Barrington Stage Company Receives $1 Million Dollar Gift From Sydelle & Lee Blatt
By: Stephi Wild
Barrington Stage Company, the award-winning theatre in Downtown Pittsfield, under the leadership of Artistic Director Julianne Boyd, is honored to announce a major gift of $1 million dollars from Board member Sydelle Blatt and her husband Lee.
This major gift will create the Sydelle Blatt New Works Commission Program. The Blatt's $1 million dollar gift over 10 years ($100,000 per year), will commission new work as well as support the development and production of new work. This is the largest gift Barrington Stage has received solely dedicated to new work in its 25-year history. Lee Blatt stated, "After seeing American Underground at Barrington Stage this fall, Syd and I knew we had to support Barrington's new work. It's the best work we've seen in the Berkshires." "We are deeply honored by Syd and Lee's game-changing support for our new plays and musicals. This gift allows us to develop and produce work that challenges us, that asks questions of us individually and as a society, and that can spark joy and passion in our hearts. We will be forever grateful to them," said Artistic Director Julianne Boyd. Sydelle and Lee's support of Barrington Stage through the years has been a tremendous example of personal giving. With this transformational gift, they hope to inspire other individuals to support this legendary Berkshire theatre. Sydelle Blatt joined the BSC board in 2002 and serves as its Secretary. In 2012, she and her husband, Lee, gifted the VFW building in Pittsfield to Barrington Stage, now the Sydelle and Lee Blatt Performing Arts Center, which houses a newly renovated 136-seat St. Germain Stage and Mr. Finn's Cabaret, a 99-seat cabaret. Sydelle attended Syracuse University, where she met her husband, who went on to found Herley Industries, now Ultra-Herley, a company based in Lancaster, PA that specializes in supplying microwave and millimeter wave products to defense and aerospace industries.
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