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Laozi reminds us in the Tao Te Ching of the utility of emptiness: “We shape clay into a pot, but it is the emptiness inside that holds whatever we want.” A life cluttered with noise and perpetual engagement leaves no room for the spirit to reside

The list of things All Shook Up does well is long, from the show itself to the outstanding Goodspeed production and the talented cast.

Jacob’s Pillow will welcome the Afro Latin dance company Sekou McMiller & Friends, who brought audiences to their feet last year on the outdoor stage, for their Ted Shawn Theatre debut from July 30 through August 3.

Blanche Lazzell: Becoming an American Modernist explores the pioneering artist’s lifelong pursuit of translating Modernism into an American art form and celebrates her largely unsung achievements in championing abstraction in the United States through painting and printmaking.explores the pioneering artist’s lifelong pursuit of translating Modernism into an American art form and celebrates her largely unsung achievements in championing abstraction in the United States through painting and printmaking.

For its first appearance at Jacob's Pillow in a decade the Sarasota Ballet Company presented two works by Sir Frederick Ashton and a world premiere by Jessica Lang, Sir Frederick Ashton (born 1904, Guayaquil, Ecuador—died 1988, Sussex, England) was the principal choreographer and director of England’s Royal Ballet, the repertoire of which includes about 30 of his ballets.

For an appearance at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival of a play by Greg the set of painted rags was conceived by Rafael. It was cheap and easy to transport. Looking out over a mountain of rags, however, the audience consisted of a single individual. They attributed lack of success to their unflinching artistic integrity.

Tom Rakewell shuns regular work. His desire to make it on his wits alone plays into the hands of Nick Shadow, alias, The Devil. Willing to leave his betrothed, Anne Trulove, behind, and seduced by the attractions of London, Tom falls deeper and deeper into despair.

Forty years ago, Sandra Cisneros authored one of the world's best-selling and most influential young adult novels. Together with composer Derek Bermel, they have created an opera based on that work, telling about coming of age in a Mexican-American community in Chicago.

Having settled in London, Tshembe visits his African homeland at a time of unrest. Playwright Lorraine Hansberry plumbs conflicts among natives and colonialists with various philosophies. OTP's production casts a wholly black female ensemble to portray men and women, black and white.

At its core, push hands is a two-person training drill designed to develop sensitivity, balance, and the ability to neutralize and issue force. Partners maintain continuous contact, typically at the wrists or forearms, and engage in a gentle yet focused exchange.

Although American based, the world touring company Trinity Irish Dance Company is rooted in traditions of step dancing and music. The unique vision has been to expand the program from folk forms to creating works with progressive vision that puts it on level ground with leading contemporary companies. The dances are exquisite, unique, intricate, and challenging.

As a highlight of the 93rd Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, the world-renowned Stephen Petronio Company—one of the biggest names in the postmodern dance scene—will conclude their 40-year run with a highly anticipated program in the Ted Shawn Theatre, July 23-27. These capstone performances will feature a collection of Petronio’s favorite works, including MiddleSexGorge (1990) and American Landscapes (2019).

The musical fuzzy is a puppet show for adults. This inventive production breaks all the rules. The one act play has been written, it seems, by the main character. The charm of this production is that the audience comes to believe that.

I always felt the simple visitor’s stamp on my passport gave me just enough right to live in Paris until the next visitor’s stamp. I never contemplated the idea of citizenship or even having a carte de travail.

A spoof of the popular movie, this jukebox-musical-plus offers a great catalog of singalong pop and rock hits from the '80s and '90s along with broad and racy humor. The production values are impressive as Dr. Laura Dern and Dr. Jeff Goldblum try to save the world from the re-birth of dinosaurs.

Fred Wilson has gained widespread recognition for his groundbreaking artistic practice, which challenges dominant assumptions about history and culture. Working across a range of media—including sculpture, installation, painting, and glass—Wilson is best known for his conceptual interventions that expose the ways museums, archives, and institutions shape our understanding of the past. By reframing cultural narratives and recontextualizing objects, often drawn from historical collections or everyday life.

Vanessa is the first opera to be performed at the Williamstown Festival, running from July 17 through August 3. It will be produced by Heartbeat Opera, a company known for revitalizing underperformed masterpieces and breathing new life into opera’s  staples.

Marianne, an astrophysicist, and Roland, a beekeeper, strike an unlikely relationship. In Nick Payne's original realization, two actors repeat each scene three times, each variation having its own twist and suggesting multiple realities. The Pear uses three separate couples, increasing the dynamics with each couple reflecting different aspects of their character's personality.

Gabrielle Münter was a critical figure in the advancement of modernism in early twentieth-century Europe. Gabriele Münter: Contours of a World will focus on her heightened Expressionist production from around 1908 to 1920, while also highlighting her later developments.

Bodytraffic was founded in 2007 in Los Angeles by Tina Finkelman Berkett and Lilian Barbeito. They made their Jacob’s Pillow debut on the outdoor stage in 2013. They returned two more times including appearing in the Doris Duke Theater. For this season they were invited to perform in the Ted Shawn Theatre.  

Stephen loved philosophy. I remember he and I arguing over Wittgenstein’s Philosophical Investigations during the rehearsals for One Day in May. Well, it wasn’t so much an argument as me shouting ‘Wittgenstein, what do you know about Wittgenstein?’

Camelot, a lesser work by Lerner & Loewe with its utopian vision of a medieval kingdom, came to signify the youthful and energetic presidency of John F. Kennedy. It has been revised by Alan Paul and Barrington Stage Company as contrast to the current evil empire and faint hope that a better America has been and will be again.

A second generation Mexican American, Victor Valdez, was a prodigy who with a mentor was painting public murals at the age of 10. Now at mid career the remarkable artists is the subject of a riveting retrospective at MASS MoCA. It features a 30' panorama of hooded Ku Klux Klan members.

On a desolate Greek island in the Bronze Age, only an older woman and her granddaughter remain. An exhausted, disheveled young man appears, claiming to have been shipwrecked. His presence prompts revelations, creates new dynamics, and imposes new decisions to be made.

Jacob’s Pillow welcomes Andrew Schneider and collaborators to present the world premiere of HERE in the Doris Duke Theatre from July 16-20, marking the first week-long performance run in the newly-opened venue, and the first time since 2019 that the summer dance festival has presented works in all three venues on its iconic site in the Berkshires.