Reception on October 17 coincides with ArtWeek Berkshires, October 14 – 22
LENOX, Mass. – Shakespeare & Company will hold an artist reception on Tuesday, Oct. 17 at 4:30 p.m., with costume designer Christina Beam – the creator of In the Woods, a collection of full-scale, storybook-inspired paper costumes.
Held in conjunction with ArtWeek Berkshires (October 14 – October 22), this event features Beam’s exhibit both inspired by and made from the pages of classic stories and fairy tales, currently on display at the Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre. Beam has constructed 11 characters ranging from Snow White to Hansel and Gretel, Alice in Wonderland to The Swan Maiden and beyond, working primarily with cardstock, copy paper, and Tyvek.
This year, the costumes have already been featured as part of the Emerging Artist Exhibit at the United States Institute for Theatre Technology, Inc. (USITT) Conference in March, and again at the 2023 Prague Quadrennial of Performance Design and Space in June.
The public is welcome to view the sculptures and to learn more about the work from the artist on October 17 at the Jane Iredale Lobby in the Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre, on the Shakespeare & Company campus at 70 Kemble Street, Lenox, Mass. Attendees may also participate in an optional, guided tour of the Company’s costume shop, armory, and prop shop led by General Manager Steve Ball following the artist talk.
ArtWeek Berkshires is a week-long celebration of arts and culture that includes interactive events, behind-the-scenes opportunities, and open studios across the region. ArtWeek is presented by the five Cultural Districts of Berkshire County, and promoted by 1Berkshire. Shakespeare & Company is part of the Lenox Cultural District.
For more information, visit shakespeare.org, or call the Box Office at (413) 637-3353. Tickets are not required for this event.
Photo Caption: Snow White is just one of the paper costumes by Christina Beam on display now at Shakespeare & Company, and the topic of an artist talk slated for Tuesday, Oct. 17 at 4:30 p.m. Photo by Jaclyn C. Stevenson
Additional photos are available.
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.
About the Artist
Christina Beam is a New York and New England based costume designer and technician whose work spans theater, opera, dance and film. Christina holds an MFA in costume design from UMass Amherst, having completed an assistantship that included rigorous work in costume construction. Some of her recent design credits include Taylor Mac’s The Lily’s Revenge (UMass), Re/Emergence (The Re/Emergence Collective), The Tempest (Hartt), A Walk in the Woods (Shakespeare & Company), The Mystery of Irma Vep (Silverthorne Theater Company), Pride@Prejudice (Chester Theatre Company), Matilda (Wheelock Family Theatre), and Emilie: La Marquise du Châtelet Defends Her Life Tonight (Duende Productions). Her designs for The Lily’s Revenge were included in the Emerging Artist Exhibit at the 2019 USITT Conference and also at the 2019 Prague Quadrennial, and they were recently displayed as part of the 2022 World Stage Design Emerging Artist Exhibit in Calgary. Her costumes for the In the Woods photography project were selected to be featured as part of the 2023 USITT/USA Prague Quadrennial Emerging Artist Exhibit, which was displayed at the USITT conference in March and will be displayed again at the 2023 Prague Quadrennial in July. Christina is also currently working as the Costume Shop Supervisor at Western Connecticut State University. For further examples of her work, please visit christinabeamdesign.com.
