Wednesday July 25, 2012

"The first lady is all about educating our children and creating a strong sense of community. And that’s what the Colonial symbolizes."

-- Kate Maguire, CEO and Artistic Director of the Berkshire Theatre Group, on the impending visit by First Lady Michelle Obama to the Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield next week.

"It’s much more intimate and relaxed than what audiences can get on Broadway. Cast members stay five weeks for rehearsals and performances, so it’s like camp: everyone’s away from home, partying with each other, and I think that it shows onstage. One night you can see something traditional like "The Importance of Being Earnest," and the next see something offbeat, like puppet theater based on David Byrne music at MassMoCa. So come up here for a few days - you’re right in the Berkshires - go antiquing, do the restaurants and the cute shops, then see a different production every night."

-- Susie Essman, comic, quoted in The New York Times, on performing in the Berkshires. Susie appeared earlier this summer in "Last of the Red Hot Lovers" at Williamstown Theatre Festival.

"It’s a big thing. It’s something my office gets calls about all the time from people who are planning to visit the area and want to know when it’s scheduled for so they don’t miss it."

-- Veronica Bosley, director of tourism and community

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events for the city of North Adams, on the 14th-annual Eagle Street Beach Party, attended by more than a thousand people every year.

"I’m hoping its growing. I’m hoping our efforts are not for naught. We’re letting people know that we’re here."

-- Diane Pearlman, executive director of the Berkshire Film & Media Commission, about the spate of recent film projects in the area. Her nonprofit organization promotes and facilitates filmmaking and media opportunities in the Berkshires.

"It seemed that the natural way to extend to the next level with the festival was to get people on the grounds for the whole thing. We went to the town with the idea of having overnight camping, and came up with a simple set of rules to make everybody happy and feel safe."

-- Daniel Osman, owner of Dream Away Lodge in Becket, on the recent "Nouveau Revue 3," a free summer music celebration on the grounds.