Sarasota Ballet
SARASOTA BALLET KICKS OFF 25TH SEASON with JACOB’S PILLOW DEBUT and WORLD PREMIERE
(BECKET, Mass.) – The Sarasota Ballet, acclaimed for its vitality, versatility, and elegance, kicks off its 25th anniversary season with an exclusive seven-show Jacob’s Pillow debut in the Ted Shawn Theatre, Wednesday, August 12, through Sunday, August 16, including a Thursday matinee at 2pm. The dynamic company performs Christopher Wheeldon’s fluid, joyous ballet “The American,” set to the Dvorák quartet of the same name; Sir Frederick Ashton’s celebrated, artful trios Monotones I and Monotones II; and a world premiere by resident choreographer and principal dancer Ricardo Graziano, set to music by Philip Glass.
PigPen Theatre Co.
INDIE-FOLK BAND PIGPEN THEATRE CO. to PERFORM at MASS MoCA
(NORTH ADAMS, Mass.) — Indie-folk band PigPen Theatre Co. brings its rollicking live show to MASS MoCA for an outdoor concert on the Dré Pavilion on Saturday, August 15, at 8pm. Like Clark Kent and Superman, PigPen Theatre Co. functions on the one hand as a self-contained rock band, and then on the turn of a dime sneaks into a phone booth, changes costume, and comes out as a theatrical ensemble that presents fully staged productions. At MASS MoCA, the group will play material from its new record, “Whole Sun,” released just last month.
Jeremy Denk (photo Michael Wilson)
JEREMY DENK to PLAY BARTOK, SCRIABIN and BEETHOVEN at TANNERY POND
(NEW LEBANON, N.Y.) – Pianist Jeremy Denk will play works by Bartok, Scriabin and Beethoven in the Tannery Pond Concert Series at the Darrow School on Saturday, August 15, at 8pm. In his fourth appearance at the Tannery, Denk will tackle Bartok’s Sonata BB 88, Scriabin’s Sonata Op. 68, No. 9 and Beethoven’s Sonata in C Minor, Op. 111, No. 32.
Therese Plaehn
‘BLINK’ PREMIERES REGIONALLY at CHESTER THEATRE COMPANY
(CHESTER, Mass.) – The quirky love story “Blink” by British playwright Phil Porter gets its regional premiere and first American cast at Chester Theatre Company, bringing its 26th season to a close, from Wednesday, August 13, through Sunday, August 23. “Blink” is the tale of Jonah and Sophie, a quirky love story about virtual reality, fear of intimacy, and love in the digital age. According to the New York Times, “Blink is everything you want in a relationship play: funny, painful, affecting.”
Gallim Dance
GALLIM DANCE BRINGS YOUTHFUL EXUBERANCE to PS21
(CHATHAM, N.Y.) – Brooklyn-based contemporary dance company Gallim Dance brings its inventive combination of quick wit, movement, introspection, youthful exuberance, and technical virtuosity to PS21: Performance Spaces for the 21st Century on Friday and Saturday, August 14 and 15, at 8pm. Gallim will be performing two pieces by company founder, artistic director and choreographer Andrea Miller: “Pupil Suite,” danced to music by Balkan Beat Box, with one track of Maria Callas singing “Bellini’s Casta Diva”; and “Spill,” inspired by Raymond Carver’s short story “Cathedral,” featuring costumes created by fashion designer Jenny Lai.
Joey Alexander (photo Roderik Signe)
12-YEAR-OLD JAZZ PHENOM BRINGS PIANO TRIO to HELSINKI HUDSON
(HUDSON, N.Y.) – The phenomenal 12-year-old Bali-born jazz pianist Joey Alexander brings his trio to Club Helsinki Hudson on Sunday, August 16, at 8pm. Alexander’s virtuosity has garnered the attention and support of Herbie Hancock and Wynton Marsalis, among others. His Helsinki show comes just weeks after his appearance at the Newport Jazz Festival and a residency at New York City’s Jazz Standard nightclub. This past May, Alexander’s highly anticipated debut album “My Favorite Things” was released by the Grammy Award-winning Harlem-based label Motema Music. The album finds Alexander playing everything from Coltrane to Rodgers and Hammerstein with a deft touch, adventurous spirit and improvisational verve.
Graham Nash
GRAHAM NASH to PERFORM at MAHAIWE
(GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass.) – Legendary folk-rock singer-songwriter Graham Nash, whose songs helped define a generation and shape the history of rock ‘n’ roll, performs at the Mahaiwe on Saturday, August 15, at 8pm. Nash is a two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee — as a member of Crosby, Stills, and Nash, and with the British pop group the Hollies. Nash was responsible for several of CSN’s greatest hits, including “Marrakesh Express” and “Teach Your Children,” both of which were rejected by the Hollies. Perhaps his best-loved tune is “Our House,” his paean to life and love with his then-girlfriend, Joni Mitchell.