in Literature in 1982.
In her production of “The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World Chase” will create an impressionistic interpretation of the “magic” in Márquez' narrative through a variety of media employed in unusual ways. She will blend the supernatural with the ordinary reality, drawing the audience into the heart of the movement. Effects include projected beams of sound that bounce off various surfaces (including the heads of the dancers) that will be heard differently by each audience member, as well as live video feed capturing the dancers movements and amplifying them in projections.
In this work, Chase's collaborators include Sean Kernan (photography), Derek Dudek (cinematography), Vladimir Shpitalnik (sets and audio projections), Langdon Crawford (music technology) and Angeline Avallone (makeup and costumes).
A choreographer renowned for both acrobatic works and her narrative skill, Chase founded Alison Chase Performance to pursue her passion for multi-dimensional storytelling; fusions of film and dance; site-specific works; and museum installations. Until December 2005 she was co-artistic director and developer of Pilobolus Dance Theatre's educational programs. In October 2008 Chase was named the Maine Arts Commission's 2009 Performing Arts Fellow. She was a recipient of the Guggenheim Fellowship in 1980, the Connecticut Governor's Award in 1997, the Scripps Award in 2000, and the CINE Golden Eagle Award in 2002. Chase has choreographed for La Scala Opera, the Geneva Opera, the Ballet du Rhin, the Fete de l'Humanite and Radio City Music Hall.
Tickets for Alison Chase's work-in-progress showing are $10. Members are eligible for a 10% discount. Tickets are available through the MASS MoCA Box Office located on Marshall Street in North Adams, open from 11 A.M. until 5 P.M. Wednesdays through Mondays. Tickets can also be charged by phone by calling 413.662.2111 during Box Office hours or online at http://www.massmoca.org any time.
HANCOCK SHAKER VILLAGE COUNTRY FAIR
Hancock Shaker Village’s 50th anniversary Country Fair features Shaker-inspired games in the Kids Tent, a farmers’ market with samples of heirloom vegetables to taste, a juried fine craft show, wagon rides, antique engines and tractors, sustainable gardening tips, square dancing demonstration, quilt show, and the much-beloved a pie contest. Celebrating the bounty of the harvest, the fair will be held September 25-26 from 10 to 5. 
“For those who have told us they miss the Hancock Shaker Village Craft Fair, we’re delighted that we have more fine craft artists than ever lined up for this year’s Country Fair,” said Ellen Spear, president and CEO of Hancock Shaker Village “This event is always a festive highlight of the year and a great way for families to learn about our mission and its connection to sustainable, principled living.” Children 12 and under and Hancock Shaker Village members are admitted free of charge. The 5th Annual Pie Contest
Warm up those rolling pins. The pie contest will include both professional and amateur categories, with judging held on Saturday afternoon, September 25th. Entries must be baked from scratch and fillings can either be the baker’s own recipe or Shaker Cranberry Pie or Shaker Apple Pie from The Best of Shaker Cooking by Amy Bess Miller. This year’s pie judge team includes Berkshire Living Managing Editor Lesley Ann Beck, RuralIntelligence.com co-editor Marilyn Bethany, WAMC President Alan Chartock and MCLA Professor Roselle Chartock, and Mimi Rosenblatt, host of Mimi’s Morning Mojo on WSBS. Guidelines for entry and registration forms are available on the Hancock Shaker Village website, http://www.hancockshakervillage.org.800.817.1137
GE-INSPIRED SCULPTURE at FERRIN GALLERY
Christa Assad, whose work is currently the subject of a solo exhibition, Vestigial Tales, at Ferrin Gallery in Pittsfield, Mass., leads a slide talk in the Clark Auditorium at Simon's Rock College in Great Barrington, Mass. on Wed, Sept 22 at 6pm. A dinner honoring Assad takes place at IS183 Art School of the Berkshires in Stockbridge, Mass., on Friday, Sept. 24, featuring a Moroccan menu prepared by guest chef Joe Wheaton, followed the next morning by a demo at the school by Assad at 10 a.m. The weekend's activities culminate with a reception for Assad's exhibition at Ferrin Gallery on Saturday at 4 p.m.The origin of this show began when Assad visited Pittsfield, Mass., during the summer of 2009. Inspired by the rapidly changing city, she sought out a single object to interpret for her upcoming solo show. Her search produced images from the Smithsonian’s archives of a transformer manufactured by General Electric in Pittsfield.
Seeking additional information, she discovered how the transformer it symbolized the transitions taking place in the region and by extension, the world. The image of the large transformer from the 1950s became the starting point for her show of sculptural forms based on vestigial buildings and objects.
