July 15, 2011
OUTRAGEOUSLY ORIGINAL, ENTIRELY NEW: 7th ANNUAL BERKSHIRE FRINGE features 100 Emerging Artists and 50 performances over three weeks
For Immediate Release
Great Barrington, MA—The 2011 Berkshire Fringe kicks off it’s 7th season with 50 chances to savor mind-blowing, original works of theater, dance and music by emerging artists from across the United States. Taking place July 25 – August 15 in the Daniel Arts Center on the campus of Simon’s Rock, the festival hosts seven innovative theater and dance companies from as far away as New Orleans and as close to home as Housatonic.
In addition, the action-packed three week festival includes 30 Live!, a totally free music series; EarlyStages, a showcase of new plays by emerging writers from New England; and dozens of special events, post-show artist discussions, free community workshops and a new artist residency program featuring the acclaimed San Francisco based comedy group, the Pi Clowns.
Since 2005, Bazaar Productions/The Berkshire Fringe has hosted over 300 emerging artists from across the country and around the corner. Hailed as ‘sassy and experimental’ by the New York Times, the festival will present a diverse cross-section of original, high-quality, inter-disciplinary theater, dance and music. Tickets are affordable at the Fringe, a hub for new work by emerging voices.
This season, we are bringing back the very popular ‘pi¢k your own pri¢e’ opening nights that make visiting the Fringe the most affordable evening out in all of Berkshire County. For the adventurous Fringe connoisseur, a full Season’s Pass to all seven shows is available for only $75!
The 2011 season lineup is as follows:
Monday, July 25
PROPOCALYPSE!
A Party of Propocalyptic Proportions
Berkshire Fringe’s 7th Annual GALA CELEBRATION
Celebrating seven years of innovative, outrageous and entirely original programming, the Berkshire Fringe’s annual gala presents five world premiere short works of theater, dance and film. This year, the event is a celebration of artistic ingenuity and innovation centering around stage props and the various ways that they inspire, shape and inform the creative process. A Wheelbarrow…. An Orange…. An Unopened letter. Come experience the myriad of ways that these seemingly commonplace items inspire outrageously original performances! Featuring an open bar courtesy of Domaney’s Liquors and Fine Wines, delectable hors d’oeuvres from Allium, dancing/dj, and a massive not-so-silent auction. Doors open at 6:00pm/7:00pm. Tickets to performances and party: $100, $50, or Pay-Your-Age!
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MISSING: The fantastical and true story of my father’s disappearance and what I found when I went looking for him
Written and Performed by Jessica Ferris
Directed by David Ford
Original Music by Mark Orton of Tin Hat
Can you find a missing person between the threads of a bed sheet?
In this mostly-true, magical-realism detective story, San Francisco based solo performer Jessica Ferris embarks on a quest to find her father who disappeared under mysterious circumstances thirty years ago. In this deftly physical, imaginatively touching and quick witted performance, Ferris transforms everyday objects into extraordinary beings that propel her search for her father, the ultimate con artist living on the lam.
Wed 7/27 at 8pm (Pick Your Own Price), Thur 7/28 at 8:45pm, Fri 7/29 at 7pm, Sat 7/30 at 8:45pm, Sun 7/31 at 6pm
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THE EROTICS OF DOUBT
Created and Choreographed by Sarah Konner and Austin Selden
A lamp. A toilet seat. The infinite complexity of love. Using humor, text, inspired choreography and song, Philadelphia based dancer/choreographer duo Austin Sheldon and Sarah Konner rip apart our pre-conceived notions of romance and show us the seductive absurdness of human relationships. At times beautiful and stark, poetic and profane, the Ertotics of Doubt asks us to laugh without restraint at our own naiveté, dreamlike longing and desperation – meanwhile we wonder if we should be laughing at all.
Thur 7/28 at 7pm (Pick Your Own Price), Fri 7/29 at 8:45, (Post Show Talk) Sat 7/30 at 7pm, Sun 7/31 at 8pm, Mon 8/1 at 8pm
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THE RETURN OF THE PI CLOWNS!
