Having hosted acts from indie experimental rockers Akron Family and Jason Anderson and his should-be-at-a-campfire sing-alongs to Jesse Alexander, Hampshire College's Red Barn is a serene and lofty space that changes its character faster than a New England winter. During chilly winter nights, the space's wooden floor is often littered with college students in pilling wool knits and travelers who journey from afar to experience the Red Barn's intimate shows. Strings of tiny lights twined around beams cast the interior in an orange glow. With enormous windows that look out over the Valley landscape, the venue invokes a sense of limitlessness that is often balanced by the acoustics of the high post-and-beam ceilings.
The Red Barn also hosts elegant wedding receptions and, during the spring season, the space constantly transforms to fit the musical and theatrical character of several Hampshire College final student performances. Most recently it hosted a student rendition of The Vagina Monologues during Valentine's Day weekend, when delicately-wrapped chocolate vaginas sold there for a dollar.
