Barrington Stage Company
Encyclopedia
Barrington Stage Company (BSC) is a regional theatre company in The Berkshires
of Western Massachusetts. It was co-founded in 1995 by Artistic Director, Julianne Boyd
, and Managing Director, Susan Sperber, in Sheffield, Massachusetts
. BSC has committed itself to a three-fold mission: to produce top notch, compelling work; to develop new plays and musicals; and to find fresh, bold ways of bringing new audiences into the theatre, especially young people.
In 2004, BSC developed, workshopped and premiered the hit musical The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
. Following the successfully Broadway run, which nabbed two Tony Awards for Best Book and Best Featured Actor, BSC made the move to a more permanent home in Pittsfield, Massachusetts
. Previously housed in the Consolati Performing Arts Center at Mount Everett High School in Sheffield, Massachusetts, BSC purchased and renovated the Berkshire Music Hall in downtown Pittsfield, Massachusetts. Its 520-seat Mainstage Theatre is now located on 30 Union Street. In 2008 it signed a 5 year lease on an old VFW to house its Stage 2 venue, a small black box space.
Originally named the Union Square Theatre, the Mainstage theatre hosted vaudeville acts, stage shows, and eventually, silent pictures. In 1983, the venue became known as the Berkshire Public Theatre, which produced plays until 1994. In 1994 the space changed hands once again and became the Berkshire Music Hall.
When Barrington Stage Company purchased the building in 2005, it underwent a full renovation and became the 520-seat venue you see today, opening its doors in the summer of 2006.
, many other new works have seen their world premiere at BSC. In the last seven years, BSC has produced 11 world premieres. In 2003 BSC produced The Game, a musical based on the novel Les Liaisons dangereuses
. Mark St. Germain
's Ears on a Beatle, The God Committee and Freud's Last Session, all plays that transferred to New York for Off-Broadway runs. In 2005 BSC workshopped and then premiered Cusi Cram's Fuente.
, it has produced four workshop and seven world premiere musicals.
Many of the new musicals have went on to a life after Barrington Stage. The Burnt Part Boys was produced at Playwrights Horizons
in Spring of 2010. Funked Up Fairy Tales continued to be developed at the Sundance Institute
in December 2007. Calvin Berger
was produced at George Street Playhouse
with an Off-Broadway
production planned. See Rock City or Other Destinations is now published by Samuel French.
In 2007, PMP received the national Coming Up Taller Award from the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities. It is the nation's highest honor for out of school programs in the arts and humanities.
, which transferred to Boston for an extended run at the Hasty Pudding Theatre.
Mark St. Germain
's Freud's Last Session became BSC's longest running show in the summer of 2010. Over two summers and multiple extensions, it lasted 61 performances prior to its Off-Broadway run.
Other popular productions at BSC include a 2005 production of Follies
and a 2007 production of West Side Story
.
Directors
Designers
Choreographers
The Berkshires
The Berkshires , is a highland geologic region located in the western parts of Massachusetts and Connecticut.Also referred to as the Berkshire Hills, Berkshire Mountains, and Berkshire Plateau, the region enjoys a vibrant tourism industry based on music, arts, and recreation.-Definition:The term...
of Western Massachusetts. It was co-founded in 1995 by Artistic Director, Julianne Boyd
Julianne Boyd
Julianne Boyd is an American theater director.Boyd received a BA in Theater and Education in 1966 from Beaver College in Pennsylvania...
, and Managing Director, Susan Sperber, in Sheffield, Massachusetts
Sheffield, Massachusetts
Not to be confused with the city of Sheffield in the UK, or Sheffield, Vermont.Sheffield is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 3,257 at the 2010 census. Sheffield is home to...
. BSC has committed itself to a three-fold mission: to produce top notch, compelling work; to develop new plays and musicals; and to find fresh, bold ways of bringing new audiences into the theatre, especially young people.
In 2004, BSC developed, workshopped and premiered the hit musical The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is a one act musical comedy conceived by Rebecca Feldman with music and lyrics by William Finn, a book by Rachel Sheinkin and additional material by Jay Reiss. The show centers on a fictional spelling bee set in a geographically ambiguous Putnam Valley...
