Jessica Bashline, winner of the 2023 United Solo Festival Best Storyteller, performs a play inspired by the life of Ann Lohman – an Abortionist in the 1800s and all around badass.
Jessica Bashline is a middle aged, middle income, mostly average white lady – who has had abortions. And those abortions led her to study the history of abortion in the United States – because she’s a bit of a nerd. And then she wrote a really big play … And she thought that the abortion chapter of her life was closed, she was almost menopausal after all.
But then came Dobbs. And Jessica realized that having written a play about the history of legal abortion in the United States made her an expert in a niche part of legal history that was all of a sudden very important. Ann and Me: Or The Big Bad Abortion Play is alternately harrowing and an hilarious interactive experience.
The play was developed at American Theatre Northwest & Syracuse Stage’s Cold Read Festival. Jessica’s other plays include: Wickedest Woman; The story of Ann Lohman, midwife and abortionist in the 1800’s in NYC. Finalist, Scrap Mettle Arts Playwrights Festival, Production January 2019 NYC, published by Next Stage Press. Garden of Memories the story of siblings dealing with the loss of their mother and the acceptance of their past. Runner Up W. Keith Hedrick Award at HRC Showcase Theater and Semi-Finalist, Trustus New Playwrights Festival 2016.
A portion of the proceeds from this event will go to Tapestry Health:
For 50 years Tapestry has been a leading expert in the community on critical public health issues providing access without stigma, which means meeting people where they are at and respecting their choices while providing health care, support services, and education for safer practices.
Jessica Bashline, Playwright/Performer – Jessica is an Assistant Professor of Theater at the University of Miami, where she teaches acting and theater creation. She was the Artistic Director and co-founder of Strange Sun Theater, a theater company in New York City dedicated to creating magical new theater that ignites in audiences and artists, the power of possibility.
Jessica’s plays include: “Ann and Me”, a solo piece about abortion has been developed in collaboration with American Theater Northwest and Syracuse Stage. Wickedest Woman; The story of Ann Lohman, midwife and abortionist in the 1800’s in NYC. Finalist, Scrap Mettle Arts Playwrights Festival, Production January 2019 NYC, published with Next Stage Press. Garden of Memories the story of siblings dealing with the loss of their mother and the acceptance of their past. Runner Up W. Keith Hedrick Award at HRC Showcase Theater and Semi-Finalist, Trustus New Playwrights Festival 2016 among others.
Jessica works as a freelance theater director specializing in new play and musical development, her favorite credits include; Loving Repeating (NYC Premiere), Life of the Party (NYU-Premiere Production of Larry O’Keefe & Nell Benjamin’s new musical), at NYU Steinhardt Gypsy, Midsummer Night’s Dream, Twelfth Night, with Strange Sun Closer Than You Think (World Premiere), The Drowning Girls (NYC Premiere). Jessica has a BFA in Acting from Boston University and an MFA from Goddard College. Jessicabashline.com
Margaret M. Ledford (Director) comes from Chattanooga, where she received her Bachelor of Arts in Theatre and Speech from the University of Tennessee. Margaret is the Artistic Director of City Theatre in Miami.
She has directed plays, musicals, and readings in the South Florida region, including Promethean Theatre (resident director for eight years), Palm Beach Dramaworks, GableStage, Florida Reparatory Theatre, Naked Stage, New Theatre, Delray Beach Arts Garage, Mosaic Theatre, Caldwell Theatre Company, Florida Stage, Island City Stage, Thinking Cap Theatre, and of course, City Theatre. She studied Cubist-Expressionistic scenography post-WWI at Masaryk University in Brno, Czech Republic, is an 8 time nominee for Best Director for the local Carbonell awards and a multiple Silver Palm winner for Direction (S FL Drama Desk awards).
Margaret served 6 years on the South Florida Theatre League Board of Directors, 2 years as President. Margaret is a National Reviewer for the National YoungArts Foundation in theatre and musical theatre, a proud member of Actors’ Equity Association, and a co-founder and Creator at Mangrove Creative Collective.
By the Way Berkshires is a digital magazine exploring creative life and community — art and performance, food and the outdoors — and I’m writing it for you, with local voices, because I’ve gotten to know this rich part of the world as a writer and journalist, and I want to share it with you.
If you’d like to see the website grow, you can join me for a few dollars a month, enough for a cup of coffee and a cider doughnut. Members get access to extra stories and multimedia, itineraries a bookmark tool. Let me know what you're looking for, and we’ll explore together.
In 1889 in France, Dodin Bouffant is a chef living with his cook and lover Eugénie. When she will not marry him, he decides to do something he has never done before: cook for her.
