Tara Franklin News

The fourth annual Berkshire Theatre Critics Awards (aka The Berkies) were handed out on a chilly Monday evening, November 11, 2019, at Zion Lutheran Church in Pittsfield, MA. Eligible for nomination were 105 productions from the past year, presented at more than three dozen venues in Western Massachusetts, New York, Vermont and Connecticut, all within a fifty-mile radius of the borders of Berkshire County.

At an SRO ceremony held at Zion Lutheran Church in Pittsfield, the Board of the Berkshire Theatre Critics Association (BTCA) presented the Berkshire Theatre Awards on the evening of Monday, November 11, 2019. This was the fourth year the awards have been presented to honor and celebrate the excellence and diversity of theatre in the greater Berkshire region.

Chester Theatre Company (CTC) presents Martín Zimmerman's On the Exhale July 25-August 4. First preview is July 25 at 2:00pm, and the opening is July 25 at 8:00pm. Written in the wake of the Sandy Hook school shooting, the play takes a unique look at the issues surrounding guns and gun violence in America. The production stars CTC Associate Artistic Director and Berkshire native Tara Franklin.

Co-founded by Vincent Dowling and H. Newman Marsh in 1990 with the belief that every town should have a professional theatre, Chester Theatre Company (formerly The Miniature Theatre of Chester) prepares to celebrate its landmark 30th Season with four works, each a New England Premiere.

Tara Franklin, well-known to area audiences for her stage work (including Bar Mitzvah Boy, White Rabbit, Red Rabbit, and Sister Play at Chester Theatre Company) has joined the staff of the organization in a dual role, that of Associate Artistic Director/Director of Education. Additionally, this summer she will appear in Martin Zimmerman's On the Exhale, a one-woman tour-de-force written in the wake of the events at Sandy Hook.

Producing Artistic Director Daniel Elihu Kramer has chosen to begin the season with the New York Drama Critics' Circle Best Play Winner The Night Alive, written by Irish playwright Conor McPherson, as a tribute to CTC's co-founder, Vincent Dowling, who served as Artistic Director of Dublin's Abbey Theatre in the late 80s, and who helmed CTC from its founding until 1995.

Co-founded by Vincent Dowling and H. Newman Marsh in 1990 with the belief that every town should have a professional theatre, Chester Theatre Company (formerly The Miniature Theatre of Chester) prepares to celebrate its landmark 30th Season with four works, each a New England Premiere. 

Hailed as one of the great playwrights of all-time, Nobel Prize-winner Luigi Pirandello's Naked, in a new version by Nicholas Wright, delves deep into the struggle of self-identity, and the tendency to skew reality to benefit desires of the heart. Directed by Eric Hill (BTG: At Home at the Zoo, The Homecoming, Poe), Naked follows the story of a woman, in the midst of questioning her existence, as the men around her impose their view of her into the world.

At each turn, characters undergo significant changes in personality, demeanor, and motivation. It can be both exhilarating and at times slightly confusing for audience members to watch the characters twist along with the plot. It is rewarding, however, as we are entertained by an exploration of the psychological defense of denial along the journey to one's truth.

Written by Nobel Prize Award-winner Luigi Pirandello, in a new version by Nicholas Wright, Naked begins performances Today, September 27 at 7pm at The Unicorn Theatre in Stockbridge, MA. Opening night is set for Saturday, September 29 at 7pm. Directed by Eric Hill (BTG: At Home at the Zoo, The Homecoming, Poe), the production features: David Adkins (Homeland BTG: The Petrified Forest, At Home at the Zoo) as Alfredo Cantavalle; Haley Aguero (BTG: Tarzan, The Music Man) as Emma; James Barry (Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson BTG: The Caretaker, The Who's Tommy) as Franco Laspiga; Jeffrey Doornbos (A Thousand Miles Behind) as Consul Grotti; Tara Franklin (Sleep No More BTG: At Home at the Zoo, The Homecoming) as Ersilia Drei; Barbara Sims (A Streetcar Named Desire BTG: Benefactors) as Signora Onoria; and Obie and Drama Desk Award-winner, Rocco Sisto (The King and I BTG: The Homecoming) as Ludovico Nota. This production is sponsored by Lead Sponsor, Bobbie Hallig; Furlano and Arace, PC; The Westifeld News Group; Massachusetts Cultural Council and The Shubert Foundation.

