They’ve Got a Barn and They’re Putting on Some Shows!

In a world where you can’t go to a theater to see films or plays, now there is another option: Drive-ins. The Four Brothers Drive-In Theatre in Amenia, N.Y., was a regional pioneer, and continues to show first-run and classic films. 

The Mahaiwe in Great Barrington, Mass., has been screening music documentaries in partnership with Bard College at Simon’s Rock. 

The Copake Grange in Copake, N.Y., will continue to show old favorites through September, with “The Princess Bride” on Friday, Sept. 4,  and “Night at the Museum” on Saturday, Sept. 12 (www.copakegrange.org/events).

And now the Millerton, N.Y., Moviehouse and the Sharon Playhouse in Sharon, Conn., have teamed up to present films with an extra helping of local color and personalities.

This Sunday, Sept. 13, internationally acclaimed silent film accompanists Donald Sosin and Joanna Seaton of Lakeville, Conn. will enliven two classic comic silents with keyboard, vocals and percussion. The films are “Grandma’s Boy” starring Harold Lloyd and “The Blacksmith” starring Buster Keaton (both films were released in 1922).

On Sunday, Sept. 20, Academy-Award-winning screenwriter Charles Randolph will introduce his 2016 film “The Big Short,” about the economic crash of 2008. The film stars Christian Bale, Brad Pitt, Ryan Gosling, Steve Carell and cameos by everyone from behavioral economics expert Richard Thaler to Academy Award-nominated actress Margot Robbie (sitting in a bubble bath and explaining mortgage-backed securities).  

On Sunday, Sept. 27, the featured film is new work by Salisbury, Conn., native Keith Boynton, who is writer and director of the film “The Scottish Play,” in which a successful actress performing Lady Macbeth in a small New England theater has visitations from William Shakespeare — and he wants to do some rewrites. 

These films (shown in the parking lot beside the barn-like Sharon Playhouse) will benefit The Moviehouse. Tickets are $50 per car and should be ordered in advance; parking is limited. The gates open at 6 p.m. for drinks at the socially distant patio bar. The film introductions begin at 7:15 p.m., the films begin at 7:45 p.m.

 Dinner can be ordered from JP Gifford in Sharon, Conn., and picked up on the night of the film.

For more information on meals, COVID-19 safety protocols and tickets, go to www.sharonplayhouse.org.