It Started with a Daydream
ShoutOut
This , that , and the other things
B y A n a s t a s i a S t a n m e y e r
Change . Transformation . Rebirth .
Georgian-American artist Uta Bekaia returns to TurnPark in West Stockbridge on Saturday , August 24 , with a performance piece for the TurnPark Summer Festival . Bekaia is often called the heir to the style of visionary Armenian filmmaker and poet Sergei Parajanov . Bekaia ’ s artistic practice revolves around the recreation of ancestral rituals , reimagined for a queer utopian future . Drawing inspiration from traditional crafts , he creates wearable sculptures , ceramics , tapestries , immersive installations , and live performances . At the festival , Bekaia will present Rebirth , in which dancers will metaphorically given new " skins " of magical creatures and perform a ritual assigned to them . turnpark . com
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It Started with a Daydream
WAM Theatre ’ s 15th Anniversary Benefit Performance and Celebration features fragments of Outside at The Mount on Sunday , August 18 , created and directed by Genée Coreno , WAM Theatre ’ s new artistic director . The piece was born out of a series of daydreams she had . “ I kept seeing this woman walking outside and uncovering flowers in the snow ,” says Coreno . “ Why is she uncovering flowers in the snow ? Is it supposed to be snowing ? It kept sticking with me , and I tried to walk that path with that dream .” The scenes reminded Coreno of cinematic images of journey in Tarkovsky and Bergman films , as well as the strangeness of returning to a season — or returning to a place — and not being sure if it ' s familiar anymore because the signifiers had changed . The performance ’ s main character , June , is from a place inspired by Paradise , California , ravaged by fire . She is forced to leave , then later returns home . The audience joins her on that journey of climate change , with a minor story of June , her sister , and their father , who left the girls when they were teenagers . “ How do we pick up the fragments left behind and make stories from those objects ? People do end up surviving . Something emerges that gives me some hope ,” says Coreno .
For the August 18 show , the audience will move from The Mount ’ s lawn to the stable to the dale . They will be introduced to David Lane ’ s puppetry of a large bird , several small birds , and a lone wolf . Corneo ’ s background in dance theater certainly informs fragments , which is heavy on movement . “ I hope it provides an opening for more work like this and a level of comfort with non-traditional styles of theater ,” Coreno says . Her vision as director is to continue to grow WAM Theatre ’ s ecosystem for women and girls and help them get to the next place in their lives , whatever and wherever that may be . “ We can get to know people through WAM Theatre ,” says Coreno , “ and that is our strength .” wamtheatre . org
6 // BERKSHIRE MAGAZINE May August / June 2024 2024
Breaking Windows & Breaking Barriers
Baseball enthusiasts and history buffs alike won ’ t want to miss a sweeping exhibition of baseball history at Ventfort Hall in Lenox through Labor Day weekend . The downstairs hallways are lined with a general history of baseball in the Berkshires . Upstairs are displays of baseball ’ s Black history and the history of women ’ s baseball like it ’ s never been seen before . There are lifesized stand-up cutouts of figures like Lizzie Murphy , known as the “ Queen of Baseball .” She brought all-star “ barnstorming ” tours to the Berkshires with the Bloomer Girls . ( The name referred to the outfits the women wore .) In 1879 , women ’ s teams from Philly and New York traveled to The Common in Pittsfield to play spectators games . Women ’ s and girls ’ baseball became the craze in the Berkshires — with teams representing towns , schools , companies , mills , etc .— and remained so through the 1950s . “ It got so crazy that the newspaper talked about Pittsfield High School having an intramural program with more than 200 girls ,” says Larry Moore , director of Baseball in the Berkshires , which is presenting the exhibition . From the Massachusetts Historical Society on college teams like the one at Williams in the 1850s : “ Although somewhat hobbled by their clothing — long skirts , high necks , and long sleeves — women played the same game as men , albeit far from the prying eyes of spectators .… Social , rather than competitive , aspects of the game were emphasized in these early women ' s contests .” It ’ s now a far cry from the mid-1800s , with today ’ s players like the barrier-breaking pitcher Kelsie Whitmore , the first woman to sign a contract with a professional MLB-affiliated team . baseballintheberkshire . org
Jake Borden
Jazz Fest
The 3rd annual Bousquet Jazz Festival will be held on Saturday , August 17 , from 4 to 10 p . m . at Bousquet Mountain in Pittsfield . BYO lawn chairs , picnics , and blankets to this outdoor live music event . The lineup of talented artists includes the renowned Brubeck Brothers Quartet , the soulful Samirah Evans , and the dynamic Luke Franco Quartet . The event is hosted by Berkshires Jazz and is a must-attend event for jazz enthusiasts and newcomers alike . bousquetmountain . com