Poe-etic and Macabre
Halloween comes early to the Berkshires with Poe, an original solo play written by Eric Hill for the Berkshire Theatre Group and performed by David Adkins as that master of the macabre, Edgar Allan Poe, examining the four “lost” days in October 1849 that led to his death.
Oct. 2-26, Unicorn Theatre, Stockbridge, (413) 997-4444, berkshiretheatregroup.org.
—Chris Rohmann
Trailer Park, Banner Queen
Amy Johnquest, often called “the Banner Queen,” makes art that would look right at home on a carnival midway circa 1890. With that festive look, the music of longtime Valley musicmakers Trailer Park (pictured) ought to provide a just-right soundtrack for Johnquest’s Bing Arts Center exhibition, For A Limited Time Only. Step right up.
Nov. 8, 5-7 p.m., Bing Arts Center, 716 Sumner Ave., Springfield, (413) 731-9730, bingartscenter.org.
—James Heflin
Alright Bass
Esperanza Spalding, the coolest guest to ever perform on David Letterman according to Paul Shaffer, visits the Valley in support of her new album Radio Music Society.
Oct. 4, 8 p.m., Calvin Theatre, 19 King St., Northampton, (413) 586-8686, iheg.com.
—By Pete Redington
Watershed Reflection
The summer season at Jacob’s Pillow may be over, but the dance goes on as MacArthur “Genius” Fellow Kyle Abraham brings Abraham.In.Motion’s new work The Watershed to Mass MoCA. Abraham’s style blends classical form, postmodern invention, and urban influences to tackle subject matter from the Emancipation Proclamation to the end of apartheid in South Africa. His sociopolitical reflection also draws on Max Roach’s classic album We Insist: Max Roach’s Freedom Now Suite. Following the performances, Jacob’s Pillow artistic and executive director Ella Baaf will lead a discussion with artists from Abraham.In.Motion. See jacobspillow.org.
Oct. 18, 8 p.m., Oct. 19, 3 p.m., Hunter Center, Mass MoCA, 87 Marshall St., North Adams, (413) 662-2111, massmoca.org.
—Pete Redington
Kerman College
Smith College alum and Orange is the New Black: My Year In A Women’s Prison author Piper Kerman talks with book critic Bethanne Patrick about her advocacy work for incarcerated women.
Oct. 2, 4:30 p.m., $5, John M. Greene Hall, Smith College, 70 Massachusetts 9, Northampton, (413) 585-2190.
—By Pete Redington
18 for 20
Northampton-based Signature Sounds celebrates its 20th anniversary Thanksgiving weekend with a series of performances by 18 artists who have recorded for the label, including Tracy Grammer, Crooked Still, The Winterpills, Chris Smither, Kris Delmhorst, Jeffrey Foucault, Peter Mulvey, Heather Maloney, The Sweetback Sisters, The Sacred Shakers, Rani Arbo and daisy mayhem, Zoe Muth and The Lost High Rollers, Lake Street Dive (whose 2013 release Bad Self Portraits is pictured), and And The Kids.
“We launched several years before there was any online music retail,” says label president Jim Olsen. “Our early albums were released on cassette as well as CD. These days over half the music we sell is by download.”
Nov. 28-30, The Academy of Music, 274 Main St., Northampton, and The Parlor Room at Signature Sounds, 32 Masonic St., Northampton, (413) 665-4036, signaturesounds.com/signature-sounds-20th.
—Pete Redington
The Dregs
Leigh Bardugo, New York Times bestselling author of the Geisha Trilogy, reads from her new book The Dregs.
Nov. 5, 7 p.m., Odyssey Bookshop, 9 College St., South Hadley, (413) 534-7307, odysseybks.com.
—Pete Redington
Nobody’s Girl
She was a free spirit and an independent woman in a man’s world—the manager’s office at Northampton’s Academy of Music, in the case of Mildred Walker (pictured). A new play, Nobody’s Girl, about the 1940s scandal premieres this month in the newly renovated theater where this real-life screwball comedy took place.
Oct. 17-18, Academy of Music, 274 Main St., Northampton, (413) 584-9032, academyofmusictheatre.com.
—Chris Rohmann
Pearl Selfie
Columbus Day Weekend in Northampton means the Paradise City Arts Festival, which this fall marks its 20-year anniversary. This season’s fest features works in jewelry, sculpture, photography, ceramics, painting, metal, and mixed media from 275 artists representing 22 states. Among the exhibitors is Cranston, Rhode Island’s Joanne DeLomba (whose “Selfie Portrait Vermeer” is pictured), whose art grew from her experience of owning and operating a ceramics studio for 25 years.
“I love the new idea of ‘repurposing’ china plates instead of just making more,” DeLomba says, “so I switched gears and began up-cycling the antiques. I am a collector of all sorts of stuff, so hunting antique shops and estate sales is a bonus [and] the smartness of recycling just sweetens the pot!”
“As for the designs,” the artist explains, “well, I’m just a silly person.”
Oct. 11-13, $8-$13/day, $16/weekend, 12 and under free, Three County Fairgrounds, 54 Old Ferry Rd., Northampton, (800) 511-9725, paradisecityarts.com.
—Pete Redington+
The Art of Warmth
Though her works often look like paintings, longtime quilter Elizabeth Sylvan makes her art via raw edge appliqué, hand-coloring, and machine stitching, using cotton, silk, yarn, tulle, and even recycled foil. Some of her works, Sylvan says, are quilted versions of photos, and others are the product of a freeform and intuitive process.
Time of Day: Art Quilts by Elizabeth Sylvan: through Oct. 30, Amherst Town Hall: 4 Boltwood Ave., Amherst, (413) 575-8123.
—James Heflin