In 1889 in France, Dodin Bouffant is a chef living with his cook and lover Eugénie. When she will not marry him, he decides to do something he has never done before: cook for her.
In 1889 in France, Dodin Bouffant is a chef living with his cook and lover Eugénie. When she will not marry him, he decides to do something he has never done before: cook for her.
Cynthea J. Bogel (Kyushu University / Clark Fellow) examines motifs on the pedestal of a key eighth-century sculpture: a colossal gilt-bronze Buddha.
In 1889 in France, Dodin Bouffant is a chef living with his cook and lover Eugénie. When she will not marry him, he decides to do something he has never done before: cook for her.
Mary-Alice Daniel will lead a master class on originality, asking “What poetic elements constitute a signature style?” The culture of this craft laboratory encourages writing with audacity.
In 1889 in France, Dodin Bouffant is a chef living with his cook and lover Eugénie. When she will not marry him, he decides to do something he has never done before: cook for her.
Riverbend Orchestra plays an early set for the open mic, as The Egremont Barn welcomes all comers to perform on the tavern stage.
Poetry at Bennington welcomes Mary-Alice Daniel and Cindy Juyoung Ok for a public reading of their poetry, free and open to all.
Families with children up to 6 years old are invited to join Mass MoCA museum educators for a storytime and related exploration in the galleries.
In 1889 in France, Dodin Bouffant is a chef living with his cook and lover Eugénie. When she will not marry him, he decides to do something he has never done before: cook for her.
Charlie Kaufman, played by Nicolas Cage, is a confused Los Angeles screenwriter overwhelmed by feelings of inadequacy, and by the screenwriting ambitions of his freeloading twin brother.
New York Times bestselling author Owen King will talk about The Curator, his 'richly imagined' Dickensian fantasy of illusion and charm.
They Dance For Rain, a collaborative and cross-culturaldance-making project in Nairobi, Kenya, holds their third benefit at The Foundry: Soft Shoe Boom Boom Spin Blue.
New parents are welcome to join other caregivers and their infants for a guided visit in the permanent collection galleries at the Clark Art Institute.
Globally acclaimed Berkshire vocalist Wanda Houston will perform live at the Egremont Barn with a blend of jazz and blues, Motown and musical theater and more.
A neurosurgeon has sixty days to live. He decides to take his fate in his own hands and finishes building an enigmatic structure on an empty swimming pool that a biologist before him had left unfinished ...
Internationally bestselling and local author Eric Rickstad will join Northshire Books to celebrate the release of his latest work, a novel that strikes at the wounded heart of America.
Cellist Ivan Trabka performs an evening of Bach suites and Zoltán Kodály's solo in B minor at the Foundry.
Kerry Ann Mendez leads a workshop in How to Design, Plant and Care for a Low-Maintenance, High-Impact, Pollinator-Friendly Flower Garden.
Chocolate peanut butter cookies, fresh flowers, jams and pickles and cheeses ... the North Adams Farmers Market returns with more than a dozen farmers and makers.
Spring ephemerals mark the beginning of the growing season, and their colors – from the purple-blues of Blue Cohosh to the deep maroon of trilliums - are a welcome change.
A Clark educator will lead a tour of the permanent collection galleries to talk about the Institute's history and work.
Walk step by step through the creation of artists' books and with demonstrations, with book artists at the Clark Art Institute.
Every first Sunday of the month, Pete Toigo and Dave Bartley bring a morning of music — soulful jazz and blues with Pete on bass and Dave piano and vocals.
Giuseppina Forte, professor of architecture and environmental studies at Williams College, discusses her new book project, The Self-Built City: Material Politics and Ecologies of Difference in São Paulo.
In celebration of the 100-year anniversary of Herman Melville’s posthumous novella Billy Budd, Hot Plate Brewing will host a read-a-thon in their taproom.
From the Paper Cities exhibition to the Clark’s collection of artists’ books, the Clark will explore the simple—yet limitless—possibilities of paper.
WAM Theatre's Fresh Takes series presents the first reading of the latest version of Far, Far Better Things by acclaimed playwright Geetha Reddy.
On the day of each new moon — believed by many to be a time of rebirth — visitors to Like Magic at Mass MoCA are invited into Grace Clark’s 'In a new light (Healing Dirt).'
Naumkeag invites visitors to gather in the gardens for a broad view of the solar eclipse. While not in the direct path of totality, the Berkshries will see around 96 percent of the eclipse.
Writer and journalist Tamar Sarai, a Philadelphia features writer at Prism, will deliver the annual free Hardman Journalist talk at MCLA.
