Berkshire Theatre Group Welcomes New Board of Trustees Members

Berkshire Theatre Group, Artistic Director and CEO Kate Maguire, and BTG Board President Ruth Blodgett are proud to announce Wende Carver, Linda Cooper, Reggie Cooper, and Casey Meade Rothstein-Fitzpatrick as new members of the BTG Board of Trustees.

"We are thrilled to add such a talented group of new members to our board, who individually and collectively add great skill, experience and interest in community and economic development, education, and the performing arts," said Ruth Blodgett, BTG Board President. "They are each staunch supporters of strengthening the Berkshire community, and bring years of volunteer and professional contributions to the table. In conjunction with our existing staff and Board, they will help BTG deliver on our mission of contributing to the future of our community, through inspiring and transformational educational programs, theatre and performances. Great organizations can best do their work when they are full of dedicated people. We are so very fortunate to have such capable and caring people, willing to give their time and talent to BTG to enhance the quality of life in the Berkshires."

BTG's mission is to support wide ranging artistic exploration and acclaimed performances in theatre, dance, music and entertainment. Berkshire Theatre Group's celebrated five stages reflect the history of the American theatre; they represent a priceless cultural resource for the community. Our vision is to be a center for creative work that enriches, invigorates and transforms artists and audiences.

BTG kicks off the 86th summer season with a full schedule of productions including: Charles Ludlam's The Mystery of Irma Vep; Stephen Sondheim's A Little Night Music,Michael Frayn's Benefactors, the world premiere of Erik Tarloff's Cedars, Nöel Coward's Design for Living, Michael Gazzo's A Hatful of Rain, and A Lover's TaleScenes by Giuseppe Verdi, Charles Ludlam and Alexandre Dumas.

Wende Carver is co-owner of a real estate development company, Scarafoni Associates, with her husband David. Wende attended Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. majoring in Social Work. Wende was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis 21 years ago and is currently President of MS Resource of the Tri-State Area, a local non- profit organization based in Berkshire County. Wende spent 15 years as a Board member of the Williamstown Theatre Festival and has been on the Boards of the Council of the Arts, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, the Berkshire Museum and North Adams Regional Hospital. In addition to her passion for the arts, she loves to travel and owned the former Berkshire World Travel agency. Wende and her husband have three daughters and six grandchildren.

Linda James Cooper relocated to the Berkshires from Vermont where she was Director of Admissions for the New England Culinary Institute. Previously she was General Manager for the Stowe Inn and PR and Special Events Manager for the Stowe Mountain Resort. She serves as a volunteer and advocate of Community Access to the Arts (CATA) and has chaired their galas. She and her husband, Reggie,who is the General Manager of Canyon Ranch, have two young children.

Reggie Cooper is a third generation hotelier and happy to be following in a family tradition of offering luxury service to guests from around the world. He has a degree in resort management from Colorado Mountain College and a Certified Hotel Administrator designation. He and his wife, Linda, have two children and enjoy many outdoor sports including skiing and biking. He has been Managing Director of Canyon Ranch in Lenox since January 2005 in charge of overseeing lodging, spa, Health and Healing, Food and Beverage, programming, facilities and the overall experience for guests at this world class Life Enhancement Resort employing over 700 year round employees. He previously served as President and General Manager, of Topnotch Resort and Spa, the Vermont's only Four Star/Four Diamond Preferred Resort. Prior to Topnotch, he was Vice President, Resort Operations at Stowe Mountain Resort in Vermont and director of sales at Sunday River Ski Resort in Maine. Throughout his career in addition to creating memorable experiences for guests he also guided the long-term development vision of the various resorts resulting in the commencement of over $200 million in resort development construction. Industry Affiliations: Currently: Chair or 1Berkshire Strategic Alliance and Foundation, past Chair and Board member for Berkshire Visitors Bureau, Berkshire Chamber of Commerce and Berkshire Economic Development Corporation and Senior Warden at Trinity Church in Lenox.

Casey Meade Rothstein-Fitzpatrick is a film maker and founder of Projectile Arts, Inc. a nonprofit organization created to support art as a tool for communication and education across cultural boundaries. Film credits include Take Me To The River (2002), a feature documentary about a Hindu pilgrimage called the Maha Kumbh Mela, and Scratching Windows (1998), a short documentary about Graffiti writers in New York City. He grew up on the Music Inn property which his father, David Rothstein owned from 1970-79. He attended Boston University where he studied Physics. He is currently in charge of Vibe Control at Race Brook Lodge in Sheffield, MA.

The Colonial Theatre, founded in 1903, and Berkshire Theatre Festival, founded in 1928, are two of the oldest cultural organizations in the Berkshires. Having united in November of 2010 under the leadership of Artistic Director and CEO Kate Maguire, these two institutions are providing the Berkshires and beyond with the finest in live theatre, music, dance and the visual arts on five stages in Stockbridge, MA and Pittsfield, MA. The Fitzpatrick Main Stage (400 seats), cataloged by the National Register of Historic Places, was originally designed and built by Stanford White as the Stockbridge Casino in 1888. The intimate Unicorn Theatre (122 seats) is a home for emerging artists and new theatrical ideas. The Colonial in Pittsfield (780 seats) re-opened in August of 2006, following a $21 million restoration, and boasts pristine acoustics, classic gilded age architecture and state-of-the-art technical systems. BTG also performs at the outdoor Neil Ellenoff stage, located on the grounds of BTF in Stockbridge, and at The Garage, a music venue located in the lobby of The Colonial. BTG serves over 100,000 patrons per year and reaches over 17,000 students through its educational and outreach programs. For more information on BTG call (413) 448-8084. To purchase tickets, call (413) 997-4444 or go online to www.BerkshireTheatreGroup.org.