Featuring Andrew P. Quick, Bruce Glaseroff, Tyler Parks, Leah C. Gardner and Jon Deline
Delightful mayhem and glory await you as the Pi Clowns make their return to the Berkshires. With a heaping helping of new buffoonery, they will have audiences of all ages rolling on the floor with laughter. Using acrobatics, juggling, eccentric dance, live music and improvisation, this epically hilarious posse of Fringe favorites is not to be missed!
Pi Clowns Tickets: $15 in advance, $20 at the Door | 14 and Under: $10
Sat 7/30 at 3:30pm (Pick Your Own Price Performance) Sun 7/31 at 3:30pm
Wed 8/3 at 9:30pm, Fri 8/5 at 3:30pm, Sat 8/6 at 3:30pm (Post Show Talk)
Sun 8/7 at 3:30pm, Fri 8/12 at 7:30pm, Sat 8/13 at 7:30pm, Mon 8/15 at 8pm
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OUR MAN
Conceived and performed by William Bowling and Christopher Kaminstein
With key collaboration by Sascha Stanton-Craven.
From the New Orleans based theater ensemble Goat In The Road, comes Our Man, a decidedly fictional approach to American political history. Filled with rapid-fire dialog and agile physical comedy, the play explores the contemporary political landscape through the lens of a surreal 1950’s era radio broadcast. Somewhere at the intersection of performance and politics, two men inside a small glass box narrate the life and exploits of one of the nations most controversial leaders, “The Gipper”, who is deftly portrayed by a wooden tennis racket.
Wed 8/3 at 8pm (Pick Your Own Price Opening Night) Thur, 8/4 at 8:45pm (Post Show Artist Talk) Fri 8/5 at 7pm, Sat 8/6 at 8:45pm, Sun 8/7 at 6pm
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FACE
Written and Performed by Haerry Kim
Video/Projection by Yuni Moon/ Timothy Kim
Lighting design by Jakyung Seo
Sound design by Eun Jin Cho
Inspired by testimonies of Korean Comfort Women during World War II, FACE reveals the harrowing and true story of one woman at war with her past. By unveiling vivid images and asking daring questions about history, violence and sexual slavery, FACE constructs a lyrical exposé of survival. It gives voice to the suppressed history of Comfort Women and pays tribute to the extraordinary resilience of the human spirit.
Thur 8/4 at 7pm (Pick Your Own Price Opening Night) Fri 8/5 at 8:45 (Post Show Artist Talk) Saturday, August 6 at 7pm, Sunday, August 7 at 8pm, Monday, August 8 at 8pm
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WHAT HAPPENED TO BILL VIOLA?
Written by Cory Hinkle
Directed by Pirronne Yousefzadeh
On leave from her Banraku puppet piece on Amelia Earhart, Violet Foster brings the Berkshire Fringe her tour de force inquiry into the life of Bill Viola and a personal look at obsession. Guerrilla video, emotional ballad and ground-breaking performance art converge to ask THE ONLY QUESTION THAT MUST BE ANSWERED.
Wed 8/10 at 8pm (Pick Your Own Price Opening Night & Post Show Talk)
Thur 8/11 at 8:45pm, Fri 8/12 at 6pm, Sat 8/13 at 8:45om, Sun 8/14 at 7pm
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TANGLED YARN
Written and Performed by Anaïs Alexandra Tekerian
Featuring live drawings and projections by Kevork Mourad
Original music by Armenian a capella folk trio Zulal
Using poetic narrative, Tangled Yarn unravels the story of Ismene, a heroine living in the shadow of her famed sister Antigone and without a fate of her own. Obscuring the lines between past and present, legend and invention, Ismene must untangle the stories of her Armenian and Latvian Grandmothers in order to determine her own destiny. Featuring incredible and captivating live-drawn projections and animations by artist Kevork Mourad and a haunting original score by the Armenian folk trio Zulal, Tangled Yarn is a multi-media portrait of Ismene’s untold story.