. Following the successfully Broadway run, which nabbed two Tony Awards for Best Book and Best Featured Actor, BSC made the move to a more permanent home in Pittsfield, Massachusetts
Pittsfield, Massachusetts
Pittsfield is the largest city and the county seat of Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the principal city of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Berkshire County. Its area code is 413. Its ZIP code is 01201...
. Previously housed in the Consolati Performing Arts Center at Mount Everett High School in Sheffield, Massachusetts, BSC purchased and renovated the Berkshire Music Hall in downtown Pittsfield, Massachusetts. Its 520-seat Mainstage Theatre is now located on 30 Union Street. In 2008 it signed a 5 year lease on an old VFW to house its Stage 2 venue, a small black box space.
The Theatre
Originally named the Union Square Theatre, the Mainstage theatre hosted vaudeville acts, stage shows, and eventually, silent pictures. In 1983, the venue became known as the Berkshire Public Theatre, which produced plays until 1994. In 1994 the space changed hands once again and became the Berkshire Music Hall.
When Barrington Stage Company purchased the building in 2005, it underwent a full renovation and became the 520-seat venue you see today, opening its doors in the summer of 2006.
New Works
Outside of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling BeeThe 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is a one act musical comedy conceived by Rebecca Feldman with music and lyrics by William Finn, a book by Rachel Sheinkin and additional material by Jay Reiss. The show centers on a fictional spelling bee set in a geographically ambiguous Putnam Valley...
, many other new works have seen their world premiere at BSC. In the last seven years, BSC has produced 11 world premieres. In 2003 BSC produced The Game, a musical based on the novel Les Liaisons dangereuses
Les Liaisons dangereuses
Les Liaisons dangereuses is a French epistolary novel by Choderlos de Laclos, first published in four volumes by Durand Neveu from March 23, 1782....
. Mark St. Germain
Mark St. Germain
-Career:He has written Camping With Henry And Tom , Out of Gas On Lover’s Leap, Forgiving Typhoid Mary , Ears On A Beatle, The God Committee, The Collyer Brother At Home, The Gifts of The Magi , The Book of the Dun Cow,...
's Ears on a Beatle, The God Committee and Freud's Last Session, all plays that transferred to New York for Off-Broadway runs. In 2005 BSC workshopped and then premiered Cusi Cram's Fuente.
Musical Theatre Lab
Created in 2006, the Musical Theatre Lab (MTL) is a place for young musical theatre writers to develop their work from an early reading to full productions. Overseen by Tony-Award winning composer/lyricist William FinnWilliam Finn
William Alan Finn is an American composer and lyricist of musicals. His musical Falsettos received the 1992 Tony Awards for Best Music and Lyrics and for Best Book.-Biography:...
, it has produced four workshop and seven world premiere musicals.
Many of the new musicals have went on to a life after Barrington Stage. The Burnt Part Boys was produced at Playwrights Horizons
Playwrights Horizons
Playwrights Horizons is a not-for-profit Off-Broadway theater located in New York City dedicated to the support and development of contemporary American playwrights, composers, and lyricists, and to the production of their new work....
in Spring of 2010. Funked Up Fairy Tales continued to be developed at the Sundance Institute
Sundance Institute
Sundance Institute is a non-profit organization founded by Robert Redford in 1981 that actively advances the work of filmmakers and storytellers worldwide...
in December 2007. Calvin Berger
Calvin Berger
Calvin Berger is a musical with book, lyrics, and music written by Barry Wyner. Its story is loosely based on Rostand's Cyrano de Bergerac.-Plot:...
was produced at George Street Playhouse
George Street Playhouse
George Street Playhouse is a theatre in New Brunswick, New Jersey, one of the state's preeminent professional theatres committed to the production of new and established plays....
with an Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway theater is a term for a professional venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, and for a specific production of a play, musical or revue that appears in such a venue, and which adheres to related trade union and other contracts...
production planned. See Rock City or Other Destinations is now published by Samuel French.
Education
This award-winning, multi-tiered program is very much at the heart of BSC's mission of engaging a younger generation.- KidsAct! is a musical theatre program for children ages 8 to 15. Students work with a variety of instructors, directors, and choreographers and finish the program with a fully staged musical production.
- BSC casts a full youth theatre company, with each actor receiving a stipend. The youth actors work with professional directors and choreographers, mounting a professional musical production that runs for 5 weeks each summer.
