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Mollie Leonard (“Princess Winnifred”) center with the spear, surrounded by the cast of “Once Upon a Mattress” at Sharon Playhouse.
Aly Morrissey
The Sharon Playhouse’s newest initiative, the Launchpad Company, is part of the organization’s educational mission. Developed under the leadership of Education and Community Director Michael Kevin Baldwin, Launchpad is a pre-professional program designed for emerging theater artists aged 15 to 20. The goal is to provide high-level training, mentorship, and fully staged production experience for young performers from the region. The company’s debut performance “Once Upon a Mattress” opens Aug. 22 and runs through Aug. 24 at Indian Mountain School’s Qianxun Performing Arts Center.
Mary Rodgers’ and Marshall Barer’s “Once Upon a Mattress” is a classic musical comedy that reimagines the fairytale “The Princess and the Pea.” Directed and choreographed by Will Nash Broyles, with music direction by Eric Thomas Johnson and assistant direction and choreography by Kimberly Wilpon, the production highlights the talent of these young performers in a fast-paced, heart-filled show that balances broad comedy with character-driven storytelling.
Mollie Leonard (Warren, Connecticut) stars as the unconventional Princess Winnifred, whose arrival upends tradition in a kingdom ruled by strict laws and an even stricter queen. Tyler Rosenblum (Falls Village) plays Prince Dauntless, the shy royal whose marriage prospects drive the plot. The supporting cast includes Emily Burg (Hopewell Junction) as the formidable Queen Aggravain and Richie Crane (Canaan) as the silent but expressive King Sextimus. Rounding out the court are Kennadi Mitchell (Lakeville) as the Minstrel, Samuel Kent (New Milford) as the Jester, and Alex Wilbur (Lakeville) as the Wizard.
Other featured performers include Callie Audia and Carlo Desy as Lady Larken and Sir Harry, along with Oscar Samelson as the musical “Nightingale of Samarkand.” The ensemble includes young artists from across Connecticut and New York, each contributing energy and personality to the royal court onstage.
Design and technical support come from a professional team, ensuring that Launchpad students are learning in a real-world production environment. The creative team includes David Palmieri (scenic design and technical direction), Kathleen DeAngelis (costume design), Timothy Nivison (lighting design), Graham Stone (sound design), and Nicole Damico (props). Karla Woodworth leads scenic artistry, and Bobbie Zlotnik designs wigs. Phoebe Singer serves as Production Stage Manager.
With “Once Upon a Mattress,” Sharon Playhouse isn’t just presenting a show, it’s investing in the future of local theater and offering young performers the tools to take the next step in their artistic journeys.
All performances will take place at the Qianxun Performing Arts Center, 211 Indian Mountain Road in Lakeville, CT. Tickets are available now at sharonplayhouse.org/mattress.
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Exterior of Ted Shawn Theatre.
Christopher Duggan
On Aug. 1, a dolly carrying staging platforms lost control on the sloped grounds of Jacob’s Pillow, the beloved dance festival in Becket, Massachusetts. In its path was production manager Kat Sirico, age 40, who succumbed to injuries sustained in the accident. The Berkshire District Attorney confirmed it was a tragic accident, with no criminal charges to follow. But such announcements don’t soften the edges of loss, they only mark its arrival.
What began as a weekend pause quickly turned into an announcement of a longer hiatus. By Aug. 5, the Festival’s leadership made the difficult decision to cancel the remainder of the season. This, they said, was in service to mourning, to remembering, to healing. “Their spirit, generosity, and dedication touched the lives of many,” said Pamela Tatge, executive and artistic director of Sirico. “Kat was not only a leader but a beloved presence. We owe it to them, and to each other, to take the time to honor that.”
Sirico had returned to Jacob’s Pillow, where they had previously trained, to take on the role of production manager. This year was especially significant, marking the reopening of the newly rebuilt Doris Duke Theatre after it was destroyed by fire in 2020. The theatre, re-envisioned by the Dutch firm Mecanoo and infused with Indigenous design wisdom and sustainable architecture, had just opened its doors July 6.Sirico played a key role in supporting this next chapter for the organization.