Thur 8/11 at 7pm (Pick Your Own Price Opening Night) Fri 8/12 at 8:45pm (Post Show Artist Talk) Sat 8/13 at 6pm, Sun 8/14 at 8:45pm, Mon 8/15 at 6pm
FREE PROGRAMS
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EARLYSTAGES
On Sunday, August 14th participants in the EarlyStages playwright mentorship program will present staged readings of new works. Be the first to hear these new American voices presented as three fresh, insightful and exciting world premiere staged readings. This is the culmination of a two-week residency where emerging writers from New England develop scripts under the guidance of Award-winning writer Laura Maria Censabella. This event is free and will be followed by a discussion with the writers. The schedule is as follows:
Sunday, August 14 at Noon – True Believers by Thom Dunn
True Believers tells the story of star-crossed lovers, psychotic fanboys, aspiring comic book writers, cybernetically enhanced humans, and girls dressed as Princess Leia as they all intertwine in a whirlwind at Comic-Con , the largest comic book convention in the world.
Sunday, August 14 at 1:30pm – Waltz for Rosemary by Michelle Meyers
Todd returns home to find his mother’s memory falling apart while his father takes advantage of the situation to reinvent himself as the perfect husband. Waltz for Rosemary deals with art, manipulation, and how we hurt the people we love.
Sunday, August 14 at 3pm – You Can Have Me by Iris Dauterman
Want to find the love of your life? Just sign here. Richard and Charlie have tried everything they can think of to find love. The solution might be a new technology that claims it can locate your one and only soul mate. But what if no sparks fly?
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:30 LIVE!
The Berkshire Fringe’s FREE music series takes place each Monday and Wednesday and features an eclectic mix of new music, emerging composers and sonic innovators from throughout the Northeast. Please check website for a full line-up details. Performance schedule is as follows:
Wednesday, July 27 at 7:00pm
Jennifer Stock
Electronic sound, live-mixed video projection and one-of-a-kind field recordings. Featuring Geremy Schulick of Threefity Duo on Guitar.
Monday, August 1 at 7:00pm
Vernous
Utilizing vocal, electric guitar, soft synth and percussion textures, Vernous is electro pop music that touches on the darker side of visceral human experiences.
Wednesday, August 3 at 7:00pm
Rob Sanzone
Versatile musician, guitarist and producer Rob Sanzone presents his latest project of one-man momentary invention music, layering multiple instruments, machines and sonic textures.
Monday, August 8 at 7:00pm
Corey Dargel
Award-winning composer/lyricist/vocalist Corey Dargel presents music from two of his dark, humorous and thoughtful song cycles.
Wednesday, August 10 at 7:00pm
Gut Bucket
Composer-driven, art-rock-tainted chamber jazz
Monday, August 15 at 7:00pm
Genghis Barbie
All female French horn quartet performing arrangements of pop music from the 70′s, 80′s, 90′s, 00′s and today.
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COMMUNITY WORKSHOPS
All workshops are FREE, open to the public and take place on Saturday afternoons at 1:30pm in the Daniel Arts Center. Each workshop is taught by a Berkshire Fringe festival artist and welcomes participants of all backgrounds and levels of experience ages 16-96! Space is limited and early registration is strongly recommended. Please call 413-320-4175 for more information.
Saturday, July 31 at 1:30pm- Storytelling through Movement and Text.
Dance Workshop with Philadelphia based choreographers Sarah Konner and Austin Selden | creators of The Erotics of Doubt
Saturday, August 7 at 1:30pm- The Beauty of Boundaries
Group and Solo Performance Workshop with Will Bowling and Chris Kaminstein of Goat in the Road Productions in New Orleans.
Saturday, August 13 at 1:30pm- Devised Performance.