- BSC reaches out to college level theatre administration and technical theatre students with the Professional Internship Program. These inters all receive housing and a stipend and the opportunity to be an intrinsic part of producing a full summer theatre season.
Playwright Mentoring Project
Playwright Mentoring Project (PMP) is an intensive, six-month program that uses theatre as a catalyst to help at-risk youth. Over the course of the program teens create an original performance piece based on their own stories. The participants range in age from 13-18, many living in foster homes, single parent families or in families struggling with a wide variety of difficult issues.In 2007, PMP received the national Coming Up Taller Award from the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities. It is the nation's highest honor for out of school programs in the arts and humanities.
Productions
BSC won the Elliot Norton/Boston Theatre Critics Award in its inaugural year for The Diary of Anne Frank. Two years later they won the same award for its production of CabaretCabaret
Cabaret is a form, or place, of entertainment featuring comedy, song, dance, and theatre, distinguished mainly by the performance venue: a restaurant or nightclub with a stage for performances and the audience sitting at tables watching the performance, as introduced by a master of ceremonies or...
, which transferred to Boston for an extended run at the Hasty Pudding Theatre.
Mark St. Germain
Mark St. Germain
-Career:He has written Camping With Henry And Tom , Out of Gas On Lover’s Leap, Forgiving Typhoid Mary , Ears On A Beatle, The God Committee, The Collyer Brother At Home, The Gifts of The Magi , The Book of the Dun Cow,...
's Freud's Last Session became BSC's longest running show in the summer of 2010. Over two summers and multiple extensions, it lasted 61 performances prior to its Off-Broadway run.
Other popular productions at BSC include a 2005 production of Follies
Follies
Follies is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by James Goldman. The story concerns a reunion in a crumbling Broadway theatre, scheduled for demolition, of the past performers of the "Weismann's Follies," a musical revue , that played in that theatre between the World Wars...
and a 2007 production of West Side Story
West Side Story
West Side Story is an American musical with a script by Arthur Laurents, music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and choreographed by Jerome Robbins...
.
Artists
Actors- Aisha HindsAisha HindsAisha Hinds is an American television and film actress, known for her recurring roles on the TV shows Dollhouse, HawthoRNe, Invasion, True Blood, and Detroit 1-8-7.-Films:* Assault on Precinct 13...
- Mark H. Dold
- Martin Rayner
- Christopher Innvar
- Dan LauriaDan LauriaDaniel Joseph "Dan" Lauria is an American television and film actor.-Early life:Lauria, an Italian-American, was born in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Carmela and Joseph J. Lauria. He also lived in Lindenhurst, New York...
- Sara RamírezSara RamírezSara Ramírez is a Mexican-American singer/songwriter and actress. She is known for her role as Callie Torres in Grey's Anatomy and as the original Lady of the Lake in the 2005 Broadway musical Spamalot, for which she won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical.-Early life:Ramírez...
- Harriet Harris
- Marin MazzieMarin MazzieMarin Joy Mazzie is an American actress and singer known for her work in musical theater. She was nominated for the Tony Award, Drama Desk Award and Olivier Award for her role as Lilli/Katharine in Kiss Me, Kate, and won the Outer Critics Circle Award...
- David GarrisonDavid GarrisonDavid Gene Garrison is an American actor. His primary venue is live theatre, but he may be more widely known for his numerous television roles, particularly that of Steve Rhoades on Married... with Children...
- Charles ShaughnessyCharles ShaughnessyCharles George Patrick Shaughnessy, 5th Baron Shaughnessy , simply known as Charles Shaughnessy, is a British peer, and television, theatre and film actor. He is known for his roles on American television, as Shane Donovan on the soap opera Days of our Lives and as Maxwell Sheffield on the sitcom...
- Jeff McCarthyJeff McCarthy-Television:He made guest star appearances on television shows such as Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Ed, Designing Women, Cheers, Freddy's Nightmares, Matlock, and In the Heat of the Night. McCarthy was the voice of the Chuck Jones' creation, Michigan J. Frog, for the WB television network...
- Carole ShelleyCarole ShelleyCarole Shelley is an English actress. Among her many stage roles are the character of Madame Morrible in the original Broadway cast of the musical Wicked.-Life and career:...