Michelle Foa explores Edgar Degas as an artist whose career-long fixation on materials informed his work in unexpected ways.
Everyone is invited to the Northern Berkshires’ second annual Eid al-Fitr Celebrations, held at Williams College in the New Davis Center.
Duo Ingolfsson-Stoupel presents a free concert, an all-French program including Francis Poulenc, Olivier Messiaen and Albéric Magnard.
Berlin: Symphony of a Great City still speaks volumes about how German Expressionism crossed into every artistic medium.
Elizabeth Kolbert, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Sixth Extinction, takes a hauntingly illustrated journey through the history of climate change and the uncertainties of our future, in conversation with Bill McKibben.
Want to step up your chainsaw skills? Do you cut your own firewood (or want to)? Have down branches in your yard? Want to cut small trees? Do you want to improve your existing skills?
Works on Paper invites artists of all experience and skill levels to work closely after thematic selections of drawings from the Clark’s collection.
Berkshire International Film Festival (BIFF) and Berkshire Botanical Garden partner for a film screening of 'Le Poète Lucide,' Q&A and wine tasting.
The Mammals — Ruth Ungar, Mike Merenda and friends — form a touring quintet on the fiddle, banjo, guitar, organ, bass and drums.
Pocket Merchant is a jazz-fusion quartet recognized for their big sound and groove-based energy, with moments that invite reflection as well as dancing.
In this hands-on workshop, Marsha Edell teaches the steps for creating four unique, waterproof, botanical-themed ceramic tile coasters.
Elisabeth Cary, avid home gardener and micro-flower farmer, will consider how to keep a small garden with as many flowers as possible.
Hancock Shaker Village welcomes visitors to meet their newest farm babies – lambs, piglets, calves, chicks and kid goats, and enjoy events and activities throughout the Village.
A Clark educator will lead a tour of the permanent collection galleries to talk about the Institute's history and work.
In celebration of National Poetry Month, awardwinning novelist Lara Tupper will lead a free haiku workshop honoring the natural world, and the group will try their hand at the three-line form.
Hancock Shaker Village welcomes visitors to meet their newest farm babies – lambs, piglets, calves, chicks and kid goats, and enjoy events and activities throughout the Village.
Michael Chertock on piano and Itamar Zorman on violin celebrate a meeting of cultures in an afternoon of Gershwin music, Max Bruch, a German composer exploring Kol Nidrei prayer, Russian composer Cesar Cui, Ravel’s Habanera and more.
The Whiskey Treaty Roadshow — Massachusetts songwriters Tory Hanna, Billy Keane, Chris Merenda, Greg Daniel Smith and David Tanklefsky — perform live at the Egremont Barn.
Hancock Shaker Village welcomes visitors to meet their newest farm babies – lambs, piglets, calves, chicks and kid goats, and enjoy events and activities throughout the Village.
People living with dementia and their care-partners can join the museum on select Mondays for open-ended conversations about art.
The Hoosic River Watershed Association invites everyone in the communities along the river to celebrate the waterway and write haiku inspired by the river and its surroundings.
What would happen if a library could hold every book that ever can be written? Everyone is invited to a free, open conversation about the mystical library in Jorge Luis Borges' story, 'The Library of Babel.'
The Clark invites visitors to look contemplatively as a way to engage with works of art from the museum’s collection.
Hancock Shaker Village welcomes visitors to meet their newest farm babies – lambs, piglets, calves, chicks and kid goats, and enjoy events and activities throughout the Village.
Are you interested in the future of the Spruces? Come chat with members of the Williamstown Conservation Commission about the park.
Hancock Shaker Village welcomes visitors to meet their newest farm babies – lambs, piglets, calves, chicks and kid goats, and enjoy events and activities throughout the Village.
Celebrate spring and Earth Day at the Clark with an art-making activity that incorporates indigenous pollinator seeds that you can take home and plant.
The Hoosic River Watershed Association invites everyone in the communities along the river to celebrate the waterway and write haiku inspired by the river and its surroundings.
Dewey Hall holds storytelling events with a group discussion exploring themes, similarities and contrasts within the stories as a whole
Acclaimed poet and novelist and former Bennington faculty Phillip B. Williams gives a reading from his new novel, Ours, followed by a Q&A and book signing at Bennington College.
Hancock Shaker Village welcomes visitors to meet their newest farm babies – lambs, piglets, calves, chicks and kid goats, and enjoy events and activities throughout the Village.
Julia Alvarez, one of America’s most acclaimed and best-loved fiction writers and poets, reads from her magical new novel, The Cemetery of Untold Stories, exploring what happens to tales left unfinished.
