Alfresco Entertainment
Where there is a will there is a way and local arts organizations are determined to make the summer of 2020 a happening. Events that ordinarily occur indoors are being moved out under the stars as arts groups turn to the drive-in experience.
Among those finding new venues for the season are the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center, which holds its drive-in at the Daniel Arts Center parking lot at Bard College at Simon's Rock, 84 Alford Road in Great Barrington MA and the Berkshire Theatre Group which has its Sunset Cinema Outside weekend series of family films in the Taconic High School parking lot on Valentine Road in Pittsfield.
The Berkshire Theater Group scheduled five movies to be shown. Remaining films are Jurassic Park, July 16th, The Iron Giant, July 17th, and Disney Pixar’s Coco, July 18th. BB’s Hot Spot food truck is serving up American fare as well as chef owner, Ronny Brizan's, Caribbean specialties like jerk chicken.
The Pittsfield Police Department’s Operation Copsicle ice cream truck also will be on hand with treats.
The movies begin at 8:30PM (sunset); gates open at 6:30. Tickets are $25 per car. For tickets and more information, visit berkshiretheatregroup.org or call the ticket office at 413-997-4444.
On August 6th, the Theatre Group will get back to what it knows best, producing Godspell, the first musical in the United States to be approved by Actors' Equity Association in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The show will be presented outdoors in an open-air tent adjacent to The Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield and is scheduled to run through September 4th. Tickets are available for purchase now.
The Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center has been forced to cancel live performances but is bringing back movie classics to the Simon’s Rock campus. On July 16th, it presents Chadwick Boseman in 42, the story of Jackie Robinson’s racial integration of Major League Baseball, followed on July 17th and 18th by Raiders of the Lost Ark, introducing Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones.
The drive-in gates open as early as 7:45PM and all should be in place by 8:30. All tickets must be purchased in advance at mahaiwe.org or the box office, 413-528-0100, Wednesday through Saturday, noon to 4PM. Patrons should print out tickets or have the confirmation email open on a mobile device to present at the gate.
Audio will be played through vehicles’ radios set to accessory, or a portable AM/FM radio. Vehicle engines must remain off while parked.
No social gatherings are allowed outside of vehicles at the drive-in. Parking is on a first-come, first-served basis. Guests with masks are allowed away from vehicles to purchase concessions or to use the restrooms only.
Patrons are encouraged to bring meals but local concessions will be available.