The ripples of this loss will be felt far beyond the Berkshires. Dancers, artists, vendors, audiences are all impacted. But in its statement, the Board spoke not only of grief, but of resolve: to re-emerge with deeper care, with more courage, and with a recommitment to what dance makes possible.
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Queer Cinema Club founder Champika Fernando
Robin Bankert
For many LGBTQ+ people, film has always been more than entertainment — it’s been a mirror, a map and a lifeline. That’s exactly the spirit behind Queer Cinema Club, a brand-new initiative launching this month at the Triplex Cinema in Great Barrington with a screening of the 1999 cult classic “But I’m a Cheerleader.”
The Club is the brainchild of West Stockbridge resident Champika Fernando, a longtime film lover, queer community organizer and former software engineer, who’s looking to carve out space for LGBTQ+ folks to come together through the magic of cinema.
“I moved to the Berkshires five years ago with my partner,” Fernando shared. “I was really surprised by how vibrant the queer community is here, but the ways people gather are so different from the city.”
Fernando hails from Toronto, where they attended queer film clubs that mixed movies with drag performances, director Q&As and poster art with party vibes. That’s the kind of multi-sensory, fully alive experience Fernando is hoping to bring to the Berkshires.
On Aug. 20, the Triplex will screen “But I’m a Cheerleader,” the candy-colored satirical comedy directed by Jamie Babbit that follows a perky high school cheerleader (Natasha Lyonne) sent to a conversion camp, only to discover her queerness — and her first love. It’s a film with a dedicated following, and a fitting first feature to kick off a club that’s about self-acceptance, humor, and community connection.
“There’s something about sitting in a theater and laughing, or crying, or just feeling together,” said Fernando. “I think that matters, especially in rural areas, where queer folks can feel isolated.”
The event will open an hour before showtime for an informal pre-show cocktail hour that encourages people to linger and connect. Down the line, Fernando hopes to collaborate with local queer artists to create original movie posters, host performances tied to film themes, and even partner with Queer Soup Night, another community-based initiative known for its food, warmth, and mutual aid fundraising based in Western Massachusetts.
“I’d love to do something where we have a queer soup night followed by a screening,” said Fernando. “Or invite local folks to share what their ‘coming-out movie’ was and build programming around that.”
While “Cheerleader” is a crowd-pleasing start, Fernando’s vision also includes lesser-known international films, underrepresented voices, and stories that reflect the full range of the queer experience. Their years spent working with Scratch — an MIT-originated platform where kids learn to code and tell stories through animation — and with the Queer Women of Color Media Arts Project — where they once made their own documentary — have deeply shaped their storytelling values.
“There’s such a narrow slice of queer film that gets recognized,” said Fernando. “I want to expand that. I want people to see themselves in ways they haven’t before.”
The Triplex, a community-run nonprofit, was eager to support the idea. General Manager Ben Elliott welcomed Fernando’s proposal, and the two have been co-developing the program for several months with a shared belief that the space should reflect and serve the people who use it.
Though the first event is being hosted in Great Barrington, there are hopes to expand the club to other local venues, from Millerton to Rhinebeck and beyond.
“The hope is to do something monthly or every other month,” said Fernando. “And maybe host at other indie theaters in the area — depending on where people are coming from.”
More than a screening, Queer Cinema Club is an invitation. To gather. To remember the first time a film made you feel seen. To watch something weird, or sad, or celebratory — together.
“Community is everything,” Fernando shared. “Especially in rural places, you can really feel the absence of it. I just want to help create one more space where queer people feel like they belong.”
Queer Cinema Club’s first screening of “But I’m a Cheerleader” will take place Wednesday, Aug. 20 at the Triplex Cinema in Great Barrington. Doors open at 7 p.m. for a pre-show gathering. Screening begins at 8 p.m. Tickets and more info at triplexcinema.com.
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