New Lecture Series to Offer Insight on Season’s Titles Through the Spring and Summer
LENOX, Mass. – Shakespeare & Company has announced the creation of a new, free lecture series slated to launch on Friday, April 22.
Hosted by educator and member of Shakespeare & Volunteer Company Ann Berman, Free Friday Talks will examine various themes surrounding many of the 2022 Season’s titles and will feature various directors, cast members, design-team members, or others at each presentation.
Berman holds a Master of Arts in Shakespeare Studies from King’s College, London, through a program that partnered with Shakespeare’s Globe. She also holds a Masters of Education in Special Education from Boston University and a bachelor’s degree in English from SUNY Binghamton.
Prior to relocating to Berkshire County, she served as a longtime volunteer with the Actors’ Shakespeare Project in Boston, and taught Shakespeare’s plays at the Life-long Learning at Regis College program (LLARC), in tandem with what play ASP was performing at the time. Now a resident of Lee, Mass., Berman is also an active member of The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Berkshire Community College (OLLI).
Shakespeare & Company’s Free Friday Talks will begin under the Tina Packer Playhouse Tent, with a discussion of The Approach, opening in the Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre Friday, May 6, with guest speakers Mark Farrell and Tina Packer, co-directors. The series will continue on Fridays once each month of the spring and summer, through August 26.
This lecture series is free, but tickets are required. Donations will be accepted at the end of each event. In the event of inclement weather, an indoor location will be chosen, and ticket holders notified via email.
Additional Free Friday Talks include:
May 20 – An Iliad: Ann Berman hosts Jeffrey Mousseau, director.
June 17 – Much Ado About Nothing: Ann Berman hosts Kelly Galvin, director; Sarah Shin, Assistant Director; Patrick Brennan, and Kiki Smith, designer team members.
July 22 – Measure for Measure: Ann Berman hosts Alice Reagan, director, and other guests.
August 26 – Golden Leaf Rag Time Blues: discussion TBD, with the director and other guests.
Free Friday Talks join Wednesday Walks – returning this year after a pandemic pause – as another week-day activity option at Shakespeare & Company. To be held July 6 – August 31 at 10:30 a.m., Wednesday Walks offer a behind-the-scenes look at everything Shakespeare & Company does.
General Manager Steve Ball, with dog Willie, leads a two-hour walk through the Company’s stages; artists’ rehearsal studios; costume, prop, and set construction and storage areas, and the weapons armory. Participants will meet some of the artisans involved in creating theater at Shakespeare & Company while touring the facilities. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students, including our $2 facility fee. Wednesday Walks will be held July 6, 13, 20, 27, and August 3, 10, 17, 24, 31, at 10:30 a.m.
For more information or to reserve your spot, visit shakespeare.org.
About Shakespeare & Company
Shakespeare & Company was founded in 1978 by Tina Packer. Located in the Berkshires of Massachusetts, the Company offers performance, education, and actor-training opportunities year-round, and attracts more than 40,000 patrons annually with a core of more than 150 artists.
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Photo Caption: Shakespeare & Company’s new series of lectures, Free Friday Talks, will be hosted by Volunteer Company member Ann Berman. Berman holds a Master of Arts in Shakespeare Studies from King’s College, London, through a program that partnered with Shakespeare’s Globe.