Theater workshop with the hilarious ensemble of What Happened to Bill Viola? Led by company director Pirronne Yousefzadeh
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Pi CLOWN RESIDENCY WORKSHOPS
Gain first hand insight into the zany and captivating world of clown! San Francisco based Pi Clowns will offer three workshops focusing on a range of topics including circus skills, physical comedy and original performance technique. Workshops are open to participants of all backgrounds and levels of experience ages 10 and up. Suggested donation for these workshops is $10 and early registration is strongly recommended. For more information, please call 413.320. 4175
Monday, August 1 at 1:30pm – Clowning and The Circus
Monday, August 8 at 1:30pm – Clowning and The Theater
Monday, August 15 at 1:30pm – Clowning and Improvisation
GENERAL INFORMATION
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All performances, events and workshops take place at The Daniel Arts Center, Bard College at Simon’s Rock, 84 Alford Road in Great Barrington. 2011 Tickets to all events are $15 in advance or $20 at the door. All opening night performances are Pi¢k your Own Pri¢e, available only at the door. Ask our box office about a Season’s Pass – See all seven shows for only $75. All workshops, :30 Live! performances and EarlyStages readings are free unless otherwise noted. For directions, tickets, workshop registration, and all other information please call (413) 320-4175, e-mail us at email hidden; JavaScript is required or visit www.berkshirefringe.org.
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For photos, artist contact information and daily listings, please contact Sara Katzoff at email hidden; JavaScript is required or call 413.320.4175
May 26, 2010
BAZAAR PRODUCTIONS ANNOUNCES 6th ANNUAL BERKSHIRE FRINGE
FEATURING OVER 50 EVENTS AT TWO VENUES
For Immediate Release
Great Barrington, MA—Get your fix of artistic innovation at the Sixth Annual Berkshire Fringe featuring over 50 chances to savor mind-blowing original works of theater, dance and music by emerging artists from across the United States. The 2010 festival takes place from July 26 – August 16 in the Daniel Arts Center on the campus of Simon’s Rock. For the first time in history, the Fringe expands its programming to a second venue: Mixed Company in downtown Great Barrington.
The 2010 season hosts eight innovative theater and dance artists from as far away as Los Angeles and as close to home as Stockbridge. The action-packed three week festival also includes 30 Live!, a totally free music series; EarlyStages, a showcase of new plays by emerging local writers; and dozens of other special events including post-show artist discussions, free community workshops and a world-premiere benefit reading of Bird of Paradise, written by late Berkshire Fringe intern and collaborator, Tadd Gero.
Since 2005, Bazaar Productions/The Berkshire Fringe has hosted more than 200 emerging artists including theater companies, dance ensembles and music groups from across the country and around the corner. Hailed as ‘sassy and experimental’ by the New York Times, Bazaar Productions will once again present a diverse cross-section of original, high-quality, inter-disciplinary theater, dance and music—all at affordable prices. In 2010, each show will once again kick off with the ragingly popular “pick your own price” opening nights. Make us an offer we can’t refuse or pay what you can for each of the eight opening night performances throughout the festival. This great offer provides affordable culture to all of Berkshire county.
For the adventurous Fringe connoisseur, a “Full Fix Season’s Pass” to all eight shows is available at a discounted rate of only $95. A “Mini-Fix See3 Pass” is also available for an unbelievable $39. Individual tickets are $15.
The season lineup is as follows:
Monday, July 26
The 2010 Berkshire Fringe Gala
PRESCRIPTED! Use only as directed
Exploring artistic innovation and collaboration across disciplines, Prescriped! doses out an extraordinary evening of world premiere dance, film, theater and works of visual art all inspired by one identical script written by Berkshire Fringe co-Artistic Director Timothy Ryan Olson. Featuring cocktails, hor ‘d oeuvres, silent auction, DJ/Dancing. 7pm/8pm Tickets: $100, $50 or Pay Your Age.
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MONSTER
Created and Choreographed by Rebecca Pappas
AT THE DANIEL ARTS CENTER
At once beautiful and grotesque, awkward and delicate, Rebecca Pappas’ Monster immerses you unapologetically into a world that questions identity and shame, and what it means to be a victim and victimizer, where the fine line between human and monster grows increasingly thin.