Journeying across natural, mythological, and sacred spaces, Saodat Ismailova’s films mark cinematic time through Central Asian songs of everyday survival.
Celebrate nature by going on a walk with dogs from the Berkshire Humane Society on Stroll to Crystal, a leisurely mile-long walk.
Celebrate nature by going on a walk with dogs from the Berkshire Humane Society on Stone Bench Trek, a moderate, one-and-a-half-mile hike.
Celebrate nature by going on a walk with dogs from the Berkshire Humane Society on Woodland Challenge Loop, a two-and-a-quarter-mile journey.
Naumkeag's annual Spring Celebration returns for its 5th year, as the eight acres of gardens bloom with bulbs to celebrate spring in the Berkshires.
Inspired by the morning’s Earth Walk with Dogs, the Clark offers a free display of works on paper in the Manton Study Center for Works on Paper.
Williamstown Farmers Market opens a new Winter Farmers Market with Hexagon bagels, winter vegetables, eggs, cheeses, locally raised meats, maple syrup, artisans and more.
Berkshire Grown brings indoor Winter Farmers Markets with locally-grown fresh greens, winter squash, root crops, apples, meats, cheeses, honey and maple syrup, baked goods and more.
Naumkeag's annual Spring Celebration returns for its 5th year, as the eight acres of gardens bloom with bulbs to celebrate spring in the Berkshires.
Make your yard a haven for hummingbirds with a great selection of native plants that provide food sources and nesting sites.
Families with children up to 6 years old are invited to join Mass MoCA museum educators for a storytime and related exploration in the galleries.
Naumkeag's annual Spring Celebration returns for its 5th year, as the eight acres of gardens bloom with bulbs to celebrate spring in the Berkshires.
Celebrate the arrival of spring with the village's merino sheep as they get their annual haircuts in a woollyweekend of family fun with all the baby animals.
Hancock Shaker Village welcomes visitors to meet their newest farm babies – lambs, piglets, calves, chicks and kid goats, and enjoy events and activities throughout the Village.
A Clark educator leads a thematic tour of the permanent collection examining how British artists and artists working in 19th-century Britain used realism.
Acclaimed new music ensemble Yarn/Wire plays the US premiere of “Three Lines of Flight” by composer Patrick Higgins, a multi-movement work of adventurous new classical music.
Hancock Shaker Village welcomes visitors to meet their newest farm babies – lambs, piglets, calves, chicks and kid goats, and enjoy events and activities throughout the Village.
Hancock Shaker Village welcomes visitors to meet their newest farm babies – lambs, piglets, calves, chicks and kid goats, and enjoy events and activities throughout the Village.
Naturalist and wild edibles enthusiast Arianna Alexsandra Collins from the Hoosic River Watershed Association and Offerings for Community Building leads a foraging walk
In this Research and Academic Program lecture, Daegan Miller examines the complex history of race and the idealized image of the wilderness of the 19th-century Adirondacks.
If you're interested in photographing your garden, close-ups of flowers, or broad-brush images of the most beautiful landscapes in the area, this workshop may be for you.
Hancock Shaker Village welcomes visitors to meet their newest farm babies – lambs, piglets, calves, chicks and kid goats, and enjoy events and activities throughout the Village.
Poetry at Bennington welcomes awardwinning poets Mónica de la Torre and Courtney Faye Taylor for a public reading of their poetry.
Internationally touring Atlanta, Georgia songwriter Christopher Paul Stelling performs at the Egremont Barn.
Naumkeag's annual Spring Celebration returns for its 5th year, as the eight acres of gardens bloom with bulbs to celebrate spring in the Berkshires.
Hancock Shaker Village welcomes visitors to meet their newest farm babies – lambs, piglets, calves, chicks and kid goats, and enjoy events and activities throughout the Village.
Naumkeag's annual Spring Celebration returns for its 5th year, as the eight acres of gardens bloom with bulbs to celebrate spring in the Berkshires.
Northshire bookstore will gather readers and writers together for an intimate weekend of talks, signings, celebration and more, with an array of guest writers.
The Manton Study Center for Works on Paper invites writers of all experience to draw inspiration from the Clark’s collection.
Hancock Shaker Village welcomes visitors to meet their newest farm babies – lambs, piglets, calves, chicks and kid goats, and enjoy events and activities throughout the Village.
Born in Canada, Myriam Gendron sings classic folk forms, breathing new life into century-old Quebecois, French, and American ballads and traditional works.
Naumkeag's annual Spring Celebration returns for its 5th year, as the eight acres of gardens bloom with bulbs to celebrate spring in the Berkshires.
