Founded in 1928, Berkshire Theatre Festival is one of the oldest professional regional theatres in the United States and the longest-running cultural organization in the Berkshires.

Under the leadership of Artistic Director and CEO Kate Maguire, BTF presents theatre that matters—world premieres, contemporary works, and classics that speak to who we are in our world today.

The Main Stage (408 seats), cataloged by the National Register of Historic Places, was originally designed and built by Stanford White as the Stockbridge Casino in 1888.

The mission of BTF’s second stage, the intimate Unicorn Theatre (122 seats), is to provide a home for emerging artists and new theatrical ideas. BTF’s education program, BTF PLAYS!, reaches over 10,000 children annually through school residencies, touring performances, and summer performance training and writing programs.

During the summer months BTF opens its doors to over 75 administrative, acting, and technical interns and apprentices. For more information about Berkshire Theatre Festival, please visit www.berkshiretheatre.org.

Main Stage

Berkshire Theatre Festival 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.

Contact the BTF Box Office at 413-298-5576 ext. 33 or visit www.berkshiretheatre.org for more information.

Read our 2010 interview with Kate Maguire.

Enjoy Kate Maguire’s personal take on as her upcoming 2011 Season in this exclusive interview: Kate Looks at 2011

Kate Maguire heads new Colonial Theatre-Berkshire Theatre Festival collaboration. News Story.

Our interviews with Randy Harrison are always revealing. He is a young and gifted actor whose yearly appearances at BTF always creates considerable interest. The depth of his preparation is always astonishing.

Waiting for Godot
Ghosts
Endgame

The 2011 Season Schedule

BTF/Colonial Season Kick-off

The Who’s Tommy music and lyrics by Pete Townshend, book by Pete Townshend and Des McAnuff
Additional music and lyrics by John Entwistle and Keith Moon
Featuring James Barry (Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson) and Randy Harrison (Boq in Wicked, TV’s Queer as Folk)
Produced by Berkshire Theatre Festival, Presented at The Colonial Theatre
Directed by Eric Hill
Previews July 7, 8, 9
Opening Night/Press Night July 9 @ 8pm
Closes July 16
Tickets A: $49 • B: $40 • C: $20
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday-Saturday at 8pm, Wednesday at 7pm, Thursday and Saturday at 2pm

The original rock opera, The Who’s Tommy is at once a show-stopping rock concert and a cautionary tale of the power and perils of celebrity. We witness Tommy Walker from his birth, through the shocking episodes of his childhood that render him deaf, mute and blind, as he conquers the world with his stardom, and finally after the crowds have turned on him. Featuring legendary songs by the Who, including “Pinball Wizard,” “See Me, Feel Me” and “Tommy, Can You Hear Me?” and with a cast including James Barry of Bloody, Bloody Andrew Jackson as Captain Walker and Randy Harrison from Wicked and Queer as Folk as Tommy, this promises to be the event of the summer in the Berkshires.

At the Fitzpatrick Main Stage (83 E. Main St, Stockbridge)
Ticket prices for all events $15-$49 unless otherwise noted.
Performance schedule is Monday, Tuesday, Thursday-Saturday at 8pm, Wednesday at 7pm, Thursday and Saturday at 2pm unless otherwise noted.

Sylvia by A. R. Gurney
Directed by Anders Cato
Featuring David Adkins and Jurian Hughes
Previews July 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 @ 2pm
Opening Night/Press Night July 16 @ 8pm
Closes July 30

Kate and Greg, empty-nesters living in Manhattan, have a comfortable life. Their static world is turned upside down when Sylvia jumps in Greg’s lap one day in the park. Part-lab, part-poodle and 100% woman, Sylvia forces the pair to come to terms with who they are as individuals and as a couple. A. R. Gurney’s most improbable love-triangle will have you laughing out loud. The New York Times called it “so full of theatrical intelligence and writerly skill that it consistently pleases.”