- Donna McKechnieDonna McKechnieDonna McKechnie is an American musical theater dancer, singer, actress, and choreographer. She is known for her professional and personal relationship with choreographer Michael Bennett, with whom she collaborated on her most noted role, "Cassie" from the musical A Chorus Line, for which she...
- Kim Crosby (singer)Kim Crosby (singer)Kim Crosby is an American singer and actress, primarily on the stage and in concerts. She was the original Cinderella in the Sondheim-Lapine musical Into the Woods, where she met her now-husband Robert Westenberg. The couple married on June 19, 1991. She currently lives in Springfield, Missouri...
- Lara TeeterLara TeeterLara Teeter is an American dancer, actor, singer, theatre director and college professor.Born in Guthrie, Oklahoma, Teeter earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Oklahoma City University. He made his Broadway debut in the short-lived 1980 musical Happy New Year, followed by another flop, the...
- Marni NixonMarni NixonMarni Nixon is an American soprano and playback singer for featured actresses in movie musicals. She has also spent much of her career performing in concerts with major symphony orchestras around the world and in operas and musicals throughout the United States.-Biography:Born Margaret Nixon...
- Robert PetkoffRobert PetkoffRobert Petkoff is an award-winning American stage actor known for his work in Shakespearean productions and more recently on the New York City musical theater stage. Petkoff has performed on Broadway, the West End, regional theatre, and done work in film and television...
- Debra Jo RuppDebra Jo RuppDebra Jo Rupp is an American film and television actress, perhaps best known for her role as Kitty Forman on the long-running Fox sitcom, That '70s Show...
- Aaron TveitAaron TveitAaron Kyle Tveit is an American theatre and film actor originally from Middletown, New York. He is known for originating the roles of Gabe in Next to Normal and Frank Abagnale Jr...
- Heath Calvert
- Becca Ayers
- Alysha Umphress
- Jesse Tyler FergusonJesse Tyler FergusonJesse Tyler Ferguson is an American actor who portrays Mitchell Pritchett on the ABC sitcom Modern Family. Previously he played the role of Richie Velch in the CBS sitcom The Class. He is openly gay.-Life and career:...
- Eric PetersonEric PetersonEric Neal Peterson, C.M. is a Canadian stage and television actor, known for his roles in three major Canadian series – Street Legal, Corner Gas and This is Wonderland.-Personal life:...
- Leslie KritzerLeslie KritzerLeslie Kritzer is an award-winning Broadway actress. She is from Livingston, New Jersey.-Biography:Kritzer, a 1999 graduate of the University of Cincinnati – College-Conservatory of Music, has also appeared on Broadway in Hairspray and was the character Serena in Legally Blonde The Musical...
Directors
- Tyler Marchant
- Jesse Berger
- Julianne BoydJulianne BoydJulianne Boyd is an American theater director.Boyd received a BA in Theater and Education in 1966 from Beaver College in Pennsylvania...
- Joe Calarco
- Rob Ruggiero
- Andrew Volkoff
- John RandoJohn RandoJohn Rando is an American stage director, winning the Tony Award for his direction of the musical Urinetown in 2002.-Stage productions:* 1994 Broken Glass * 2000 The Dinner Party* 2001 A Thousand Clowns...
Designers
- David M. Barber
- Karl Eigsti
- Michael Anania
- Brian Prather
- Wilson Chin
- Beowulf Borritt
- Scott Pinkney
- Clifton TaylorClifton TaylorClifton Taylor is a theatrical Designer who is based in New York.-Biography:Clifton Taylor, scenic and lighting designer for the theater has worked on Broadway, and in the spheres of Opera and Ballet throughout the world...
- Jeff DavisJeff Davis- People :*Jeff B. Davis , American actor, comedian and singer*Jeff Davis , professional NFL football player, member of Clemson's 1981 national championship team...
- Jeff Croiter
- Philip RosenbergPhilip RosenbergPhilip Rosenberg is an American production designer and art director. He has won an Academy Award and was nominated for another in the category Best Art Direction.-Selected filmography:...
- Fabio Toblini
- Jen Moeller
- Holly Cain
- Elizabeth Flauto
- Alejo Vietti
Choreographers
- Joshua Bergasse