Vestigial Tales, a series of sculptural forms based on objects and architecture, is Assad’s first solo show at the gallery. Designed and produced in her San Francisco studio, Assad’s work pays homage to American industry in transition. Assad explains, “Whether architectural, biological, or mechanical in origin, vestigial objects and their history of use both perplex and attract me.”
For Assad, an artist whose first career aspirations were aerospace engineering, the “transformer” is symbolic of the transition taking place from creativity in industry to creative industries. The electrical transformer was invented in Pittsfield by William Stanley and produced by General Electric. These objects literally “transformed” high voltage current to low voltage thus delivering useable electricity.
With Pittsfield and the Berkshires transitioning into a broader based economy - specifically, the creative economy, the concept for Assad’s show also represents a transformation in her own career. Starting her studies in aerospace engineering, she soon realized her capacity for three-dimensional design was coupled with an equal interest in building and transitioned into the more physical realm of making art. She has spent the last 20 years working in the studio primarily as a utilitarian potter; her solo show, Vestigial Tales is the first to explore conceptually based ceramic sculpture.Assad’s original Transformer Teapot, produced in spring 2010 and exhibited by Ferrin Gallery in “ReObjectification,” was acquired by the Kamm Teapot Foundation.
A resident of San Francisco, California, Assad is a teacher, traveler and full-time ceramicist, as well as a funny and dynamic personality. Like the artist herself, Assad's work is both brash and playful, while being utterly serious -- indeed, her subject matter and themes are inextricably intertwined with post-industrial decay and violence, yet tied to traditional forms, such that, as in the case of her current exhibition, sculptural ceramic objects are based on electrical transformers and hand grenades that take the form -- and sometimes the function -- of teapots.
With an MFA from Indiana University, Assad’s work is in the permanent collections of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, the Ceramic Research Center at Arizona State University Museum, and the Penn State Fulbright Scholar Collection, and numerous private collections.
In conjunction with Assad’s show at Ferrin Gallery, her visit includes a full schedule of research, talks, workshops and demonstrations taking place at Ferrin Gallery, Pittsfield, Mass.; IS183 Art School, Stockbridge, Mass.; Simon’s Rock College, Great Barrington, Mass., and Harvard Ceramics, Cambridge, Mass.CHRISTA ASSAD: Vestigial Tales
Solo show of sculptural objects
Ferrin Gallery
437 North Street
Pittsfield, Mass
413.442.1622
HOURS:
11 – 5:00 Wednesday – Saturday and by appointment
THE REAL INSPECTOR HOUND at SHAKESPEARE & COMPANY
Picture if you will a foggy and looming estate in Essex England with a mysterious past. A dead body, a dangerous murderer on the loose, and two second-string theater critics each suffering from existential crises. Enter The Real Inspector Hound, one of Tom Stoppard’s most hilarious and satirical plays, at Shakespeare & Company, in the Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre now through November 7.Written sixteen years after the smashing success of Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap, Stoppard’s The Real Inspector Hound takes self-aware humor to new heights by dismantling the murder mystery genre. No cliché is safe in this spot-on parody, just like the eccentric characters who meet in Hound’s curiously isolated Muldoon Manor where a dead body is found, and soon after a radio report announces a mad man is on the loose. Two theatre critics arrive on the scene to review a play but find themselves caught up within the murder-mystery play with the on-stage actors. Chaos ensues until, through a series of hilarious events the real Inspector Hound arrives at the crime scene…or does he? From the handsome stranger, to the beautiful widower, to the bumbling detective who (quite literally) doesn’t have a clue, Stoppard skewers every who-dun-it convention with wicked skill and delight.
Performances run at 7:30 p.m. in the evenings and 2. in the afternoons.
413. 637.3353 or visit www.shakespeare.org.
The Real Inspector Hound is helmed by long-time company actor and director Jonathan Croy, whose affinity for Stoppard’s work was seen most recently in his hilariously deadpan portrayal of playwright Sandor Turai in Rough Crossing, the hit of 2007. Croy, who (along with The Real Inspector Hound cast member Josh McCabe and company actor Ryan Winkles) had audiences in stitches last fall with his performance in The Hound of the Baskervilles, is thrilled at the opportunity to bring Stoppard to Shakespeare & Company once again.
“This is a singularly brilliant play conceived by a singularly brilliant playwright,” notes Croy. “One of the things I love about it is that it really is, in many ways, just a silly parody—but it’s a silly parody infused with genius on every level. On one hand it’s a send-up of whodunits, but on the other hand it’s really about the nature of existence.”
