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Pittsfield Big Read 2010: Calendar of Events

Pittsfield kicks off its third community bookreading project during the month of April with the book The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien. The month will be filled with a variety of events including 3 art exhibits, 4 theatrical staged readings, 5 documentary film screenings, poetry readings, book discussions, writing workshops, and much, much more!The Things They Carried is considered one of the finest books about the Vietnam War. Far from a combat story of pride and glory, it is a compassionate tale of the American soldier, brimming with raw honesty and thoughtful reflection. The Things They Carried is available at Chapters Bookstore for 20% off (25% for Veterans). Join us in remembering the Vietnam War and honoring those who fought for our country. Here is a list of events taking place between March 31st and April 10th. Programming will continue throughout the month.

Wednesday, March 31: Big Read Kickoff: Remembering the Vietnam War @ Berkshire Museum

Join us at this ceremony which will kick off Pittsfield’s 3^rd community book reading project on “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien. The ceremony will begin with a color guard presentation and will feature speeches from State Senator Ben Downing, Pittsfield Mayor Jim Ruberto, and Berkshire Museum Executive Director Stuart Chase and the Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 65 will present a presentation of photos captured during their tour of duty in Vietnam. The event will be followed by a reception in the Berkshire Museum lobby where you can meet the veterans and eat some tasty treats supplied by Joe’s Lunch Box!

Art: Berkshire Veterans Photography Project @ the Lichtenstein Center for the Arts

Bill Wright, a Pittsfield photographer who himself is a military veteran of the Gulf War, has a mission: he wants to shine a light on the wide variety of Berkshirites who have served in the military during times of war. The Berkshire Veterans Photography Project features large-scale portraits of local veterans and is part of The Big Read: Remembering the Vietnam War, a citywide community book project focusing on the powerful Vietnam War novel, The Things They Carried by Tim OBrien.

Through April 10th | Wed-Sat 12-5pm | Lichtenstein Center for the Arts | 28 Renne Ave | 499-9348 | FREE

Art: Vietnam Contemporary @ Berkshire Museum

Photographs of contemporary Vietnam by Becket-based artist Joseph Wheaton, who has spent several months over the past seven years traveling throughout Southeast Asia, will be on display through May 2 in the BerkshireBASE Gallery at the Berkshire Museum.

Tuesday, April 6th: Documentary Series @ Berkshire Athenaeum: "In the Shadow of the Blade"

The first documentary in this weekly series during the Big Read is April 6, "In the Shadow of the Blade". The film follows a restored UH-1 Iroquois "Huey" helicopter on a flight to reunite Vietnam War veterans and families of the dead with the iconic aircraft three decades after the war as a vehicle for eliciting the stories of ordinary Americans affected by the war.

Tuesday, April 6th: Vietnam Veteran Panel Discussion @ BCC

Berkshire Community College is host a panel discussion with local Vietnam Veterans Bill Mickle, Mike Case and John Watson where they will read selections from "The Things They Carried" with commentaries from their personal experience.

Wednesday, April 7th: Lunchtime Book Discussion @ Chapters Bookstore

Chapters Bookstore will host a series of book discussions about “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien in partner with the Big Read. The first of these Lunchtime Book Discussions will take place at 12PM on Wednesday April 7 and the second will be on Wednesday, April 21. Chapters will also host Evening Book Discussions that will take place at 6PM on Thursday, April 15 and Thursday, April 29.

Tuesday, April 6th | 12:00pm | Chapters Bookstore | 75 North Street | 443-BOOK | FREE

Thursday, April 8th: Morning Book Discussion @ Berkshire Athenaeum

The Berkshire Athenaeum will host a series of book discussions about “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien in partner with the Big Read. The Morning Book Discussion on April 8^th will be at 10am in the Athenaeum Room. Come prepared to talk about issues about life and war that are still relevant today. Coffee will be provided!

Art: Saturday, April 10th: "The Things They Left Behind" Opening Reception @ Ferrin Gallery

"The Things They Left Behind" featuring artwork from Michael Boroniec and Gerit Grimm. "The Things They Left Behind" refers to the work produced in Michael Boroniec's residency based on the shoes, hat and a canteen from his friend who is being redeployed to Afghanistan. Opening reception is on Friday, April 10th from 5 to 7pm is FREE and open to the public and the exhibit will run until April 24^th.

Saturday, April 10th: Documentary Film Screening: "Operation Babylift" @ The Beacon Cinema

The Beacon Cinema in cooperation with the Berkshire International Film Festival will host a FREE screening of the award-winning documentary “Operation Babylift: The Lost Children of Vietnam” with a special appearance from musical director of the film, Jared Rehberg. This documentary is a contemporary look at “Operation Babylift”, a US initiative that airlifted over 2,500 Vietnamese orphans out of a war-torn country to protect them from the impending threat of the Communist Regime. The documentary analyzes the relevance of this event to international adoption today through the eyes of the adoptees themselves.

Have You Read It?

