Thank you!
Your support is sustaining the future of local news in our communities.
performances

Berkshire Waldorf School updates “Little Women”

Berkshire Waldorf School updates “Little Women”

Students at Berkshire Waldorf High School rehearse for the performances of “Little Women” March 13-15 at The Unicorn Theater in Stockbridge.

Mike Cobb

Update - Friday, March 13, 2026:

Due to illness, this weekend's performances have been postponed to Thursday, April 2, at 7 p.m., Friday, April 3, at 7 p.m., and Saturday, April 4, at 2 p.m. Saturday will be free for students from any school and chaperones. Suggested donation is $10 for students, $25 for adults and $60 for families.


The Berkshire Waldorf High School presents “Little Women” by Kate Hamill, adapted from the novel by Louisa May Alcott, at The Unicorn Theater in Stockbridge, Massachusetts.

Director Kendell Shaffer has taught screenwriting for the Writers Guild Foundation High School Screenwriting Workshops. About the choice of play, Shaffer said,

“The idea of ‘Little Women’ came from our senior girls who wanted a play with a heavy female cast after doing ‘The Outsiders’ last year. Kate Hamill’s adaptation is spunky, funny, with a contemporary feminist slant that transcends Louisa May Alcott’s ideas to today’s audience.”

Students learning “fight” choreography.Mike Cobb

Actor Noelle Bodenstab said, “My role is Hannah. She’s very sassy and a very big contrast from the role I played in ‘The Outsiders’ last year. I feel as though it’s exercising my acting abilities, and I’m really excited to see how it turns out in the play.”

Actor Leo Martinez said, “I am playing Laurie, who is a friend of the Marches and this lonely, rich, sentimental guy who doesn’t really like the traditional idea of a man. His character revolves around his love for Jo, who doesn’t fit into the role of a girl very well, and them growing up together.”

The production features contemporary and original songs performed by the Berkshire Waldorf High School rock band.


Some of the updates to the production involve changing traditional gender roles.Mike Cobb

“Having been a TV producer in L.A. before relocating to the Berkshires, I like to add live music to plays I direct, similar to underscoring a film or TV episode,” said Shaffer. “The music helps guide the emotion and elevates the experience for both the audience and actors. Using contemporary music performed by our school’s rock band updates this classic play.”

“We are fortunate to have so many talented students at the Berkshire Waldorf High School and professional mentors working with the students as costume designer, choreographer, musical director, and vocal coach. The Berkshires are alive with artists, and it’s a gift to work with its seasoned and emerging talent,” Shaffer added.

Performances start at 7 p.m. Friday, March 13; 7 p.m. Saturday, March 14; and 2 p.m. Sunday, March 15.

For more information, visit berkshiretheatregroup.org.

Mike Cobb
performances

Latest News

The Millerton News - September 3, 2026

The Millerton News - September 3, 2026

Download directly

At Peggy Mercury, prep meets punk in ‘Imaginary Concerts’

At Peggy Mercury, prep meets punk in ‘Imaginary Concerts’
Greg Fricke and James Boehmer, co-owners of Peggy Mercury in Kent, recently launched their first fashion line, “Imaginary Concerts.”
Provided

Last month, James Boehmer and Greg Fricke of Peggy Mercury launched their first fashion line, “Imaginary Concerts,” wearable art sold exclusively at their store in the Kent Barns section of Kent, Connecticut.

The two fashion industry veterans opened Peggy Mercury more than two years ago, and a quick visit will tell you that people are finding what they’re looking for at the beauty and lifestyle store. But what they’re looking for is never standard.

Keep ReadingShow less
fashion

“Girlbomb” at 20

“Girlbomb” at 20
Photo by Jessica YurkoMillerton author Janice Erlbaum will celebrate the 20th anniversary of her memoir “Girlbomb” at Black Rabbit Dispensary on Sept. 5.
Photo by Jessica YurkoMillerton author Janice Erlbaum will celebrate the 20th anniversary of her memoir “Girlbomb” at Black Rabbit Dispensary on Sept. 5.
With memoir...the character only knows what the character knows.
—Janice Erlbaum

In “Girlbomb: A Halfway Homeless Memoir,” published in 2006, author Janice Erlbaum wrote about the years after she left her family’s Brooklyn apartment at 15, moving through shelters, group homes, squats, clubs and the streets of 1980s New York while somehow continuing to attend high school. The book has sold more than 75,000 copies, stayed in print for two decades and continues to find new readers.

Now Erlbaum, 57, lives in Millerton and on Saturday, Sept. 5, at 7:30 p.m., she will celebrate the 20th anniversary of “Girlbomb” with a reading at Black Rabbit Dispensary. The event is open to the public and will be livestreamed on Instagram.

Keep ReadingShow less
our community
google preferred source

Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.

Spencertown’s 21st Festival Of Books

Spencertown’s 21st Festival Of Books
Joshua Jelly-Schapiro, author of “Daylight Come: Harry Belafonte and the World He Made” is one of thefeatured authors at the Spencertown Academy Festival of Books on Saturday, Sept. 5.
Mirissa Neff

On Saturday, Sept. 5, the Spencertown Academy Arts Center in Spencertown, New York, will host its 21st annual Book Festival.

With over 20,000 gently used books, CDs, DVDs and vinyl donated by the community, it took volunteers 45 days — and an estimated 750 hours —to set the whole thing up. Most of that time was spent sorting through the vast troves of donations and organizing them by category.

Keep ReadingShow less
community

Paul Newman racing doc to screen in North Canaan on Sunday

Paul Newman racing doc to screen in North Canaan on Sunday
“Winning: The Racing Life of Paul Newman,”will be screened Sunday, Sept. 6, at the Colonial Theatre in North Canaan.
Provided

On Sunday, Sept. 6, Lime Rock Park will host a screening of the documentary “Winning: The Racing Life of Paul Newman” at the Colonial Theatre in North Canaan at 7 p.m.

Newman was one of the most celebrated actors of the 20th century, known for films including “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,” “Hud” and “Cool Hand Luke.” His 1969 film “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” also began a decades-long friendship with co-star Robert Redford.

Keep ReadingShow less
film

Community to take center stage at Dive Barn

Community to take center stage at Dive Barn

A scene from last year’s Dance Barn.

Steven Tayler

On Sunday, Sept. 6, PS21 in Chatham, New York, will host a celebration of community through dance at its second annual Dive Barn performance at the organization’s Dance Barn.

Dive Barn is the brainchild of dancer, teacher and choreographer Sayer Mansfield, who has dedicated her life to contemporary and experimental dance. She studied in the Department of Dance at NYU Tisch School of the Arts and at the Salzburg Experimental Academy of Dance. She’s performed with companies including Pilobolus, Compagnie Marie Chouinardand Mark Morris Dance Group. Her work has been featured in films including “Little Women,” “Maestro” and “Sproutland.” She has served on the faculties of Jacob’s Pillow, Phillips Academy Andover, as well as Harvard and Yale Universities.

Keep ReadingShow less
dance
google preferred source

Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.