BURLESQUE SHOW in NORTH ADAMS
Fresh off a popular 10-week run in Williamstown and a debut at Jae's Spice in Pittsfield, Gypsy Layne, the Berkshires first home-grown burlesque troupe, kicks off the fall season this week in North Adams, Mass., at Main Street Stage, Wednesday, September 22 through Saturday, September 25, with an amped-up version of the show that drew sold out audiences all summer long.The brainchild of Nicole Rizzo of North Adams, Gypsy Layne is a variety show that illustrates and celebrates over a century of American Burlesque, highlighting the historical and theatrical aspects from the London stages to vaudeville, Old Broadway and the Betty Page era into the present neo-burlesque craze. Featuring Ms Karen Louise Lee as host/MC, the hour-long revue showcases six other dancers, including Ms. Rizzo (director/producer), vocalist Stephanie Campbell, and Jack Waldheim and the Criminal Hearts as special musical act of the evening. Singing, hula hoops, roller skates, belly dancing, Jelly Rolls and booby prizes are just some of the gimmicks this multi-talented ensemble will display, with plenty of improv, comedy and audience participation. Doors open at 7pm for pre-show entertainment and cocktails. Show begins at 9pm.
Seating is limited so reservations are encouraged and can be made at http://www.gypsylayne.com.
WILLIAMS CHAMBER PLAYERS GO BOHEMIAN
The Williams College Department of Music presents the Williams Chamber Players on Friday, Sept. 24, at 8 in Brooks-Rogers Recital Hall on the Williams College campus, in a “Bohemian Adventure,” a.program of works by Glinka, Janacek, and Dvorak. The free event is open to the public.Returning from a summer of fruitful musical endeavor, the musicians of the Williams Chamber Players take the stage re-energized, presenting a new season of chamber music. Providing classical music lovers with a chance to indulge in yet another stellar offering, the group offers a program with the eastern European accents of Glinka, Janacek, and Dvorak in a “Bohemian Adventure”.
The Williams Chamber Players is a resident chamber ensemble, founded at Williams College in 1999. Its purpose is to present concerts for the college and community throughout the academic year. Antecedents of the Williams Chamber Players are the Williams Trio, founded in 1970, and the Group for 20th Century Music, founded in 1989. Repertoire for concerts is drawn from the standard chamber music repertoire with special attention to music of the 20th and 21st centuries, and to music by Williams composers. Musicians are normally drawn from the ranks of Artists-in-Residence, Studio Instructors, and other faculty, as well as occasional visiting artists.
Players for this performance include Ronald Feldman, cello; Joana Genova, violin; Joanna Kurkowicz, violin; Susan Martula, clarinet; Ed Lawrence, piano; Stephen Walt, bassoon; Scott Woolweaver, viola; and Elizabeth Wright, piano.
concert hotline: 413.97.3146
MESHELL NDEGEOCELLO at CLUB HELSINKI HUDSON
On Saturday, Sept 25 at 9, Meshell Ndegeocello will curate an evening of music at Club Helsinki Hudson as a benefit concert for WGXC's "Radio Barnraising," a community media extravaganza involving three days of workshops, station building and performances. The evening will be a one-time-only gathering of musicians playing in celebration of the live launch of WGXC: Hands-on Radio. Confirmed guests include The Wreck of the Steamboat Swallow, Holden Caulfield: Chris Neumann and Meshell, Ignore Me Please: Antony Katz and Meshell; Elana Belle Carol and The Checker Chance; Jake Plourde and Alexander Turnquist; Meshell Ndegeocello featuring Otto Hauser, Jeremy Thal, and Gideon Crevoshay.
Club Helsinki Hudson | 405 Columbia Street | Hudson | NY Club Helsinki Hudson
ROBINSON and LEE DUET at MUSIC & MORE
On Saturday, September 25 at 4:30, acclaimed cellist Keith Robinson and his frequent collaborator, pianist Donna Lee, will perform a concert of music by Beethoven, Shostakovich, and Mendelssohn at Music & More at the Meeting House in New Marlborough.
Keith Robinson has enjoyed a decades-long career as a soloist, recitalist, and chamber musician. He has appeared as soloist with orchestras from Paris to Panama, including The American Sinfonietta, The Miami Chamber Symphony, and the New World Symphony.
Robinson recently recorded the complete works for cello and piano by Felix Mendelssohn with pianist Donna Lee, who he has performed extensively with throughout the United States. They recently performed the complete works by Beethoven for cello and piano in Miami, Kent, and Las Vegas, and will perform the Beethoven Triple concerto in November.
Lee made her solo debut in 1990 with the National Symphony Orchestra, and has since appeared as a soloist and chamber music recitalist at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., and Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall in New York City. Lee has played throughout Europe, Asia and the U.S., with recent performances in Hong Kong and Beijing, China, and Puerto Rico.
