Broadway in the Berkshires producer and actor Deborah Grausman
(LENOX, Mass.) – For one night only, Shakespeare & Company will throw away the Bard’s texts in favor of show tunes, when the theater company’s ensemble is joined by a host of talent from Broadway and opera stages for Broadway in the Berkshires, the annual benefit dinner and performance for the company’s internationally-acclaimed education and training programs, taking place on Monday, July 8, 2013, at 5 p.m., in the Tina Packer Playhouse.
This evening, hosted by long-time company artist and Lucille Lortel and OBIE Award-winner John Douglas Thompson — whose Broadway credits include Cyrano de Bergerac and Julius Caesar — will feature classic Broadway favorites and beloved songs from contemporary productions performed by an all-star cast of Broadway performers including Tony Award winner-Tonya Pinkins (Jelly’s Last Jam, Caroline, or Change, The Wild Party), Tony Award nominee Forrest McClendon (Scottsboro Boys), Charlotte Cohn (La Bohème, Coram Boy), Leah Edwards (Master Class), Peter Mazurowski (Billy Elliot), Jonathan Rayson (Little Shop of Horrors, A Year With Frog and Toad) and Brian Charles Rooney (The Threepenny Opera).
The cast also features Metropolitan Opera star Dimitri Pittas (La Bohème, Macbeth; Rigoletto with the Canadian Opera Company) and Deborah Grausman (Fiddler on the Roof), who produced the event. Other performers include company members Eleni Delopoulos, Alec Donaldson (Master Class), David Joseph (Love’s Labour’s Lost) and Nora Menken (Master Class) along with New York Philharmonic and City Opera performers Adam Alexander and Michael Marcotte. Rounding out the star-studded cast are Sarah Corey, Dana Mazurowski and, Lauren Jelencovich (Yanni’s Featured Vocalist).
Broadway in the Berkshires host John Douglas Thompson
Company members Deborah Grausman and Alec Donaldson will perform the West Side Story masterpiece, “Tonight.” From the 1986 Into the Woods, Norah Menken will sing Little Red Riding Hoods signature number, “I Know Things Now.” Showcasing their formidable footwork, siblings Peter Mazurowski and Dana Mazurowski will perform to Cabaret’s “Mein Herr.”
Shakespeare & Company’s The Education Program reaches more than 40,000 students and teachers each year with innovative, socially responsive, and educationally challenging performances, workshops and residencies. Actors, directors, writers, and teachers from all over the world come to work with the company’s faculty in the Training Program to develop not only their voices and train their bodies with a daily regimen of demanding classes, but also to delve deeply into their own imaginations, intellects, and emotional lives. Broadway in the Berkshires performers who are also past participants of the Training Program are: Sarah Corey, Eleni Delopoulos, Deborah Grausman, David Joseph and Nora Menken.
BROADWAY IN THE BERKSHIRES
5 PM: The evening kicks off with a festive cocktail hour in Josie’s Place and under the tent at the Tina Packer Playhouse.
6 PM: Guests will be invited into the Playhouse for a dynamic performance of music, song, and dance presented by some of the hottest and up-and-coming Broadway stars and Company actors
7:30 PM: guests will enjoy a sumptuous walk-around dinner reception catered by Michael Roller of Savory Harvest Catering.
VIP After-Party:
Angel, Producer and Underwriter ticket holders will enjoy our intimate VIP After-Party with the artists at the Hampton Terrace in Lenox, hosted by Susan and Stan Rosen.
TICKETS
SPACE IS LIMITED and this event is expected to sell out; patrons are encouraged to purchase tickets early.
Angel $2,500—Includes six VIP tickets for the performance and premium seating, post-show dinner reception, the VIP after party with the artists, listing in the program (business logo or name) and a signed cast poster.
Producer $1,000—Includes One VIP ticket for the performance (premium seating), dinner reception, VIP after-party with the cast, listing in the program and a signed cast poster;
Underwriter $500—Includes One VIP ticket for the performance (preferred seating), dinner reception, VIP after-party with the cast and listing in the program.
Patron $250— One ticket for the performance, and dinner reception and listing in the program.
For tickets and information call Ariel Bock, Event Coordinator, at (413) 637-1199 ext. 117 or visit Shakespeare & Company .