The book is The Things They Carried by acclaimed writer – and Vietnam War veteran - Tim O’Brien, and everyone in Pittsfield (and neighbors too!) are encouraged to read and discuss it throughout the month of April in an National Endowment for the Arts funded program called The Big Read. This project is sponsored in part by the Greylock Insurance Agency and the City of Pittsfield. Free reading guides for The Things They Carried are available at the Lichtenstein Center for the Arts, located at 28 Renne Ave; the Berkshire Athenaeum at One Wendell Avenue; Pittsfield City Hall at 70 Allen Street; and Chapters Bookstore at 78 North Street, all in Pittsfield. Below is the list of programming from April 13th through April 21st.

Tuesday, April 13th: Documentary Series @ Berkshire Athenaeum: “Oh, Saigon”

The second film in the Berkshire Athenaeum’s documentary series on April 13 is Oh, Saigon. Filmmaker Doan Hoang said, “If I could put my finger on the moment my family fell apart, it would be April 30, 1975.” On that day, Doan was on the last American helicopter taking civilians out of Saigon on the last day of the Vietnam War. Doan’s older sister, Van, was left behind in the chaos while her family fled to the United States. Twenty-five years later, Doan returns to Vietnam to meet the people she left behind. Accompanied by gripping images from the war, Oh, Saigon is an intimate, fascinating portrait of a family that demonstrates the consequences of split-second choices and the bitter legacy of war that lives long after the fighting stops.

Thursday, April 15th: Evening Book Discussion @ Chapters Bookstore

Chapters Bookstore will host a series of book discussions about The Things They Carried, by Tim O’Brien, in partnership with The Big Read. These Evening Book Discussions will take place at 6PM on Thursday, April 15, and Thursday, April 29.

Theatre: Friday & Saturday: Staged Reading of "The Things They Carried" @ Barrington Stage Company

Barrington Stage celebrates The Big Read in Pittsfield with a dramatic staged reading, adapted and directed by Julianne Boyd, of excerpts from Tim O'Brien’s The Things They Carried, a classic work on the Vietnam War that changed the way people look at the war and those who served in it. This one-of-kind locally produced staged reading is a must see!

Theatre: Friday & Saturday: No Background Music @ The N.E.W Stage Theatre

The brand-new N.E.W. Stage Theatre (above the Beacon Cinema) opens its doors to the public for the first time with a production of No Background Music, a one-woman show written, directed and performed by Normi Noel. Ms. Noel puts together powerful excerpts from the journal of Penny Rock, a Vietnam Army nurse, who shares what the Vietnam War was like through her eyes. Vietnam Veterans will read excerpts from their writings (both published and unpublished) about the war immediately following the matinee on April 17.

Saturday, April 17th: Poetry Workshop @ Chapters Bookstore

Lisken Van Pelt Dus will teach a Poetry Week workshop, “The Words We Carry,” at Chapters from 2-4PM on Saturday, April 17, building on themes in The Things They Carried. People interested in taking this should e-mail workshops@upstreet-mag.org.

Saturday, April 17: Songs of a Generation: Featuring Janis Ian & Karla Bonoff@ The Colonial Theatre

Janis Ian & Karla Bonoff will perform Songs of a Generation is a celebration of song, featuring two of the most influential songwriters of the ’60s through the ’90s. These two Grammy Award-winning stars will take you on a musical journey starting in 1966 when “Society’s Child” became a lightning rod for racial equality in the most storied and turbulent time in our musical history. Janis Ian’s hit songs include “Society’s Child,” “At Seventeen,” “Jessie,” and many more from her 27 albums. Karla Bonoff has written numerous million selling songs including “Someone To Lay Down Beside Me,” “Home,” “All My Life,” “Personally” and “Tell Me Why.” VIP tickets will give you preferred seating with post-show Artist meet & greet!

Saturday, April 17th | 8pm | The Colonial Theatre | 111 South Street | 997-4444| $65 VIP/ $45/$25

Tuesday, April 20th: Berkshire Athenaeum Documentary Series: "A Touch of Home: The Vietnam War's Red Cross Girls"

The third film in the Berkshire Athenaeum Tuesday Night Documentary Film Series is on April 20: A Touch of Home: The Vietnam War’s Red Cross Girls, which tells the story of 627 young American women who served in the American Red Cross Supplemental Recreation Overseas program during the Vietnam War. The Vietnam War Red Cross “Donut Dollies” were young, college-degreed women who spent a one-year tour in country as morale boosters for American troops. They ran recreation centers, visited hospitals, and, because of the mobility of the UH-1 Iroquois helicopter, traveled to front-line landing zones and base camps to bring games and smiles to soldiers.

Wednesday, April 21st: Book Discussion @ Berkshire Community College

BCC English Professors Jenny and Hilary Russell will lead/facilitate book discussion sessions on Wednesday, April 21, and Thursday, April 29. Both sessions will be at 2:30PM in BCC’s Jonathan Edwards Library.

Wednesday, April 21st: Lunchtime Book Discussion @ Chapters Bookstore

Chapters Bookstore will host a series of book discussions about The Things They Carried, by Tim O’Brien, in partnership with the Big Read. The second Lunchtime Book Discussions will take place at 12PM on Wednesday, April 21. Chapters will also host Evening Book Discussions that will take place at 6PM on Thursday, April 15, and Thursday, April 29.

