Shakespeare & Company Celebrates With Virtual Gala

Shakespeare & Company celebrates community on December 5th with New Horizons, a Virtual Gala.

This year, Artistic Director Allyn Burrows invites audiences and supporters to rally around what the Company has learned, not only over several decades, but also within recent months, about connection, curiosity, and humanity to overcome the challenges of 2020. The night's program is free with registration, and will feature video performances by Shakespeare & Company actors and special guests, and a sneak peek preview of the upcoming Fall Festival documentary, Speak What We Feel.

"A virtual gala may not have the same level of personal interaction that an in-person gala can provide, but we're happy to celebrate the company and its artists and programs in this way," said Burrows. "We hope to inspire and entertain you on a cold December evening, and reinforce that we're looking ahead to our future and New Horizons through the support of our community."

The program features some new faces and longtime Shakespeare & Company actors Elizabeth Aspenlieder (Elliot Norton and Berkshire Critics Award winner), Glenn Barrett, David Bertoldi, Ariel Bock, Gregory Boover, Thomas Brazzle, Debra Ann Byrd, Caroline Calkins, MaConnia Chesser, John Douglas Thompson (Obie Award-winner and Tony Award nominee), Director of Education Kevin G. Coleman (Tony Award Nominee), Rory Hammond, Christopher Lloyd (Obie and Drama Desk Award-winner, 3-time Emmy Award-winner), Madeleine Rose Maggio, Annette Miller (Elliot Norton and Berkshire Critics Award-winner), Normi Noel, Nick Nudler, Devante Owens, Founding Artistic Director Tina Packer, Kirsten Peacock, Tod Randolph, Ryan Winkles, and Finn Wittrock (Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman and FX series American Horror Story).

Co-chaired by Beverly Hyman, Michael Miller, and Jenifer Salzberg, New Horizons will be broadcast at 7:30pm EST on Saturday, December 5th. While the night's program is free, donations are encouraged and appreciated by the Company. Through this philanthropic endeavor Shakespeare & Company plans to educate and train more students and actors from all walks of life, produce thoughtful and dynamic stories, and re-open their theatres. Burrows and the team are mapping the journey of the Company's future-reimagining and enhancing 2021 programs to engage the community in conversations about the breadth of the human experience.

"Our beloved Shakespeare weathered four outbreaks of the plague, and was resilient through each. Our Shakespeare & Company friends and family will celebrate our resilience --hope personified-as we unite in this joyous gala," said Hyman.

Sponsorship levels ranging from $10,000 - $2,500 can be reserved. All sponsors will receive a Shakespeare & Company surprise box of indulgences delivered (in the continental U.S.) to enjoy the evening of the virtual broadcast. Additional donor levels include: $1,000 acknowledged as a Platinum Donor, $500 acknowledged as a Gold Donor, $250 acknowledged as a Silver Donor, and $100 acknowledged as a Bronze Donor. All donor registrations received at the previous levels received by November 23 will be acknowledged in the film credits. Gifts at all levels are welcomed and appreciated.

"This will be my 27th Gala and promises to be the most exciting and original yet, a showcase of what's to come in 2021," said Miller. "Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more."

To reserve your ticket or for more information, please call 413-637-1199 ext. 105 or visit www.shakespeare.org. All proceeds raised from this gala will support the Shakespeare & Company mission of delivering a sustainable, integrated, and vital program of Performance, Training, and Education for the audience, the artists, the Company, and the community.

The Shakespeare & Company Board of Trustees includes: Kenneth E. Werner (Chair), Jeffrey B. Konowitch (Vice Chair), Beverly Hyman (Vice Chair), Greg Lipper (Treasurer), Michael A. Miller (Clerk), Jo Brown (Volunteer President), Jerome Berko, Henry Baker (Volunteer Vice President), Sandra Bourgeois, MaConnia Chesser, Kevin G. Coleman (Founding Trustee), Nancy Edman Feldman, Gerald Friedman, Michael Fuchs, Phoebe L. Giddon, Michael S. Helfer, Anita Heller, Karen Kowgios, Erick Lucera, Barri R. Marks, Helga S. Orthofer, Tina Packer (Founding Trustee), Andrew Rothstein, William M. Ryan, Jenifer Salzberg, Barry R. Shapiro, David A. Smith, Robert B. Strassler, John Douglas Thompson, and Gwendolyn Hampton VanSant.

The Ambassadors for Shakespeare & Company include: Kevin Bartini, Helene Berger, Scott and Roxanne Bok, Judy Boomer, Robert Cohen, Linda B. Colvin, Janet Egelhofer, Randall Frank, Audrey Friedner, Sonya Hamlin, Barbara Mahony, Bruce Miller, Marybeth Mitts, Mindi Morin, Paul Perachi, Claudia Perles, Suzanne Priebatsch, Myra Sallet, Howard and Natalie Shawn, Jeanne and Frank Speizer, Dorothy R. Weber, Andrew Weinberger, Rhea Werner, and Leone Young.

The Company looks forward to celebrating the future of the performing arts at Shakespeare & Company.