Using four highly skilled dancers, haunting narration and an original score, Monster’s otherworldly nervous-tick creatures, high-energy choreography, and pseudo-folk dances collide to form a compelling portrait of the Jewish body.
Hailed as “compelling” and “mesmerizing” by the Los Angeles Times.
Wed Jul 28 at 8pm, Thu Jul 29 at 9pm, Fri Jul 30 at 7pm, Sat Jul 31 at 7pm, and Sun Aug 1 at 4pm.
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PI CLOWNS
AT THE DANIEL ARTS CENTER
This San Francisco based company of brilliant and quirky physical comedians delivers a giant wallop of buffoonery that will have audiences of all ages rolling on the floor.
With feats of incredible strength and acts of transcendental stupidity, the Pi Clowns take on the big questions of life (and death!) Using acrobatics, juggling, eccentric dance, live music, improvisation, and puppetry, these performers rely on the physical virtuosity of their bodies to tell their stories.
Thu Jul 29 at 7pm, Fri Jul 30 at 9pm, Sat Jul 31 at 4pm, Sun Aug 1 6:00, and Mon Aug 2 at 8pm
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QUAKE: A CLOSET LOVE STORY
A new musical about love and earthquakes, and the similarities between them
Created and Performed by Tyler Olsen and Zuzka Sabata
AT MIXED COMPANY
Joe and Hannah just broke up. Now they have to divide up years’ worth of collective belongings. But when a huge earthquake hits, they find themselves trapped in a storage closet. Can being confined to such a small space help mend the rift between them?
Part musical, part comedy and all high drama, Quake reveals the exhilaration and horror of being caught by something as powerful as love and as unpredictable as an earthquake.
Thu Jul 29 at 8pm, Fri Jul 30 at 4pm, Sat Jul 31 at 9pm, Sun Aug 1 at 8pm, and Mon Aug 2 at 6pm
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GIVE US BREAD
Created and Performed by The Anthropologists, Directed by Melissa Fendell Moschitto
AT THE DANIEL ARTS CENTER
New York, February 1917: prices for basic food items rise dramatically. Unable and unwilling to pay prices that have skyrocketed, six ordinary women band together to enforce neighborhood boycotts that soon erupt into full-scale riots.
Mixing elements of realism with stylized movement, New York based theater ensemble, The Anthropologists, presents a vivid portrait of immigrant families in the tenements of the Lower East Side. Grounded in eyewitness accounts of the riots, Give Us Bread illuminates our contemporary global hunger crisis, through the lens of our not-too-distant past.
Wed Aug 4 at 8pm, Thu Aug 5 at 9pm, Fri Aug 6 at 7pm, Sat Aug 7 at 7pm, and Sun Aug 8 at 4pm.
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VIVA LA EVOLUCION
Created and Performed by Diana Yanez, Directed by Marjorie Duffield
AT THE DANIEL ARTS CENTER
First generation Cuban performer/writer Diana Yanez (Margaret Cho’s The Sensuous Woman, Spanish For Your Nanny) makes ‘mojitos out of the limones’ of her life in this outrageous comedy of chaos, love and growing up queer and Cuban in Miami.
Yanez creates a myriad of characters, deftly portraying her mother, brother, and countless relatives, friends and neighbors.
Thu Aug 5 at 7pm, Fri Aug 6 at 9pm, Sat Aug 7 at 4pm, Sun Aug 8 at 6pm, and Mon Aug 9 at 8pm
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IT OR HER
Written by Alena Smith, Directed by Jessi D. Hill
Featuring Brian McManamon
AT MIXED COMPANY
In the basement of a home somewhere in suburbia, Andrew has devoted himself unconditionally to his incredible collection of figurines. Suffering the loss of ‘the red one” he seeks to uncover “the ultimate arrangement”, before his hideout is invaded.
