The Springfield Symphony Youth Orchestras, under the auspices of The Springfield Symphony Orchestra, present their 81st Season Finale at Symphony Hall, on May 18. The afternoon will feature the Springfield Youth Camerata, a beginning strings group under the baton of Capella Sherwood. Additionally, the concert features the Springfield Youth Sinfonia, the intermediate orchestral group, under the baton of Matthew Bertuzzi. The Springfield Youth Sinfonia will feature works including Camille Saint-Saens’ Allegro Appassionato, showcasing cellist Lily Aron. The advanced ensemble, the Springfield Youth Orchestra, under the baton of Jonathan Lam, will also feature a concerto winner — Kabalevsky’s Violin Concerto with soloist Eli Ferris. The newest ensemble, the Springfield Youth Voces, a symphonic choir under the baton of Amanda Johnson, will join both the SYS and the SYO for the choral portions of the concert. For details: https://tinyurl.com/2znmsuej.
Williamstown Theatre Festival announced that Pamela Anderson will appear in Tennessee Williams “Camino Real” joined by Nicholas Alexander Chavez. The play will be directed by Dustin Wills. Another upcoming Williams’ production for WTF will be “Not About Nightingales” starring Brian Geraghty, William Jackson Harper, Sydney Lemmon, and Chris Messina. For details: wtfestival.org/seasons/2025.
The Springfield Symphony Chorus will give its annual spring concert, this year titled All Things Spring on May 10, at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church, in Holyoke. All proceeds from the event will benefit The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts. For details: springfieldsymphony.org.
Silverthorne Theater will present two plays this summer on the Hampshire College campus. Jordan Harrison’s The Amateurs, a Pulitzer Prize finalist, will be staged by Gina Kaufmann, runs June 12-22. The cast includes: Sabine Denise Jacques, Caleb Koval, Gabe Levey, Sam Samuels*, Mayte Sarmiento, and Patrick Toole. Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ “The Comeuppance,” directed by Cordelia Winter Dwyer runs July 18-27. The cast includes Sandra Blaney*, Kyle Boatwright, Gabriel CiFuentes, Tahmie Der, and JC Santiago. For details: silverthornetheater.org.
Maizy Broderick Scarpa. (SUBMITTED)The Westfield News
Great Barrington Public Theater has announced the cast and creatives for the world premiere of Maggie Kearnan’s “How to Not Save The World with Jeff Bezos,” a play developed at Boston’s Playwrights Theatre. Noah Alexis Tuleja plays Bezos, Shai Vaknine is the “Fact Checker,” and Eliza Fichter plays a journalist. The play runs June 5-22. Their Berkshire Voices series has two upcoming programs, a May 6 reading of “The Play Where Nothing Happens” by Maizy Broderick Scarpa, and directed by Leigh Strimbeck. On May 22, “Ocean Walk” by Gianfranco Lentini, directed by Jonathon Loy, will be read. Both readings will take place at St. James Place in Great Barrington. For details: greatbarringtonpublictheater.org.
Gianfranco Lentini. (SUBMITTED)The Westfield News
Broadway returns to PBS’ “Great Performances” in May. The line-up includes “Next to Normal” on May 9, with Caissie Levy, Jamie Parker, Jack Wolfe and Eleanor Worthington-Cox. On May 16, it’s David Henry Hwang’s comedy “Yellow Face.” “The Girl From The North Country,” which features a Bob Gylan score, streams on Mat 23; and the season ends on May 30, with Stephanie J. Block in “Kiss Me Kate.” Check local listings.
Gary Gulman, stand-up comic and author, has been added to the Mahaiwe in Great Barrington on July 31. For details: mahaiwe.org.
Bruce Hornsby. (SUBMITTED)The Westfield News
Bruce Hornsby, accompanied by “yMusic Present BrhyM” wrap up the UMass Fine Arts Center season on May 9. For details: fac.umass.edu/Online/default.asp.
The Weekend: A Stockbridge Story, a new play by Ben Diskant, will have its world premiere at Barrington Stage Company this fall. Alan Paul will direct. The previously announced “The Yom Kippur Play” has been postponed. For details: barringtonstageco.org.
The Hanover Theatre and Conservatory for the Performing Arts in Worcester has announced its 2025-2026 Broadway season, which includes the musicals Six, Chicago, STOMP, The Music Man and an additional musical to be announced. The Hanover also announced its first ever subscription series for dance in the 2025-2026 season. The transformative series will include four distinct and diverse dance companies, Parsons Dance, Complexions Contemporary Ballet, Cirque Kalabanté, and presented in collaboration with Music Worcester, Dance Theatre of Harlem. For details: the hanovertheatre.org.
Berkshire Film & Media Collaborative (BFMC) hosts a spring networking event on Tuesday, May 13, from 5:30–8 p.m. at the historic Ventfort Hall in Lenox, MABFMC’s networking events bring together filmmakers, editors, technicians, educators, and media professionals from across the region to share ideas, find collaborators, and spark new creative projects. Admission to the networking event is free, but space is limited to 100 guests. RSVP required by May 12: https://tinyurl.com/3bt37tk8.
Mark G. Auerbach studied theatre at American University and The Yale School of Drama. He has worked for arts organizations nationwide, and reported on the arts for print and broadcast. Mark produces and hosts Arts Beat, Survivor Stories, and On The Mark for WCPC15 and 89.5fm/WSKB. He’s a regular contributor to Berkshire onstage and a member of the Berkshire Theatre Critics Association.
