Cultural Pittsfield This Week Feb 22-28, 2008

Friday-Saturday: BCC Players present Urinetown! The BCC Players present the Berkshire County debut of the hit Broadway musical, Urinetown, by Mark Hollmann and Greg Kotis. Nominated for ten Tony Awards, and the winner of three, Urinetown combines greed, corruption, love, and revolution in a time when water is worth its weight in gold into one of the most uproariously funny musicals in recent years. Time magazine even called it, “better than The Producers!” Friday & Saturday, Feb. 22-23 7:30pm Robert Boland Theatre at Berkshire Community College 1350 West Street 499-0886 $10 general admission/$5 students & seniors

Click here to visit the website for Urinetown, complete with critic accolades!

Saturday: Winter carnival day! The Pittsfield Winter Carnival Family Day is this Saturday at the Controy Pavilion at Burbank Park on beautiful Onota Lake. Meet the Winter Carnival Queen contestants, have your face painted, and enjoy snowshoe races, sled races, ice skating races, horseshoes, golf on ice, an ice fishing derby, snow sculptures, and hay wagon rides. Saturday, February 23 11am-3pm Burbank Park 499-9370 FREE

Sunday: Free Writing Workshop Join Vivian Dorsel, editor/publisher of the literary magazine upstreet, for the first of three free writing workshops, part of the Pittsfield READS! Community Reading Project. The first is entitled The Fictional Environment, and if you are a public school teacher and attend all three of the writing workshops at the Lichtenstein, you will receive a certificate for professional development! Sunday, February 24 1:30pm-5pm Lichtenstein Center for the Arts 28 Renne Ave. 448-9632 Free

Beginning Monday: Clay Sculpture Class Michel Paul Richard offers a clay sculpture class where students choose to sculpt a face in relief, a 3-dimensional head, a hand or another part of the anatomy. Students will learn about the qualities of working with a terracotta clay body as they learn sculpture techniques. The class is open to both beginning and intermediate students, and is a relaxed and an informative opportunity to learn about sculpture and working with clay. Mondays, February 25, March 3, 10, 17 1 - 2:30PM Knesset Israel 16 Colt Road 413-442-4360 ex. 15 $25

Tuesday: Talks about art & immigration Tuesday lunchtime enjoy one of two free talks. At Knesset Israel, Brooke Mead of the Berkshire Immigrant Center talks about the immigrants who are choosing to call Berkshire County their home and how they contribute to the local culture, to the business atmosphere and to the overall economy of Berkshire County. Meanwhile at BCC, Cultural Development Director Megan Whilden and author Phyllis Kerle will talk about the role of the arts in Pittsfield’s revitalization. Berkshire Immigration: Tuesday, February 26 1pm Congregation Knesset Israel 16 Colt Road 442-4360 ex. 15 Free Pittsfield Arts: Tuesday, February 26 12:15pm Berkshire Community College 1350 West Street FREE

Click here to visit the website of the Berkshire Immigrant Center.

Wednesday: Monterey Jazz Festival @ The Colonial The Monterey Jazz Festival, the longest continually-running jazz festival in the world, celebrates its 50th anniversary with a national tour. Maintaining Monterey's tradition of bringing together veteran and younger artists, the show stars the incredible Grammy Award-winning Terence Blanchard (trumpet), jazz legend James Moody (saxophone), Benny Green (piano), Nnenna Freelon (special guest vocalist), Derrick Hodge (bass) and Kendrick Scott (drums). Wednesday, Feb 27th 8 pm The Colonial Theatre 111 South Street 997-4444 $24-$45

Click here to find out more about the star-studded 50th anniversary tour!

Next Friday: 5th Annual Berkshire Immigrants Day! The fifth annual Berkshire Immigrants Day celebrates the cultural and social contributions of the immigrants while offering attendees the chance to learn more about immigration, taxation, banking and finances, job opportunities, and social services. The evening will include pro-bono consultations with an immigration attorney and tax specialist, a large variety of food from local ethnic restaurants, and an array of dancing and musical entertainment. The program will be presented in both English and Spanish. Friday, February 29th 4-8 p.m. First Baptist Church 88 South Street 445-4881 FREE

Thursday-next Sat: Student Musical Variety Show The Citizens Scholarship Foundation presents its annual multi-high school student musical variety show at Taconic High School to support scholarships provided to college-bound graduating seniors from Pittsfield High School, Taconic High School, and St. Joseph’s High School. This year’s program, entitled, “Oh, The Places You’ll Go,” written and directed by Beverly Krol, will feature performers from all four different high schools in Pittsfield! Thursday, February 28th -Saturday, March 1st 7:30pm Taconic High School Auditorium 96 Valentine Rd. Advance tickets at Flynn’s Pharmacy, Wood Brothers, Taconic High School or at the door $10/adults and $8/students and seniors.

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