A provocative dark comedy about the personal reality of a man whose repression turns to total obsession, IT or HER unfolds to reveal Andrew’s darkest secret.
Thu Aug 5 at 8pm, Fri Aug 6 at 4pm, Sat Aug 7 at 9pm, Sun Aug 8 at 8pm, and Mon Aug 9 at 6pm
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DRAW THE CIRCLE
Written and Performed by Deen, Directed by Chay Yew.
AT THE DANIEL ARTS CENTER
Draw The Circle is an intimate portrait of a traditional immigrant family’s struggle with a child who continually defies their most basic expectations of what it means to have a daughter…and one woman’s commitment to unconditional love.
This unique solo show is a heartbreaking and uplifting tale of the tenacity of love. The story is told by Deen himself, but through the eyes of his family, friends and partner as they struggle to come to terms with the evolution of a transgendered child/friend/lover. This new work comes directly from The Public Theater’s Emerging Writers Group.
Wed Aug 11 at 8pm, Thu Aug 12 at 9pm, Fri Aug 13 at 7pm, Sat Aug 14 at 9pm, and Sun Aug 15 at 7pm
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RIDGEFIELD MIDDLE SCHOOL TALENT NITE
Created and Performed by Jo Firestone and Dylan Marron
AT THE DANIEL ARTS CENTER
Ridgefield Middle School Talent Nite offers a comedic tribute of pre-pubescent proportions to the time-honored tradition of intolerable amateur talent presentations. In these hilariously sketched talent ‘acts’, 17 brave Ridgefield citizens (all played by Jo Firestone and Dylan Marron) emerge from awkward obscurity to find their rightful place in the spotlight.
Anyone who has ever been a middle-schooler is sure to recognize their best friends and worst enemies in this wild cast of brashly rendered characters trying to make their lifelong dreams come true!
Thu Aug 12 at 7pm, Fri Aug 13 at 9pm, Sat Aug 14 at 7pm, Sun Aug 15 at 9pm, and Mon Aug 16 at 8pm.
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BIRD OF PARADISE: A Staged Reading event to benefit the
TADD GERO FUND FOR EMERGING WRITERS at The Berkshire Fringe
Bird of Paradise is a full-length play written by Berkshire native Tadd Gero shortly before his death in August of 2009. A small ensemble of his collaborators and friends from across the United States gather to bring his work to the stage for the first time. All proceeds benefit the Tadd Gero Fund for Emerging writers, a scholarship established by Tadd’s family and The Berkshire Fringe dedicated to nurturing the talents of emerging playwrights in the Berkshire region. 1pm. Sliding scale admission. $10-$110. The Daniel Arts Center, Simon’s Rock, 84 Alford Rd, Great Barrington. For more information, call (413) 320-4175 or visit www.berkshirefringe.org.
Sunday, August 1 at 1pm
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FREE PROGRAMS
EARLYSTAGES
On Sunday, August 15th at 12, 1:30 and 3pm participants in the EarlyStages playwright mentorship program will present staged readings of new works. Be the first to hear these new American voices presented as three fresh, insightful and exciting world premiere staged readings. This is the culmination of a two-week residency where emerging local writers develop scripts under the guidance of Award winning writer Laura Maria Censabella. Readings directed by Keith Bulla. This event is free and will be followed by a discussion with the artists.
30 LIVE!
Free music series featuring an eclectic mix of new music, emerging composers and sonic innovators from throughout the North East. Please check website for a full line-up of bi-weekly events throughout the festival.
COMMUNITY WORKSHOPS
All workshops are FREE and take place on Saturday July 31, Monday, August 2, Saturday August 7 and Saturday August 14 at 1:30 pm in the Daniel Arts Center. Each workshop is taught by Berkshire Fringe festival artists and is open to participants of all backgrounds and levels of experience ages 16-96! Space is limited and early registration is strongly recommended. Please call 413-320-4175 for more information.