Northshire bookstore will gather readers and writers together for an intimate weekend of talks, signings, celebration and more, with an array of guest writers.
BerkChique! Pop-Up Boutique offers clothes and accessories collected from some of the most fashionable and stylish closets in the Berkshires.
Beekeeper and founder of Bee Resonance Project Asher Silverwolff leads a grounding and calming journey into the inner world of bees.
Hancock Shaker Village welcomes visitors to meet their newest farm babies – lambs, piglets, calves, chicks and kid goats, and enjoy events and activities throughout the Village.
Naumkeag's annual Spring Celebration returns for its 5th year, as the eight acres of gardens bloom with bulbs to celebrate spring in the Berkshires.
BerkChique! Pop-Up Boutique offers clothes and accessories collected from some of the most fashionable and stylish closets in the Berkshires.
Hancock Shaker Village welcomes visitors to meet their newest farm babies – lambs, piglets, calves, chicks and kid goats, and enjoy events and activities throughout the Village.
Northshire Bookstore will gather readers and writers together for an intimate weekend of talks, signings, celebration and more — including Chris Bohjalian in conversation with WAMC.
Jeewon Park on piano and Edward Arron on cello, artistic directors of the Clark's Performing Artists in Residence program, join Gloria Chien on piano and Soovin Kim on violin.
Hancock Shaker Village welcomes visitors to meet their newest farm babies – lambs, piglets, calves, chicks and kid goats, and enjoy events and activities throughout the Village.
Hancock Shaker Village welcomes visitors to meet their newest farm babies – lambs, piglets, calves, chicks and kid goats, and enjoy events and activities throughout the Village.
Igor Simões (State University of Rio Grande do Sul / Clark Fellow) explores the absence of Black Brazilian artists in the international debate on art and the history of Afro-Diasporic art.
Hancock Shaker Village welcomes visitors to meet their newest farm babies – lambs, piglets, calves, chicks and kid goats, and enjoy events and activities throughout the Village.
Naumkeag's annual Spring Celebration returns for its 5th year, as the eight acres of gardens bloom with bulbs to celebrate spring in the Berkshires.
Families with children up to 6 years old are invited to join Mass MoCA museum educators for a storytime and related exploration in the galleries.
Hancock Shaker Village welcomes visitors to meet their newest farm babies – lambs, piglets, calves, chicks and kid goats, and enjoy events and activities throughout the Village.
In this two-part class, botanist Ted Elliman will focus on the wildflowers that grow in Berkshire County’s spring woods.
The Clark screens classic films — Manhatta, inspired by Walt Whitman, and Rien que les heures, showing the life of Paris from dawn to dusk.
Naumkeag's annual Spring Celebration returns for its 5th year, as the eight acres of gardens bloom with bulbs to celebrate spring in the Berkshires.
Hancock Shaker Village welcomes visitors to meet their newest farm babies – lambs, piglets, calves, chicks and kid goats, and enjoy events and activities throughout the Village.
Founded by singer-guitarist Sean Walsh, The National Reserve blend R&B, Laurel Canyon lyricism, New Orleans funk, late night soul, and bluesy rock ‘n’ roll.
This four-part class will revisit trees through the seasons and witness their unique characteristics with and without leaves.
Locally roasted coffee, native plants or gently herbed hand cream ... the regular Pittsfield Farmers Market welcomes in farmers and artisans together.
Tom Ingersoll and Melissa LeVangie-Ingersoll look at trees in the Spring season and witness their unique characteristics with and without leaves.
Naumkeag's annual Spring Celebration returns for its 5th year, as the eight acres of gardens bloom with bulbs to celebrate spring in the Berkshires.
Berkshire Botanical Garden will hold a workshop in creating and using herbal infused oils — lip balms, skin salves, and roll-on perfume/bug repellent.
SBerkshire Botanical Garden’s 90th outdoor season opens with the their annual community celebration steeped in history and tradition.
Every first Sunday of the month, Pete Toigo and Dave Bartley bring a morning of music — soulful jazz and blues with Pete on bass and Dave piano and vocals.
Naumkeag's annual Spring Celebration returns for its 5th year, as the eight acres of gardens bloom with bulbs to celebrate spring in the Berkshires.
Inspired by May's First Sunday Free theme, 'Giddy Up!' , the Clark offers a free display of works on paper in the Manton Study Center for Works on Paper.
Hancock Shaker Village welcomes visitors to meet their newest farm babies – lambs, piglets, calves, chicks and kid goats, and enjoy events and activities throughout the Village.
