Nicholas Kristof News

A local steering committee, including Kristen van Ginhoven, co-founder and Artistic Director of WAM Theatre, and community members Jayne Benjulian, Lynn Festa and Mary Lincoln, are organizing a free local event in solidarity with the January 21 Women's March on Washington.

WAM Theatre is delighted to announce they have recently been the recipients of two substantial grants - an unrestricted grant of $5,000 from the Massachusetts Bankers Association (MBA) Charitable Foundation, and a $2,000 grant from the Dramatist Guild Fund in support of the company's 2017 Fresh Takes play reading series.

WAM Theatre was honored as the Outstanding Philanthropic Corporation by the National Philanthropy Day Committee of the Western MA Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals at a luncheon on Wednesday, November 16th at The Log Cabin in Holyoke, MA.

WAM Theatre is excited to announce they will be hosting the first pilot Berkshire Leadership Summit - an event for women aspiring to leadership positions in the non-profit theatre in both artistic and operational tracks - in October of 2017.  

Every year WAM Theatre donates a portion of the box office proceeds from their fall Main Stage production to agencies that benefit women and girls locally, nationally, or internationally. The success of their co-production with the Berkshire Theatre Group of The Bakelite Masterpiece by Kate Cayley enabled the company to present their largest donation yet to their 2016 beneficiaries - the Berkshire Immigrant Center (BIC) and Suzi Banks Baum's New Illuminations Project.

Following hard on the heels of the opening of their critically acclaimed co-production of The Bakelite Masterpiece, WAM Theatre's Artistic Director, Kristen van Ginhoven has announced plans for the first event of the company's eighth season in 2017. A special event - a limited run remount of WAM's very successful 2013 production of Emilie: La Marquise Du Chatelet Defends Her Life Tonight, written by Lauren Gunderson and directed by van Ginhoven, will run from March 30-April 9, 2017, and be presented at Shakespeare & Company's Tina Packer Playhouse in Lenox. 

Berkshire Theatre Group and WAM Theatre present the American Premiere of The Bakelite Masterpiece, by Kate Cayley and directed by Kristen van Ginhoven, featuring David Adkins and Corinna May. The Bakelite Masterpiece runs at the Unicorn Theatre in Stockbridge, September 29 through October 23.

Berkshire Theatre Group and WAM Theatre present the American Premiere of The Bakelite Masterpiece, by Kate Cayley and directed by Kristen van Ginhoven, featuring David Adkins and Corinna May. The Bakelite Masterpiece runs at the Unicorn Theatre in Stockbridge, September 29 through October 23.

The summer has been exciting for the team at WAM Theatre as the seven year-old Berkshire-based theatre company has received three substantial competitive grants, been honored by the National Philanthropy Day Committee, been nominated for a Berkshire Trendsetter Award and a Nonprofit Awareness Day Excellence Award and WAM's Artistic Director Kristen van Ginhoven was recently invited to attend the Women's Leadership Conference in San Francisco.

WAM Theatre has announced the cast for the last of their 2016 Fresh Takes Play Reading Series, Grand Concourse by Heidi Schreck, directed by Sheila Siragusa. The reading will take place on Sunday, September 11 at 3 pm at No. Six Depot Roastery and Cafe, 6 Depot Street in West Stockbridge, MA.

Following the success of their inaugural collaboration during the 2016 April vacation week, WAM Theatre is once again teaming up with IS183 Art School to offer an August Theatre Workshop for girls ages 8-12, August 22-26. The workshop will again be led by WAM Theatre Teaching Artist Barby Cardillo. WAM has modeled this program on the successful theatre arts workshop for girls at Girls Inc., now in its third year.

WAM Theatre is pleased to announce the cast for the fourth in their 2016 Fresh Takes Play Reading Series, Samsara by Lauren Yee, directed by WAM Theatre Co-Founder Leigh Strimbeck. The reading will take place on Sunday, August 21 at 3 pm at No. Six Depot Roastery and Cafe, 6 Depot Street in West Stockbridge, MA.

Thunderstorms rumbled through Richmond in the afternoon, but by 6:30 pm it was a picture perfect Berkshire evening on Thursday, July 14. Jugglers and a brass band welcomed the supporters of WAM Theatre as they packed the bucolic grounds of Hilltop Orchards in Richmond to celebrate and support the company's seventh season at the company's successful Stars in the Orchards Benefit Night.

One night to write…one day to play. The clock starts ticking when the playwrights' fingers hit their keyboards and ends with a final bow from 50+ theatre artists who have convened for just 24 hours to create and present five new works.  Back by popular demand, the 24-Hour Theatre Project, a staple of past WAM seasons, returns to the Performing Arts Center at the University at Albany tonight, April 2.

One night to write…one day to play. The clock starts ticking when the playwrights' fingers hit their keyboards and ends with a final bow from 50+ theatre artists who have convened for just 24 hours to create and present five new works.  Back by popular demand, the 24-Hour Theatre Project, a staple of past WAM seasons, returns to the Performing Arts Center at the University at Albany on April 2.

WAM Theatre's Artistic Director Kristen van Ginhoven announced plans for the company's 2016 season today. The Berkshire-based professional theatre company celebrates its seventh year with some notable special events, a thought-provoking series of play readings, and an exciting new collaboration for the fall mainstage production.

Biographers International Organization (BIO) will present its 2015 Editorial Excellence Award to Jonathan Segal, Vice President, Senior Editor, Alfred A. Knopf, at a ceremony in New York tonight, November 4. This is the second award for Editorial Excellence presented by BIO - the first, in 2014, was presented to Robert Gottlieb. The evening is co-sponsored by the New York Society Library.

Biographers International Organization (BIO) will present its 2015 Editorial Excellence Award to Jonathan Segal, Vice President, Senior Editor, Alfred A. Knopf, at a ceremony in New York on November 4. This is the second award for Editorial Excellence presented by BIO - the first, in 2014, was presented to Robert Gottlieb. The evening is co-sponsored by the New York Society Library.

As rehearsals begin for WAM Theatre's fall MainStage production of HOLY LAUGHTER the company is basking in the glow of a successful season of 'Fresh Takes' Play Readings. Curated by WAM's Artistic Associate Molly Clancy, all five of this year's plays were penned by living female playwrights,  directed by women and featured many local professional theatre artists.

WAM Theatre has announced the casting for their fall production of Holy Laughter by Catherine Trieschmann. The production will be directed by Megan Sandberg-Zakian and opens on November 1, on the St. Germain Stage at Barrington Stage Company's Sydelle and Lee Blatt Performing Arts Center in Pittsfield.