The program includes Beethoven’s Sonata in A major Opus 60, Shostakovich’s Sonata in D minor Opus 40, and Mendelssohn’s Sonata in D major Opus 58.
ALON GOLDSTEIN ENDS SEASON at TANNERY POND
Award-winning Israeli pianist Alon Goldstein will perform works by Robert Schumann, Clara Wieck-Schumann, and Johannes Brahms on Saturday, September 25, in the final concert of the Tannery Pond 2010 series. The series, under the leadership of artistic director Christian Steiner, features superb musicians and innovative programming, and Saturday’s concert promises both. Goldstein performed at Tannery Pond last year, giving a compelling performance of works by Bach, Brahms, Beethoven and contemporary Israeli composer Avner Dorman. This weekend’s program is a unique one for the Tannery series. Goldstein will perform sections from Robert Schumann’s Fantasy in C major, Opus 17; Clara Wieck-Schumann’s Scherzo No. 2 in C minor, Opus 14; and the Brahms Drei Intermezzi, Opus 117. The evening also includes actors Robert Ian Mackenzie, Markus Hirnigel, and Stepanie Schmiederer reading from the correspondence between Clara Schumann, Brahms, and Robert Schumann.
Goldstein’s 2009 concert at the Tannery was marvelous; he is a meticulous technician who plays with passion and conviction. Saturday’s performance of the music—and words—of Brahms and the Schumanns promises to be a fitting finale for the twentieth season.
The Tannery Pond concerts are held in a Shaker timber-frame building that accommodates about three hundred patrons; the intimate setting and excellent acoustics are ideal for chamber concerts.
Concerts at Tannery Pond
Saturday, September 25, at 8
The Tannery
Mount Lebanon Shaker Village and Darrow School grounds
Route 20
New Lebanon, New York
www.tannerypondconcerts.org
[The above item contributed by Lesley Ann Beck]
WOODLAND STYLE at BERKSHIRE MUSEUM
The Berkshire Museum hosts a reception and booksigning for local author Marlene Hurley Marshall for her book and exhibit Woodland Style on Saturday, Sept 25 at 5. Full of decorating ideas to admire and create, Woodland Style offers dozens of unexpected adornments using pinecones, acorns, moss, bark, leaves, twigs, tree branches, river rocks, and more. A wealth of creativity compiled from a wide range of artists offers step-by-step projects, recipes, and one-of-a-kind design inspirations. Marshall shares her joy of gathering natural art supplies from the backyard or from a walk in the woods, and reveals techniques for cleaning and storing her treasures.The beauty and inspiration of the outdoors comes inside for Woodland Style, a new multi-artist exhibition curated by local author Marlene Marshall, based on her August 2010 book of the same name, released by Storey Publishing. Woodland Style, on view at the Berkshire Museum now through January 2, features the work of artists who have been inspired by nature, in many cases integrating natural mixed-media elements. This innovative installation seeks to re-ignite the wonder found in the most familiar elements of nature that surround us—be it a simple twig, pine cone, pile of acorns or a vine wrapping up a tree. This work provides a fresh look at the everyday miracles offered by the natural world.
An innovative installation, Woodland Style begins in the BerkshireBase display space in the Museum’s entrance lobby, then works its way up the main staircase to additional displays on the stairwell landings, leading the visitor up the stair toward the second-floor gallery where 2010 Festival of Trees: Storybook Forest will open on November 13. As part of that opening, Woodland Style will expand into an additional gallery adjacent to Storybook Forest.
The initial installation features work by artists Anna Brahms, Carole Clark, Ellen Grenadier, Linda Horn and Joan Meakin; in November, the roster of contributing artists grows to include Sabine Vollmer von Falken, the local photographer for the book, along with Janet Cooper, Peter Thorne, Nic Osborn, Robin Sweeney, Mona Mark, Bryan Nash Gill, Kevin Inkawich, Ann Getsinger, Susie Hardcastle and Sarah Sterling. BerkshireBase is a display space dedicated to bringing the work of local artists to a broader audience.
BERNIE WILLIAMS TRADES BAT FOR GUITAR
Although Bernie Williams first captivated national attention as an All-Star for the New York Yankees, his love for music runs as deep as his love for baseball. A composer and classically trained guitarist, his music blends jazz with the sophisticated Latin rhythms of his Puerto Rican heritage. He will perform at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center on Friday, September 24 at 8. Tickets range from $47 to $72, with a special $122 ticket that includes both the concert and a private reception with the artist.14 Castle Street. Great Barrington, Mass.
Box Office: 413.528.0100
Mahaiwe Box Office Hours:
Wednesday - Saturday: 12noon - 6pm
plus 3 hrs prior to all showtimes
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