Events: April 22- May 2

Have You Read It Yet? Pittsfield's Big Read Project wraps up May 2nd!

The final week to catch programming for Pittsfield's third community bookreading project, funded through the NEA Big Read, on The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien. Everyone in Pittsfield is encouraged to read and discuss the book throughout the month of April. This project is sponsored in part by the Greylock Insurance Agency and the City of Pittsfield. Free reading guides for The Things They Carried are available at the Lichtenstein Center for the Arts, located at 28 Renne Ave; the Berkshire Athenaeum at One Wendell Avenue; Pittsfield City Hall at 70 Allen Street; and Chapters Bookstore at 78 North Street, all in Pittsfield. Below is the list of programming from April 22nd through May 2nd.

Theatre: Thursday- Sunday: Strange Snow @ The N.E.W. Stage Theatre

Strange Snow is a staged reading of a three-character, two-act play by Steve Metcalfe, directed by Normi Noel, and starring Berkshire favorite Diane Prusha and Gary Cookson. This is the moving story of a Vietnam Vet who still blames himself for a friend’s death during the war and how his sister, with the aid of another Vietnam Vet, tries to help him get past the war and get on with life. Following Sunday’s performance there will be a panel discussion entitled The Human Cost of War, about post-traumatic stress disorder, addiction, and the inability to readapt to civilian life after the Vietnam War.

Thursday, April 22nd- Sunday April 25th| 7:30pm/ Sunday 2pm | The N.E.W. Stage Theatre | 55 North St. (Beacon Complex) | 499-9480| $12 Adults/ $7 Students

Saturday, April 24th: Vietnamese Culture Night @ Berkshire Museum

Berkshire Museum and the City of Pittsfield will host a night of Vietnamese culture at the Museum. This event is in conjunction with Pittsfield’s Big Read project on the novel The Things They Carried, by Tim O’Brien. This Saturday evening event will feature traditional Vietnamese food and performances by the Lion Dancers, from Springfield, MA and includes a cash bar and admission to the Berkshire Museum’s exhibition “Armed & Dangerous: Art of the Arsenal.”

Saturday, April 24th: “What Have You Carried?” Memoir-Writing Workshop @ Chapters Bookstore

upstreet literary magazine Editor/Publisher Vivian Dorsel will teach a memoir-writing workshop at Chapters on Saturday, April 24, from 2-5PM, titled “What Have You Carried? Writing from Your Personal Experience.” Those interested in participating should e-mail workshops@upstreet-mag.org.

Tuesday, April 27th: Berkshire Athenaeum Documentary Series: "The Fog of War"

The final film in the Berkshire Athenaeum’s Tuesday Night Documentary Film Series is The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara, an American documentary film about the life and times of former U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara. The military phrase “fog of war” refers to the concept of battlefield uncertainty during the fighting. It won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature and the Independent Spirit Award for Best Documentary Feature.

Thursday, April 29th: Book Discussion @ Berkshire Community College

BCC English Professors Jenny and Hilary Russell will lead/facilitate a book discussion session on Thursday, April 29. The session will be at 2:30PM in BCC’s Jonathan Edwards Library.

Thursday, April 29th: Evening Book Discussion @ Chapters Bookstore

Chapters Bookstore will host a series of book discussions about The Things They Carried, by Tim O’Brien, in partnership with The Big Read. The last Evening Book Discussion will take place at 6PM on Thursday, April 29.

Theatre: Thursday-Sunday: Staged Reading of Tom Cole’s Medal of Honor Rag @ The N.E.W. Stage Theatre

The N.E.W. Stage Theatre presents a staged reading of the full-length one-act play, Medal of Honor Rag, starring Mich Gill, which is based on a true story about a young black Sergeant who won a Medal of Honor for his service in Vietnam but cannot escape the agonizing flashbacks of his time there. This play deals with post-traumatic stress disorder, the country’s conflicted treatment of Vietnam Vets, survivor guilt and the divides between black and white. Following the Sunday matinee, a panel discussion titled “Moral Values and War” will cover issues about non-violence, patriotism and conflict.

Saturday, May 1st: Vietnam War Memorial Day and Re-dedication of Vietnam War Mural

A ceremony honoring the 26 Berkshire County natives who were killed in action during the Vietnam War, organized by the Vietnam Veterans of America, Chapter #65. Following the ceremony, the recently restored Vietnam War mural on the corner of South Street and West Housatonic Street will be rededicated. There will be an open at the new Chapter #65 Outreach Center on First St. following both events.

Vietnam War Memorial Day |Saturday, May 1st| 9am | Park Square| 499-9348 | FREE

Rededication of Vietnam Mural |Saturday, May 1st| 10am | Corner of South St. & West Housatonic St.| 499-9348 | FREE

Department Contact Info

Megan Whilden
Director of Cultural Development
Phone: (413) 499-9348
Fax: (413) 448-9811
Hours:

Lichtenstein Center for the Arts
28 Renne Avenue
Phone: (413) 499-9348
Gallery Hours: Wed-Sat 12-5p.m.