Written by Nobel Prize Award-winner Luigi Pirandello, in a new version by Nicholas Wright, Naked begins performances Thursday, September 27 at 7pm at The Unicorn Theatre in Stockbridge, MA. Opening night is set for Saturday, September 29 at 7pm. Directed by Eric Hill (BTG: At Home at the Zoo, The Homecoming, Poe), the production features: David Adkins (Homeland BTG: The Petrified Forest, At Home at the Zoo) as Alfredo Cantavalle; Haley Aguero (BTG: Tarzan, The Music Man) as Emma; James Barry (Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson BTG: The Caretaker, The Who's Tommy) as Franco Laspiga; Jeffrey Doornbos (A Thousand Miles Behind) as Consul Grotti; Tara Franklin (Sleep No More BTG: At Home at the Zoo, The Homecoming) as Ersilia Drei; Barbara Sims (A Streetcar Named Desire BTG: Benefactors) as Signora Onoria; and Obie and Drama Desk Award-winner, Rocco Sisto (The King and I BTG: The Homecoming) as Ludovico Nota. This production is sponsored by Lead Sponsor, Bobbie Hallig; Furlano and Arace, PC; The Westifeld News Group; Massachusetts Cultural Council and The Shubert Foundation.

Chester Theatre Company (CTC) presents the American Premiere of Mark Leiren-Young's Bar Mitzvah Boy in Town Hall Theatre, 15 Middlefield Road in Chester, MA from June 21 through July 1, 2018.  

Chester Theatre Company (CTC) presents the American Premiere of Mark Leiren-Young's Bar Mitzvah Boy in Town Hall Theatre, 15 Middlefield Road in Chester, MA from June 21 through July 1, 2018.  

Berkshire Theatre Group has announced casting for the 90th Anniversary Season. BroadwayWorld has the full list of upcoming productions and their casts below!

Chester Theatre Company has announced its 2018 summer season which is set for June 21 to August 19. More performances, an American Premiere, a special theatre event, and the return of many favorite artists mark CTC's 29th season.

Producing Artistic Director Daniel Elihu Kramer has announced Chester Theatre Company's 2018 Summer Season, which will feature an American Premiere, a Pulitzer Prize winning play, and a play written by a Pulitzer Prize winner and 2017 MacArthur Fellow.

Berkshire Theatre Group (BTG) presents Pulitzer Prize-winning American playwright, Edward Albee's (Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and The Goat, or Who is Sylvia?), At Home at the Zoo (Zoo story), directed by Eric Hill (BTG: The Homecoming, Thoreau or, Return to Walden; Poe), and featuring David Adkins (BTG: Thoreau or, Return to Walden; Poe), Joey Collins (The Glass Menagerie; BTG: The Homecoming) and Tara Franklin (BTG: The Homecoming, Lion in Winter, Equus). At Home at the Zoo (Zoo story) runs from July 19 through August 26 at The Unicorn Theatre in Stockbridge, MA. Opening night is set for Today, July 22.

Berkshire Theatre Group (BTG) presents Pulitzer Prize-winning American playwright, Edward Albee's (Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and The Goat, or Who is Sylvia?), At Home at the Zoo (Zoo story), directed by Eric Hill (BTG: The Homecoming, Thoreau or, Return to Walden; Poe), and featuring David Adkins (BTG: Thoreau or, Return to Walden; Poe), Joey Collins (The Glass Menagerie; BTG: The Homecoming) and Tara Franklin (BTG: The Homecoming, Lion in Winter, Equus). At Home at the Zoo (Zoo story) runs from July 19 through August 26 at The Unicorn Theatre in Stockbridge, MA. Opening night is set for Saturday, July 22.

Berkshire Theatre Group announces the final production of its upcoming 2017 Summer Season will be Mark Medoff's Tony, Outer Critics Circle and Drama Desk Award-winning play, Children of a Lesser God, which began performances on Thursday, June 22 at The Fitzpatrick Main Stage. Opening night is set for tonight, June 24 at 8pm.

Berkshire Theatre Group announces the final production of its upcoming 2017 Summer Season will be Mark Medoff's Tony, Outer Critics Circle and Drama Desk Award-winning play, Children of a Lesser God, which will begin performances on Thursday, June 22 at The Fitzpatrick Main Stage. Opening night is set for Saturday, June 24 at 8pm.