Handbill & Callboard:
June Theater Productions and Call for Auditions in Western MA

Support a love for theater with these featured June theater productions in Western MA! A great way to engage in your community while supporting an interest in theater studies.

Performances include world premier musical at St. Germain Stage in Pittsfield, Shakespeare and contemporary drama at Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre in Lenox, radio theater at Theatre 14 in Northampton, adult comedy at East Meadow School in Granby, theater festival at Art Block in Greenfield, and world premiere contemporary theater at Boyd-Quinson Mainstage in Pittsfield!

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Now through June 5, 2016
WORLD PREMIER/MUSICAL: Presto Change-O. This exciting new musical features a star-studded cast that includes Tony Award winner Michael Rupert (Broadway’s Falsettos, On The Town), Tony Award nominee Jarrod Spector (Broadway’s Beautiful: The Carole King Musical), Tony Award nominee Barbara Walsh (Broadway’s Company), Jenni Barber (Broadway’s Wicked), Bob Walton (Broadway’s 42nd Street), and Lenny Wolpe (Broadway’s The Drowsy Chaperone, Wicked). Presto Change-O tells the story of three generations of magicians who find themselves under one roof for the first time in years. When the grandfather causes real magic to happen, they must confront their past mistakes and re-examine what it means to be a family. The show is presented by the Barrington Stage Company and performances will be held on the St. Germain Stage. 413-236-8888. 36 Linden Street, Pittsfield, MA. ($$$)

Now through June 30, 2016
SHAKESPEARE/POLITICAL COMEDY: The Taming of the Shrew. Come join Shakespeare & Company as they kick off their summer season with a new spin on a Shakespearean classic! This heightened and cheerful rendition of The Taming of the Shrew spanks America’s sound-bite politics, wrestles with a Shakespeare-inspired, playful and problematic battle of the sexes, and proves the point that true debate is hot. In a hilarious red-state versus blue-state comedy, America’s overheated political rhetoric is exposed through the passions of three slightly insane women who just might be revolutionary geniuses. This show is sure to entertain audiences as it weaves the inspiration of classic Shakespeare into the modern political and social landscape. Performances will be held in the Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre at Shakespeare & Co. 413-637-3353. 70 Kemble Street, Lenox, MA. ($$)

Saturday, June 4. 7pm
LOCAL CULTURE/RADIO THEATER: Life in the (413). Come help kick off New Century Theatre’s 2016 summer season with a toast and roast of life inside our 413 area code! Laugh and celebrate our collective Western Massachusetts home towns with six original tales by local authors presented as old-time radio theater. Life in the (413) honors local culture and shines a spotlight on what makes our community so vibrant and unique! This one-night-only performance will be held in Theatre 14, Mendenhall Center for Performing Arts at Smith College. 413-585-2787. Northampton, MA. ($$$)

June 9 through June 12, 2016
ADULT COMEDY/BROADWAY: Moon Over Buffalo. The Black Cat Theater presents their Spring adult comedy directed by Donald Beach. In the make-up comedy tradition of ‘Lend Me A Tenor’, the hilarious Moon Over Buffalo centers on George and Charlotte Hay, fading stars of the1950’s. On the brink of a disastrous split up caused by George’s dalliance with a young ingénue, they receive word that they might have just one last shot at stardom: Frank Capra is coming to town to see their matinee, and if he likes what he sees, he might cast them in his movie remake of ‘The Scarlet Pimpernel’. Unfortunately for George and Charlotte, everything that could go wrong does go wrong in this 1995 Broadway hit that is sure to delight audiences and incite raucous laughter! Please note that this show is recommended for mature audiences only. Veterans and military receive free admission. To reserve your ticket, please call 413-563-6023 or email blackcattheater@gmail.com. Performances will be held at East Meadow School, 393 East State Street, Granby, MA. ($$)

