CAMP SIEGFRIED Will Feature Panels on Belonging and Coming of Age

WAM Theatre has announced its partnership with the Jewish Federation of the Berkshires to fund the Changemakers for Good education program. WAM's annual philanthropic partnership will help foster welcoming, inclusive, and supportive learning environments in Berkshire County schools.

Each year the theatre company awards a portion of it's ticket revenue to a sister nonprofit working for change in the community.

The Federation describes the Changemakers for Good program as partnering 'with school districts to build a culture of belonging where every student feels represented, respected, and valued. Through collaboration with school committees, administrators, educators, students, and families, the organization helps school communities identify challenges, learn from one another, and develop practical strategies to create caring learning environments where students can reach their academic potential and thrive socially and emotionally.'

WAM also announced it's panel line up for the fall mainstage Camp Siegfried, running in Lenox until Nov 1, with artist talkbacks on Friday, October 23 @ 2:00 PM and Friday, October 30 @ 7:00 PM.

On Sunday, October 25 @ 2:00 PM WAM hosts the panel Who Gets to Belong? Race, Jewish Life, Queerness & Immigration in the Berkshires, featuring Rabbi Barbara Cohen (Congregation Ahavath Sholom Rabbi Emerita), Wendy Healey (Ventfort Hall Executive Director), Louise Heller (Tenement Museum & WAM Literary Committee), and Dara Kaufman (Jewish Federation of the Berkshires Executive Director). Set against the larger history of immigration in the United States, the conversation explores the ways Berkshire communities have navigated exclusion, redlining, antisemitism, racism, and other forms of displacement, alongside the spaces that offered refuge and belonging.

Thursday, October 29 @ 2:00 PM sees the panel Archiving Coming of Age in a Time of Nationalism, featuring acclaimed authors Alexandra Zapruder (Salvaged Pages: Young Writers' Diaries of the Holocaust, alexandrazapruder.com) and Stephen Glantz (Clara's War). The panel discusses how young people experience and document moments of political upheaval, nationalism, antisemitism, and war—and what those records can teach us decades later.

'We see Her story in Camp Siegfried intimately and understand how anyone can be preyed upon by extreme, nationalist ideologies,' said Victoria Bokaer, WAM's Manager of Marketing and Communications, 'It was important for us to tell the parallel stories, of all the young people whose lives were destroyed by that same radical force, and ask what we are doing as a community to combat antisemitism and other forms of prejudice.'

AT A GLANCE:

Friday, October 23 @ 2:00 PM
Artist Talkback

Sunday, October 25 @ 2:00 PM
Panel: Who Gets to Belong? Race, Jewish Life, Queerness & Immigration in the Berkshires
Featuring: Rabbi Barbara Cohen, Wendy Healey, Louise Heller, and Dara Kaufman

Thursday, October 29 @ 2:00 PM
Panel: Archiving Coming of Age in a Time of Nationalism
Featuring: Alexandra Zapruder and Stephen Glantz

Friday, October 30 @ 7:00 PM
Artist Talkback
Featuring: Costume Designer Stella Schwartz

TICKETS AND INFORMATION:

Camp Siegfried
Dates: October 16 - November 1, 2026
Location: Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre, Lenox, MA
Run Time: Approximately 90 minutes
Tickets: Starting at $26. On Sale Now.