Our main productions for the 2013 season.
Be sure to also check out our full calendar, including free music events, workshops and more!
The Berkshire Fringe
Monday, July 15
The Berkshire Fringe's Anually Epic Season Launch and Fundraising Extravaganza!
Live Performances | Delicious Food | Open Bar | Dancing | Auction
.....and so much more
See the fibers of creative innovation at work!
a piece by Matthew Earnest
Wednesday, July 17 to Wednesday, July 24
THEATER
In an underground bunker in an unnamed city, three anonymous Baroque figures madly decipher and re-route the world's undeliverable mail. As the only ones on earth still adept with language, their job security has been solid for over two centuries. But today the tables will turn: they will learn that the Enlightenment has ended, technology now rules the world and their services are no longer needed. In this uproarious prequel to Melville's iconic story, acclaimed theater maker Matthew Earnest (the josephine footnote, Fringe 2005) and company use found letters to create an exuberant vaudeville that both celebrates and sighs for the bygone age of Humanism, a joyous elegy to the fading art of the written word.
written/performed by Sylvia Milo
Thursday, July 18 to Saturday, July 20
THEATER/SOLO PERFORMANCE
As the acclaimed sister of Amadeus, Nannerl Mozart was a celebrated keyboard virtuoso and composer who toured Europe and was met with high praise. How is it then that she faded into obscurity and left nothing of her own works behind? Painting a world rich in multi-sensual delights, opulent beauty, restriction and prejudice, writer/performer Sylvia Milo glimpses between the lines of family letters and accounts to reveal the story of this lesser known Mozart, a hidden gem of untold history. Directed by Isaac Byrne, The Other Mozart features an original music score by Nathan Davis and Phyllis Chen, and costume by Magdalena Dąbrowska (Poland) and Miodrag Guberinic (Serbia).
- "Beautiful? The word isn’t adequate. Unique? A cliché. Powerful? Immensely. Emotional? Deeply. Funny and fun. Sad and desperate... A rich combination of talents coming together, resulting in a performance of rare magnitude."
created and performed by The Anthropologists, directed by Melissa Moschitto
Friday, July 19 to Monday, July 22
THEATER/MOVEMENT
Fusing together found text, dance and real life events, The Anthropologists brilliantly interweave two stories of the fight against oppression: one ancient and one very modern. Inspired by the 2011 Egyptian Revolution, Mahalla captures the spirit of the Arab Spring and juxtaposes it with the Passover story of the Jews' escape from the hands of the Pharaoh. Acclaimed Berkshire Fringe alumni The Anthropologists (Give Us Bread, 2010) return with a vibrant collaborative creation investigating the intersections between food, ritual, storytelling and the pursuit of freedom.
created and performed by Bronwyn Sims, Strong Coffee Stage Company
Wednesday, July 24 to Sunday, July 28
PHYSICAL THEATER/AERIAL PERFORMANCE
Inspired by a real life journey by train from Brattleboro to New Haven, Moment of Impact explores the vast ripple effect caused by one unexpected and tragic event. Seamlessly shifting between lyrical aerial performance, virtuosic physical theatre, storytelling and comedy, solo performer Bronwyn Sims shares a deeply personal story of love, loss, life and ambition.
written by Sinead Daly, directed by Heather Lanza
Thursday, July 25 to Monday, July 29
THEATER
Written by Berkshire Fringe/EarlyStages new play development participant Sinead Daly (Berkshire Fringe, 2011), Painting His Wings unravels the story of one family's devastating loss and their fragile journey towards reshaping their lives. An homage to the resilience of the human spirit, this world premier performance is directed by Heather Lanza and uses lyrical imagery and a surprising poeticism to touch the heart.
This production is made possible through the Tadd Gero Fund for Emerging Artists.
conceived and choreographed by Sarah Konner & Austin Selden
Friday, July 26 to Monday, July 29
DANCE/THEATER
Lyrical, childlike, provocative and always humorous, dancer/choreographers Sarah Konner & Austin Selden (The Erotics of Doubt, Fringe 2011) deliver an imaginary catalog of stories inspired by memory and apprehension. Nakedness plays a fundamental role in this series of ephemeral snapshots, each exposing the most raw, poetic, playful and intimate aspects of humanity. In a dance about death, sex, and fear, nudity is represented both literally and metaphorically. The two characters strip themselves down. They crack their edges, expose themselves, and find something raw underneath.
(Please be advised that this performance contains nudity)
created and performed by Obehi Janice
Thursday, August 1 to Sunday, August 4
THEATER/SPOKEN WORD/IMPROVISATION/SOLO PERFORMANCE
Fufu: A staple dish of Nigeria. It’s made from pounded yams.
Oreo: America’s Favorite Cookie. It’s black on the outside and white on the inside.
Decisions. Depression. Daddy issues. From writer, performer and monologist Obehi Janice, this humorous, compelling, and entirely improvised one-woman show focuses on a young Nigerian-American woman navigating her own cultural identity, mental health, and faith. With inventive prose and incredible wit, FUFU & OREOS stakes a claim for the power of voice in our search for self.
composed and created by May V. Oskan
Wednesday, July 31 to Monday, August 5
MUSIC/THEATER
The most interesting woman in the world! The ugliest woman alive! Tackling themes of abnormality, alienation and revenge, The Ape Woman chronicles the jaw-dropping true story of sideshow sensation Julia Pastrana. More than 150 years after her tragic death, this nonstop rock opera exposes a story of exploitation, redemption and vengeance. Written and composed by May V. Oskan (who also plays Julia Pastrana), The Ape Woman features a electrifying madcap ensemble of 12 actors, storytellers and musicians.
created and performed by Eliza Ladd
Friday, August 2 to Monday, August 5
THEATER/MOVEMENT/MUSIC
Born out of Rock-and-Roll and teetering toward Clown, on est déshabillé is an absurdist tour de force guided by one woman ...and her stick. Part warrior, part creature, part housewife – performer/composer/storyteller Eliza Ladd (Elephants and Gold, 2009) and company return to the Berkshire Fringe with a fragile and ferocious feast of the human spirit integrating movement, song, and live visual art. Nestled inside a distinctly American inspired Greek chorus, on est déshabillé chronicles the oddities of being human and spawns utter delight.