The play's the thing once again this summer with a wealth of drama and comedy on stage.
Dennis Krausnick stars in "King Lear" at Shakespeare and Company in Lenox.The play’s the thing once again this summer with a wealth of drama and comedy on stage.
The iconic Williamstown Theatre Festival kicks off its season on June 26 with Oscar Wilde’s “The Importance of Being Earnest.”
Shakespeare and Company in Lenox presents “King Lear” beginning June 16.
Northampton’s New Century Theater gets underway on June 14 with Annie Baker’s “Circle Mirror Transformation.”
Great musicals and dramas are on tap at Barrington Stage Company in Pittsfield, which begins its season with “Fiddler on the Roof” and caps it with “Lord of the Flies.”
Here is a look at what is in store for theater-goers this summer:
Barrington Stage Company
Mainstage at 30 Union St., Pittsfield; Stage II at the Sydelle and Lee Blatt Performing Arts Center, formerly VFW Hall, 36 Linden St., and Youth Theatre at Berkshire Museum, 39 South St., both in Pittsfield; (413) 236-8888 or visit www.barringtonstageco.org
Mainstage
“Fiddler on the Roof,” book by Joseph Stein and music by Jerry Bock with lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, June 13-July 14
“All My Sons,” by Arthur Miller, July 19-Aug. 4
“See How They Run,” by Phillip King, Aug. 9-26
“Lord of the Flies,” by William Golding, adapted by Nigel Williams, Oct. 3-21
Stage 2
“Lungs,” by Duncan Macmillan, May 23-June10
“Dr. Ruth, All the Way,” by Mark St. Germain and starring Debra Jo Rupp, June 19-July 15
“The North Pool,” by Rajiv Joseph, July 26-Aug. 11
“The Black Suits,” music and lyrics by Joe Iconis, book by Joe Iconis and Robert Maddock, Aug. 16-Sept. 2
Youth Theatre
“Disney’s Beauty and the Beast,” music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice, book by Linda Woolverton, July 25-Aug. 12
Special Events
Joe Iconis and Family at Stage 2, May 25-26
Bashir Lazhar at Stage 2, June 3-4
Talking Sex with Dr. Ruth at Stage 2, July 2
The Niko Songbook at Stage 2, July 6-7
New Riffs on Everyone’s Favorite Yiddish Story at Mainstage, July 8
Fiddler Off the Roof with Golem at Mainstage, July 9
Hello, Gorgeous with Leslie Kritzer at Mainstage, July 30
“Travesties” by Tom Stoppard at Mainstage, Aug. 13
New Musical Reading, TBA at Stage 2, Aug. 26-27
Songs By Ridiculously Talented Composers and Lyricists You Probably Don’t Know, But Should…with composer William Finn at Mainstage, Aug. 31-Sept. 1
Brel in the Berkshires with George Ball and Amanda McBroom at Stage 2, Sept. 20, 21, 23
Berkshire Theatre Group
Featuring the Fitzpatrick Main Stage, BTF Campus, 83 Main St., Stockbridge; Unicorn Theatre, BTF Campus, 6 East St., Stockbridge; Colonial Theatre, 111 South St., Pittsfield; and the Neil Ellenoff Stage at Theatre at the Mount, 2 Plunkett St., Lenox; for BTF Stockbridge ticket office call (413) 298-5576 and for Colonial ticket office call (413) 997-4444, or visit
Fitzpatrick Main Stage
”A Thousand Clowns,” by Herb Gardner, July 21-28
“Edith,” by Kelly Masterson, Aug. 4-11
“Brace Yourself,” by David Epstein, Aug. 18-25
Unicorn Theatre
“The Puppetmaster of Lodz,” by Gilles Segal, June 23-July 7 and Sept. 13-Oct. 7
“A Class Act,” music and lyrics by Edward Kleban, book by Linda Kline and Lonny Price, July 14-Aug. 4
“Homestead Crossing,” by William Donnelly, Aug. 11-Sept. 1
Colonial Theatre
“A Chorus Line,” book by James Kirkwood and Nicholas Dante, music by Marvin Hamlisch Hamlisch, and lyrics by Edward Kleban, July 7-21
We Are Women: A Bernstein Cabaret, Aug. 9-12
“Oliver!” music, lyrics and book by Lionel Bart, Sept. 7-9
The Neil Ellenoff Stage
“Pinocchio,” originally written by Carlo Collodi, adapted by E. Gray Simons III, July 25-Aug. 11
Chester Theatre Company
Chester Town Hall, 15 Middlefield Rd., Chester; (413) 354-7771 or visit www.chestertheatre.org