GENERAL INFORMATION
All performances, events and workshops take place at The Daniel Arts Center, Bard College at Simon’s Rock, 84 Alford Road in Great Barrington, MA unless otherwise noted. Performances of Quake and IT or HER will take place at Mixed Company, 37 Rossetter Street in Great Barrington. Tickets are $15 to all main events and $ Pick your Own Price for all opening night performances. Ask our box office about a Season’s Pass – See all eight shows for only $95 or choose any three shows for $39. All workshops, :30 Live! performances and EarlyStages readings are free. For directions, tickets, workshop registration, and all other information please call (413) 320-4175, e-mail us at email hidden; JavaScript is required or visit www.berkshirefringe.org.
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Artist Opportunity/Call For Submissions: Sixth Annual Berkshire Fringe Seeks Dynamic New Works for the Stage
October 1, 2009
Great Barrington, MA
Great Barrington, MA- Want to get in on the Fringe? Bazaar Productions has announced its open artist application to sixth annual Berkshire Fringe. Hailed as ‘Sassy and Experimental’ by The New York Times, The Berkshire Fringe has been a hotbed for new work and ideas since its inception in 2005. Held in late July and August, the 2010 festival will feature three weeks of mind-blowing theater, dance, music and multi-media performances by emerging artists from across the United States.
For the last six years, Bazaar Productions and The Berkshire Fringe have filled a niche in the local cultural community by hosting over 200 emerging performers and presenting nearly 50 full length original works that have blended genres, boasted new styles and delved into traditions underrepresented in the mainstream. Past performers have ranged from award winning Fringe veterans to those who are relatively unknown. Each performer has been given equal footing and an opportunity to flourish in a fresh, exciting and professional atmosphere.
In 2010, six companies or individuals will be invited to participate. All artists receive a state of the art theater space, housing, assistance with marketing and publicity, extensive support from technical and front of house staff and half of their box office sales. Bazaar Productions is solely dedicated to presenting new works at affordable ticket prices while focusing funds and resources to create an exemplary experience for all participants.
Perspective artists may visit www.berkshirefringe.org for more information and to obtain an application guidelines. Inquiries can also be answered by e-mailing co-artistic director Sara Katzoff at email hidden; JavaScript is required or calling the offices of Bazaar Productions at (413) 320-4175. The deadline for submission is January 15, 2010. All applications must be postmarked by January 15.
The 2010 Berkshire Fringe is made possible through the generosity of Bard College at Simon’s Rock and grants from the Massachusetts Cultural Council
Transcript of Sara Katzoff’s speech from the 2009
She’s Got Moxie Awards Ceremony
March 13, 2009
Founder’s Theater, Shakespeare & Company
“…I know this is a somewhat ridiculous little thing but I still get genuinely surprised when people have heard of the Berkshire Fringe… You know, it takes a bit of time to adjust to the fact that this little idea that once rattled around inside my head has transformed into a full blown cultural enterprise….that is turning 5 years old this summer!
I like to tell people that I spent my junior year of College “abroad”…. In California because my impression of culture there was so radically different then anything I had experienced while living on the East Coast. While I was a student and performer living out there and attending The Dell’Arte School, I experienced an incredibly exciting synthesis between theater and the community that it was being created and presented in. Attending a performance was as common and accessible as stopping by the local bar for a beer or going the movies. It was just what you did-a natural part of the social language that everyone participated in. The work was really topical, contemporary and often outrageous and fun. Artists and audiences discussed it together and there really wasn’t a 4th wall in sight. So, this idea that performance could be a current, emerging and evolving dialog really inspired me.. and I thought “hay… I want to start a festival of new work in my community…” and thus, the Berkshire Fringe was born. Well it wasn’t quite that easy..
As someone who still gets a little misty eyed when I see our advertisements in Berkshires Week, I can’t tell you how incredibly moving and humbling it is to be acknowledged in this way as part of the first ever Berkshire Festival of Women in The Arts. I am deeply, honored to be recognized alongside such incredible women and indelible creative forces within our community.