In the Mood by Kathleen Clark
Director TBD
Previews August 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 @ 2pm
Opening Night/Press Night August 6 @ 8pm
Closes August 13
World Premiere

The World Premiere of a romantic comedy in which a couple rides the roller coaster of love and marriage. As Perri Rubin makes final preparations for the perfect surprise party in their penthouse apartment, the situation starts to spin out of control. In the best traditions of Wilde and Coward, In The Mood sings with sharp repartee and biting humor.

Period of Adjustment by Tennessee Williams
Directed by David Auburn
Previews August 16, 17, 18, 19, 20 @ 2pm
Opening Night/Press Night August 20 @ 8pm
Closes September 3

Ralph Bates is a Korean War hero facing problems with his in-laws. His former comrade George has just married the beautiful but naïve Isabel, but he’s suffering with “the shakes.” They meet up on a snowy Christmas Eve in Tennessee where all of their problems come to a head. A self-described “serious comedy,” Williams has once again filled the stage with compelling characters dealing with the most difficult of problems in real ways.

At the Unicorn Theatre (6 East St, Stockbridge)
Ticket prices for all events $15-$39 unless otherwise noted.
Performance schedule is Monday, Tuesday, Thursday-Saturday at 8pm, Wednesday at 7pm, Thursday and Saturday at 2pm unless otherwise noted.

Moonchildren by Michael Weller
Directed by Karen Allen
Previews June 28, 29, 30, July 1, 2 @ 2pm
Opening Night/Press Night July 2 @ 8pm
Closes July 16

Often cited as the definitive play about young adults of the 1960’s, Michael Weller’s show is a stunning picture of a turbulent time. Set over the course of the 1965-1966 school year in an unnamed college town, eight students embark on their final year of study against the backdrop of a world enmeshed in struggles over feminism, civil rights and the Vietnam war. As the pressures and pains of the “real world” touch upon the friends, their coming-of-age provides a mirror of the sea change occurring throughout the country. Gripping, funny, and fully realized, Moonchildren is an under-appreciated masterwork by one of our great writers.

Dutch Masters by Greg Keller
Directed by TBA
Previews July 19, 20, 21, 22, 23 @ 2pm
Opening Night/Press Night July 23 @ 8pm
Closes August 6
World Premiere!
I
n the summer of 1992, two young adult men find themselves on the same subway car headed uptown. One white, one black, the two will discover over the course of one afternoon exactly what it is that unites and divides them. A dramatic comedy that continually surprises and defies expectation, Dutch Masters is a shocking examination of race relations in our time. This production is part of Lift Ev’ry Voice, Celebrating African-American Culture & Heritage in the Berkshires.

Finian’s Rainbow Book by E.Y. Harburg and Fred Saidy, Lyrics by E.Y. Harburg, Music by Burton Lane
Directed by Kyle Fabel
Previews August 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 @ 2pm
Opening Night August 13 @ 8pm
Closes August 27
A production of the Unicorn Company (BTF’s pre-professional acting troupe)
Tickets $15-$34

BTF’s pre-professional Unicorn Company will once again be filling the Berkshires with song in this classic comedic tale. Finian and his daughter Sharon have come to Missitucky from Ireland with a stolen pot of gold which Finian believes he can make grow by burying it near Fort Knox. When the wronged leprechaun catches up with them, hijinks ensue. This musical, in a lovely two-piano arrangement, is full of comedy, political satire and some of the best tunes in the American Musical songbook. Following in the footsteps of Babes in Arms and Candide, this is an event you won’t want to miss.

Birthday Boy by Chris Newbound
Directed by Wes Grantom
Preview August 30
Opening Night/Press Night Wednesday, August 31 @ 7pm
Runs Thursday-Saturday at 8pm, Saturday at 2pm
1st Closing September 3
Reopens September 29 (runs Thursday-Saturday at 8pm, Saturday & Sunday at 2pm)
Final Closing October 16
World Premiere!
Part of the Made in the Berkshires festival

As Matt nears his fortieth birthday, he finds himself at a crossroads in his life. His wife Arianne wants to take a mud season vacation to Vermont. His job is safe, though far from stimulating. When he begins a flirtation with a comely colleague he finds himself discovering just how absurd everyday life can be. This world premiere work provides a comic look at marriage, life and growing older.

All plays, schedules, casting, events and prices are subject to change.