Berkshire Theatre Festival’s schedule for the 2010 season, its 82nd season of theatre in Stockbridge, MA, will feature plays by William Shakespeare, Macbeth; Samuel Beckett, Waiting for Godot; and Edward Albee, A Delicate Balance; plus two musicals, The Last Five Years, Music and Lyrics by Jason Robert Brown, and Babes in Arms, Music by Richard Rodgers, Lyrics by Lorenz Hart, Book by George Oppenheimer.
Opening Nights at Berkshire Theatre Festival also are Press Nights and will take place this year on Saturdays for all performances. BTF Main Stage performances are Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings at 8pm, Wednesdays at 7pm, with 2pm matinees on Thursdays and Saturdays. Tickets range from $15 to $63.
The Last Five Years – BTF Main Stage – June 22 – July 10, 2010
- Music and Lyrics by Jason Robert Brown
- Directed by Anders Cato
- Previews: June 22, 23, 24, 25, 26
- Opening Night/Press Night: June 26
- Closes: July 10
A twist in time and a boldly contemporary score give fresh perspective to the classic boy-meets-girl tale in Tony-winning composer Jason Robert Brown’s bittersweet musical romance. Lovers Jamie and Cathy tell their stories in mirrored chronology- he from the beginning, she from the end. The result is an intimate chronicle of a modern relationship from the first thrilling meeting through the struggles of married life. Fueled by the energy, passion, and humor of Brown’s unique melodies, The Last Five Years is a moving portrait of two people fighting the universal struggle for love.
The Guardsman – BTF Main Stage – July 13 – 31, 2010
- by Ferenc Molnár
- Directed by John Rando
- With Jayne Atkinson, Richard Easton, and Michel Gill
- Previews: July 13, 14, 15, 16, 17
- Opening Night/Press Night: July 17
- Closes: July 31
Terrified that his wife is bound for infidelity, an actor decides to test her loyalty by doing what he does best: putting on a character. And so begins The Guardsman, a hilarious tale of treachery, deception, and assumed identities that has inspired three separate films. The actor’s charade grows more and more complicated as he realizes that the Guardsman is a harder role to tackle than he ever could have imagined. Witty, charming, and delightfully clever, The Guardsman is packed with twists from beginning to end.
Macbeth – BTF Main Stage – August 3 – 14, 2010
- by William Shakespeare
- Directed by Eric Hill
- With Brandy Caldwell, Jeremy Davidson, Keira Naughton, and C.J. Wilson
- Previews: August 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
- Opening Night/Press Night: August 7
- Closes: August 14
One man’s struggle with his own blind ambition sparks a firestorm of blood and betrayal in William Shakespeare’s cautionary masterpiece. Macbeth himself is an anti-hero for the ages, conflicted and complex, at once a victim and a monster. The plot is action-packed and furiously paced, racing toward a haunting conclusion. Source to some of Shakespeare’s most famous words of wisdom, Macbeth carries a message that resonates clearly beyond time and place.
A Delicate Balance – BTF Main Stage – August 17 – Sept. 4, 2010
- by Edward Albee
- Directed by David Auburn
- Previews: August 17, 18, 19, 20, 21
- Opening Night/Press Night: August 21
- Closes: September 4
Agnes and Tobias, a 50-something couple, want nothing more than to be left alone. However, they are saddled with Agnes’s alcoholic sister. When their daughter returns home as a result of her fourth divorce and their best friends seek asylum from some unnamed fear, tensions fray and every relationship in the house threatens to fall apart. An examination of the intricate web we all create among our friends and family and how easily it can all fall apart, A Delicate Balance sings with Edward Albee’s trademark lyricism and insight. This Pulitzer Prize-winning play is poignant, incisive, and funny.
Annie – BTF Main Stage – Sept. 10 – 18, 2010
- Book by Thomas Meehan, lyrics by Martin Charnin, music by Charles Strouse
- Directed by E. Gray Simons III and Travis G. Daly
- With the Berkshire Theatre Festival Children’s Theatre Company
- This show is not open to review
- To benefit BTF PLAYS! Berkshire Theatre Festival’s year-round education program
Berkshire Theatre Festival has received a 2010 Access to Artistic Excellence grant of $10,000 from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), in support of BTF’s Children’s Theatre Company production, Annie, featuring over 120 Berkshire area students and adults. Performances, on the BTF Main Stage: September 10 at 7:30pm, September 11 at 2pm and 7:30pm, September 12 at 2pm, September 17 and 18 at 7:30pm – Tickets $10-$25.
Berkshire Theatre Festival, Unicorn Theatre schedule 2010 season
Berkshire Theatre Festival’s Unicorn Theatre performances are Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings at 8pm; Wednesday evening at 7pm; with 2pm matinees on Thursdays and Saturdays, except as noted below. Prices range from $15 to $44.