However, I can’t stand here before all of you without acknowledging the colossal presence of my two positively heroic counterparts…. Peter Wise and Ryan Olson who are absolutely the most incredible, brave, and insanely dedicated human beings that I have ever known. If it wasn’t for them, the Fringe would still be just an idea rattling around inside my head.
Building this unique festival here in the Berkshires has been a complete and total pro-bono labor of love. I can’t think of two other people on earth who I would rather create with, administrate with, update databases with, and even on occasion, paint a theater floor with at 4am…[true story]
When we started this company, I was 22 years old. Peter was 24 and Ryan was 25. Everyone thought that we were the interns (and many continue to think this…) We were all incredibly passionate, dedicated and confidence despite the fact that we had absolutely no idea what we were doing, whatsoever. But we learned and grew and really figured out how to work together as a true administrative collective… and the one thing that really guided us was this awareness of how important it was for us to build a space for emerging artists and to establish a safe testing ground for new work.
All of this leads me to the very important question of why we do what we do… why we have continued to donate our lives to building this festival for our community and why it is so significant for me, that you have recognized our work.
Last week a friend of mine invited me to speak on an arts panel at the Galitan School at NYU. One of the artists there was speaking with me about the incredible challenges and obstacles she has is facing right now an emerging performer…lack of funding, resources, time…. not only in order to create the work, but to just to find a space, any space… an abandoned storefront, a warehouse, a parking lot where she could be supported in presenting it. Her overall impression was that it is a particularly fearful, daunting and often impossible time to be an emerging artist….I don’t want this to be her experience and I am really honored to have started a festival that is dedicated to changing it.
I am not sure that there has ever been an easy time to be an artist…but I strongly believe that sustaining a community where creative risks can be embraced and celebrated is more important than ever. I believe that it is a challenging time to be any type of human being and it is absolutely essential that we all work together to find ways to thrive as a creative society. We need artists to keep making and presenting work. We need to support them so that they can nourish us with a unique perspective, expand our conversation and engage us directly with the human moment that is happening right now. So making sure that all of that happens is where I get my Moxie… I guess.
Over the last 4 seasons, the Berkshire Fringe has hosted over 150 emerging artists and ensembles. I am incredibly proud that more then half of these artists have been brilliant women who have not only been performers performers but directors, writers, collaborators, composers, technicians and designers of every sort. After many years of presenting work and nurturing artists from across the country, we are also embarking on an incredible creative journey of our own in mounting our first full length production as an ensemble theater company: So keep your ears peeled for an upcoming announcement about the world premier of Iris Daughterman’s The Waypoint in the fall of 2009.
It has been an incredibly fruitful five years and Peter, Ryan and I certainly haven’t done all of this alone. There are a few very special thanks that I need to make:
First of all to Jenny Browdy de Hernendez and Eugenie Sills for establishing this wonderful celebration.
To Bard College at Simon’s Rock for their incredible support and for providing the Berkshire Fringe with a home
To my family, Howard Katzoff, Marguerite De Santis and David Katzoff (happy birthday!) for their love and support
To the Wise family, for their incredible generosity in allowing us to take over their cars, living room, sewing machines, dinner table, guest bedrooms, boat, barn…you name it!
To Karen Beaumont-an incredible woman who first nurtured my own voice as an emerging artist and who continues to support our every step.
To Emma, Hilary, Karen, Karen, Kylie, David and all the members of our advisory board for their wisdom, generosity, and dedication to this project from the very beginning. Thank you all for taking a risk on us!
To our growing community of audiences, businesses and fellow arts organizations who have embraced our work
And lastly, to the Moxie of all of the emerging artists that we continue to celebrate at our festival. This is truly for them and I really, really, encourage all of you to come out and support us and their work at the 2009 Berkshire Fringe this July and August.
Thank you….”
If you would like to view additional releases and announcements from 2005-2008, please contact Sara Katzoff at email hidden; JavaScript is required