Cover story: Live at Last – Area theaters step back onstage
It’s been over a year since COVID-19 shut down theaters across the world, and performing artists are aching to get back onstage with a live audience. Now, a few theaters in the Valley and Berkshires are planning in-person summer performances, indoors and out.
Stagestruck: Sojourners in the Bardo
Imagine that you suddenly find yourself in a weird netherworld, suspended between the life you knew and an uncertain future. No, wait. You don’t have to imagine it – it’s the place we’ve all found ourselves in for the past year. In “The Waiting Room,” Silverthorne Theater seeks to enlist the audience in an act of collaboration with a key pandemic player.
Stagestruck: Letters to Kamala
The election of Kamala Harris as the first woman Vice President of the United States, as well as the first African American and the first of South Asian descent, is cause for celebration. But those “firsts” don’t sit quite comfortably with the three women of color in a new play, “Letters to Kamala.” These ladies are pissed.
Stagestruck: A ‘Caesar’ for Our Time
This production takes a hyper-modern, politically savvy swipe at the militarist, toxically masculinist, authoritarian, elite-driven culture of this political moment – and at the ghosts, the women’s voices, the supernatural warnings, that have been repressed and suppressed for too long.
A Great Ride: Narkewicz, Morse reflect on a decade in office
Alex Morse has a new pup — a goldendoodle that answers to Oliver. Can you say inseparable? The Holyoke mayor brought him home from Pennsylvania and claims that the quarantine has afforded him a bit more time to train the pooch. “It adds a bit of perspective,” says...
Advocate Events – 2/25/21
Smith College Museum of Art will host a series of programs this spring. Among them are:Black Futures, March 1, 7-8:30 p.m., online. Join Kimberly Drew ’12, Thelma Golden ’87, Jenna Wortham and Amanda Williams for a conversation about Drew and Wortham’s recently...
Pot at your doorstep
Freshly restocked with three new members, the Cannabis Control Commission is gearing up for a year that will include the implementation of recently-approved regulations that allow for home delivery of non-medical marijuana, continuing to press for legislation that...
Stagestruck with Chris Rohmann: Treading water: Theaters strive to stay afloat, as two go under
A year ago this week, I filed my review of a new play, “The Pitch,” which had just opened at the Majestic Theater in West Springfield. Two weeks later, COVID-19 closed the production (the run will resume once the theater is able to reopen). The following week, my...
Currently Open Local Dispensaries 2/25/21
Amherst1 Rise Holdings Inc. 169 Meadow St.Hours: Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.Phone: 413-825-9770Website: risecannabis.com/Products: Offers medical and recreational marijuana. Massachusetts is one of eight states...
What about us?
During the past several years, it is no secret that as a nation, we have become more aware and enlightened to the plights of various minority groups who have been fighting for acceptance within society — and all the intangible glory to which it represents. However,...
Monte Bellmonte Wines: The Bruce Lee of the bottle: How South Deerfield’s Brahm Callahan became an elite Master Sommelier
I’ve been obsessively watching kung fu movies. I’m not sure why. Perhaps the reason is related to the pandemic. It could be a midlife crisis, or it could be the aftereffects of binge-watching “Cobra Kai.” Regardless, it’s made me think a lot about the mastery of an...
Sessions
Check out our most recent performances in the playlist below, or click here to dig into interviews and related material!
O Cannabis: Finding Your Perfect Dose
Discovering your ideal cannabis dose can be tricky.
Happenings in the Valley
Our online calendar has listings from organizations across the country hosting virtual events, but we’ve chosen to highlight some from local venues and groups.
The V-Spot with Yana Tallon-Hicks: How do I tell my girlfriend that I’m bisexual?
Hello Yana! I’m curious about my sexuality. I have, for the majority of my life, thought I was a heterosexual male. But at times I have thought maybe I am bisexual. I’m aware that sexuality is a spectrum. I just don’t know where I land on that spectrum. I have a...
Staff Picks: Loudon Wainwright III, Valley Voices Story Slam, 13th Floor Music Lounge show, and Irish music
There are few songwriters who have raided their family history as much as Loudon Wainwright III — and even fewer who have done it as successfully.
The Beerhunter: Local Breweries Adapt to a New, Locked-Down World
This article was supposed to be about gathering in large groups.
Cover story: Live at Last – Area theaters step back onstage
It’s been over a year since COVID-19 shut down theaters across the world, and performing artists are aching to get back onstage with a live audience. Now, a few theaters in the Valley and Berkshires are planning in-person summer performances, indoors and out.