BTF Unicorn Theatre – K2 – June 17 – July 3, 2010
- by Patrick Meyers
- Directed by Wes Grantom
- Previews: June 17, 18
- Opening Night/Press Night: June19
- Closes: July 3
At 27,000 feet, a single rope can mean the difference between death and survival. Trapped on a ledge beyond reach of rescue, a man struggles frantically to save himself and his injured partner. With time, the elements, and faltering hope working against them, the men turn to each other in a desperate attempt to grasp their situation. K2 is a survival story with a deep emotional core, a gripping tale of two men whose lives and souls are threatened by the unforgiving mountainside around them, filled with what the New York Times calls “that tingling sensation of traveling beyond the rim of experience – of holding on to life at its highest peak.”
BTF Unicorn Theatre – Endgame – July 6 – 24, 2010
- by Samuel Beckett
- Directed by Eric Hill with David Chandler and Randy Harrison
- with David Chandler and Randy Harrison
- Previews: July 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
- Opening Night/Press Night: July 10
- Closes: July 24
If there’s anyone to find humor in the world’s dying breaths, it’s Samuel Beckett. Following the success of BTF’s 2008 production of Waiting for Godot, Endgame presents an absurdist’s vision of a future where time and reason are little more than suggestions, with characters as memorable as they are miserable. And wrapped up in the hilarity, in true Beckett style, is a brutally honest commentary on life and death. Never has “The End” seemed so bizarre – or so incredibly funny.
David Chandler (Clov) has been seen on Broadway in Lost in Yonkers, Death of a Salesman, and American Clock. Previous BTF acting credits include The Einstein Project and A Man for All Seasons. Randy Harrison (Nag) is returning for his sixth season in Stockbridge. He is best known for his work on the American TV series Queer as Folk. He has been seen on Broadway in Wicked and recently appeared as Andy Warhol in the world premiere of the musical Pop! at Yale Rep. His BTF acting credits include Ghosts, Waiting for Godot, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Amadeus, and Equus.
BTF Unicorn Theatre – Babes in Arms – July 27 – August 28, 2010
- Music by Richard Rodgers, Lyrics by Lorenz Hart, Book by George Oppenheimer
- Directed by E. Gray Simons III
- Previews: July 27, 28, 28, 30, 31
- Opening Night/Press Night: July 31
- Closes: August 28
N.B. – all Friday performances for Babes in Arms are at 7pm.
The song list for this high-spirited musical reads like a Greatest Hits for writers Rodgers and Hart: The Lady Is A Tramp, My Funny Valentine, Johnny One Note. Babes in Arms, the original “let’s put on a musical” musical, tells the story of a few determined teens and their fight to keep their independence by producing their own show, turning out great song after great song along the way and inspiring the classic film starring Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland.
Presented by the Unicorn Company, the same group that brought you Candide, The Who’s Tommy and Assassins, Babes in Arms is packed with laughs, music, and youthful exuberance – pure entertainment with a heart so big, it sings.
E. Gray Simons III is the Artistic Associate of Education at BTF. For the past fifteen years he has been acting, writing, and directing for the BTF PLAYS! program. He has also been the principle instructor for the Summer Performance Training ApprenticeProgram since 2001. His previous BTF directing credits include Peter Pan, Oliver!, and Where Has Tommy Flowers Gone?
BTF Unicorn Theatre – No Wake – September 1 – October 24, 2010
- by William Donnelly
- Directed by Kyle Fabel
- Previews: September 1, 2, 3, 4
- Opening Night/Press Night: September 4
- Closes: October 24
N.B. – From September 1-4: Wednesday at 7pm, Thursday-Saturday at 8pm, Saturday and Sunday at 2pm. There is no matinee on Thursday, September 2. There will be no performances from September 6- 29. From September 30-October 24: Thursday- Saturday at 7pm, Saturday and Sunday at 2pm.
World Premiere! An estranged couple struggles to cope with the death of their daughter in William Donnelly’s world premiere play. Edward and Rebecca have moved on since their divorce – she to a new husband and he to a series of failed relationships. However, when an unexpected tragedy brings them back together, they’re forced to navigate a web of grief and guilt that leads to tears, laughter, and, ultimately, hope. At once deeply touching and filled with humor, No Wake takes an honest look at the grieving process and the unexpected consequences it can bring.
Kyle Fabel recently directed the highly regarded production of Tranced and the critically acclaimed Fabuloso for Merrimack Repertory Theatre. A graduate of NYU’s MFA acting program, Kyle has also appeared as an actor with BTF in The Einstein Project, The Illusion, and Four Dogs and a Bone.
Berkshire Theatre Festival tickets and contact info:
PO Box 797, Stockbridge, MA 01262
Box Office – 413-298-5576 ext. 33
website: BerkshireTheatre.org
e-mail: info@berkshiretheatre.org
Full-time Berkshire residents get 20% off to all season performances in the Main Stage and Unicorn Theatres; Saturday nights in the Main Stage excepted.
Children under 18 get $15 tickets to all season shows, Saturday nights excluded. Students 19-25 with valid ID receive $20 tickets to all shows, again Saturday nights excluded.