Friday, June 10 & Saturday, June 11, 2016
THEATER FESTIVAL/ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES: Full Disclosure Festival. Eggtooth Productions presents The Full Disclosure Festival, which explores the impact of human behavior on the environment. The theme of this event is AGAINST THE CURRENT: HUMAN IMPACT UPON PLACE. A centerpiece of the Festival is Emma Ayres’ new production of The Water Project, a music theater piece about the expropriation of towns to create the Quabbin Reservoir. Her work blends the history of the disincorporation and destruction, in April 1938, of four towns in Franklin County with our present conflicts with power, politics, and natural resources. The Full Disclosure Festival will also feature poetry readings, spoken word with dance, and immersive theater. Come see what happens when climatologists, anthropologists, and historians collaborate with artists to find new ways to express what we know and what we don’t know about the state of our earth past, present, and future. Performance schedules and maps can be found online. The festival will take place at the Art Block on Main Street. 413-522-1445. Main Street, Greenfield, MA. ($$)

June 16 through June 29, 2016
CONTEMPORARY DRAMA/MILITARY: Ugly Lies the Bone. This timely and humorous new drama, Ugly Lies the Bone, follows the story of Jess, a combat veteran who returns home to Florida after three tours in Afghanistan. Bearing deep physical and emotional scars, Jess embarks on a journey of healing through innovative, experimental video game therapy that offers an escape from her excrutiating pain. But can virtual reality help Jess come to terms with the altered reality of her hometown, relationships, and dreams? Winner of the Woodward/Newman Award and the Laurents/Hatcher Citation of Excellence, this play boldly explores the concepts of reality with a perspective that’s both humorous and profoundly moving. Performances will be held in the Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre at Shakespeare & Co. 413-637-3353. 70 Kemble Street, Lenox, MA. ($$)

June 17 through July 9, 2016
WORLD PREMIERE/CONTEMPORARY THEATER: American Son. Winner of the prestigious 2016 Laurents/Hatcher Foundation Award for Best Play, American Son examines our nation’s racial divide as seen through the eyes of an estranged biracial couple. Over the course of a tense night, the couple’s disparate backgrounds collide as they confront an unexpected crisis involving the police and their missing 18-year old son. This new work is a timely and important play on race in present-day America. Performed on the Boyd-Quinson Mainstage at the Barrington Stage Company. 413-236-8888. 30 Union Street, Pittsfield, MA ($$)

Find more theater productions across the region on our
Theater Bulletin Board!

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AUDITIONS

June 1 through June 5, 2016
AUDITIONS/LOCAL ACTORS WANTED: Majestic Theater 2016-2017 Season Auditions. The Majestic Theater is seeking the talent of local actors to fill the many roles available in their upcoming season. Actors will be auditioned for parts in the following productions: “Million Dollar Quartet” (classic rock and roll musical), “Love, Loss, and What I Wore” (comedy), “Amadeus” (classical drama), “Painting Churches” (contemporary drama), and “La Cage aux Folles” (musical). Auditions are scheduled in 10 minute time slots. Performers who are new to the Majestic should prepare a monologue of their choice and, if singing, bring an instrumental CD as well as a picture and resume. All actors will be asked to read from prepared script selections. To book an audition, please call the Majestic Theater at 413-747-7797. Auditions and performances will be held at the Majestic Theater. 131 Elm Street, West Springfield, MA.

*Submission Deadline Extended: October 1, 2016
PLAYWRIGHTS OF COLOR/COMPETITION: New Play Competition: Call for Plays by Playwrights of Color. The Silverthorne Theater Company is sponsoring a competition to select a new play by a local playwright of color for possible production during the 2017 season. Local writer and actor Kent Alexander stated that, “Given the astonishing range of theater being made by people of color all over the country, the reluctance of many theaters to walk the walk they talk is increasingly at odds with the reality of American theater as a whole.” Silverthorne Theater president Lucinda Kidder added, “We consider it a fundamental part of Silverthorne’s artistic mission to draw from the entire pool of talented writers, actors, designers and technicians who work, live, and enrich our region with their cultural and ethnic diversity.” Complete information about the contest may be found by visiting the Silverthorne Theater Company website. New submission deadline is October 1, 2016.

Find more theater productions across the region on our
Theater Bulletin Board!