“Animals Out of Paper,” by Rajiv Joseph, July 5-15
”The Swan,” by Elizabeth Egloff, July 18-29
“Running,” by Arlene Hutton, Aug. 1-12
“The Betrothed,” by Dipika Guha, Aug. 15-26
Hampshire Shakespeare Company
Outdoors at the Massachusetts Center for Interdisciplinary Renaissance Studies, 650 East Pleasant St., Amherst; www.hampshireshakespeare.org
“As You Like It,” Aug. 1-12
Hampshire Shakespeare Young Company’s production of “Twelfth Night,“ July 27, 28, 29
Ko Festival of Performance
Performances, unless otherwise indicated, are in Amherst College’s Holden Theatre off South Pleasant Street, Amherst; (413) 542-3750 starting July 2 or before that at (413) 427-6147 or visit www.kofest.com
”Is Sex Possible?” with Constance Congdon, July 6-8
Staying Vertical: Age, Aging and Ageism in America, a special lecture/forum led by Ashton Applewhite, July 8
“A Queer Devine,” featuring juggler and solo performer Sara Felder, July 13-15
“Communications from a Cockroach: Archy and the Under Side,” presented by the Mettawee River Theatre Company on the Amherst College Observatory Lawn off Snell St., Amherst, July 15
“Good Morning Anita Hill It’s Ginni Thomas” presented by solo performer Deb Margolin, July 20-22
KoFest Story Slam and Party, July 22
“My Mind Is Like an Open Meadow,” presented by the Hand2Mouth Ensemble, July 27-29
“D-Generation: An Exaltation of Larks,” presented by Sandglass Theater, Aug. 3-5
Majestic Theater
131 Elm St., West Springfield; (413) 747-7797 or www.majestictheater.com
“Oh Yes I Will,” by Deb Margolin and featuring Jeannine Haas, June 8-9
New Century Theatre
All performances held in Theatre 14, Mendenhall Center for the Performing Arts on the campus of Smith College, Green Street, Northampton; (413) 585-3220 or visit www.newcenturytheatre.org
“Circle Mirror Transformation” by Annie Baker, June 14-23
“Red,” by John Logan,” June 28-July 7
“Auld Lang Syne,” written by Jack Neary, July 12-21
“The Quality of Life,” written by Jane Anderson, July 26-Aug. 4
Paintbox Theater
“The Ugly Duckling,” adapted by Tom McCabe, July 4-7
“The Princess Knight, by Comelia Funke, July 18-21
“Zorro!” adapted by Tom McCabe, Aug. 1-4
Shakespeare & Company
70 Kemble Street, Lenox; (413) 637-3353 or visit www.shakespeare.org
Founders’ Theatre
“King Lear,” by William Shakespeare, June 16-Aug. 19
“Endurance,” by Split Knuckle Theater, adapted and created by Jason Bohon, Andrew Grusetskie, Michael F. Toomey, and Gretg Webster with writer Nick Ryan, June 28-July 15
“Dibbledance,” director/choreographer Susan Dibble, July 6-13
“The Tempest,” by William Shakespeare, July 19-Aug. 19
“Satchmo at the Waldorf,” by Terry Teachout starring John Douglas Thompson, Aug. 22-Sept. 16
Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre
“Cassandra Speaks,” by Norman Plotkin and starring Tod Randolph, May 25-Sept. 2
“The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife,” by Charles Busch, June 12-Sept. 1
“Parasite Drag,” by Mark Roberts, June 20-Sept. 2
Outdoor tented Rose Footprint
“Tartuffe the Imposter,” by Moliere and adapted by Connie Congdon, June 27-Aug. 25
Williamstown Theatre Festival
’62 Center for Theatre and Dance, Williams College, 1000 Main St. on Route 2, Williamstown; (413) 597-3400 or visit www.wtfestival.org
Main Stage
“The Importance of Being Earnest,” by Oscar Wilde, June 26-July 14
“Far from Heaven,” book by Richard Greenberg, music by Scott Frankel and lyrics by Michael Korie, July 19-29
“A Month in the Country,” by Ivan Turgenev, Aug. 1-19
Nikos Stage
“The Blue Deep,” by Lucy Boyle with Blythe Danner, June 27-July 8
“Last of the Red Hot Lovers,” by Neil Simon, July 11-22
“The Elephant Man,” by Bernard Pomerance, with Patricia Clarkson and Bradley Cooper, July 25-Aug 5
“Whaddabloodclot!!!” by Katori Hall, presented in association with Signature Theatre, Aug. 8-19