Clark Art Presents Constant Smiles and Ava Mirzadegan

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WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The Clark Art Institute's Music at the Manton Concert spring series concludes with a performance by Constant Smiles and Ava Mirzadegan on Sunday, May 5 at 5 pm.
 
The performance takes place in the Clark's auditorium, located in the Manton Research Center.
 
According to a press release:
 
Constant Smiles began in 2009 in leader Ben Jones' home of Martha's Vineyard. Inspired by the island's now-defunct community record store Aboveground Records, the group made their live debut as a noise duo opening for Ralph White (Bad Livers). Fourteen indie-folk albums later, Constant Smiles returns to their electronic roots with their latest release Kenneth Anger, evoking the eponymous filmmaker with hypnotic, '80s-inspired synth classics that examine how rituals and community can heal feelings of isolation.
 
Ava Mirzadegan opens for Constant Smiles. Mirzadegan writes quiet songs about heartbreak, longing, letting go, and befriending the night sky. Accompanied most often by fingerpicked nylon string guitar, her work rings of unembellished honesty.
 
Tickets $10 ($8 members, $7 students, $5 children 15 and under). Accessible seats available; for information, call 413 458 0524. Advance registration encouraged. For more information and to register, visit clarkart.edu/events.
 
Presented in collaboration with Belltower Records, North Adams.

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Theaters Respond to Changing Customer Tastes, Studio Requirements

By John TownesSpecial to iBerkshires
This is the last of three articles in a series on the evolution and current status of movie theaters in Berkshire County. Read Part I here; and Part 2 here.
 
Operating a movie theater of any size is a complex mix of art and business. It is not as simple as booking a film, opening the doors and selling tickets. It involves complex strategies.
 
Local theaters also have to adapt to constantly-changing conditions and trends in the film and theater industry. This requires balancing the often-convoluted requirements of movie studios and distributors with the preferences and tastes of local audiences.
 
Berkshire County is unusual in an era that is dominated by immense theater chains.
 
Following the closing of the Regal multiplex in the Berkshire Mall in Lanesborough in 2022 and the closing of the North Adams Movieplex, in 2023, there are now three remaining theaters.
 
Two of those — Images Cinema in Williamstown and the Triplex Cinema in Great Barrington — are operated by community-based non-profit organizations.
 
While the Beacon Cinema in Pittsfield is a for-profit multiplex owned by the Phoenix Theaters, chain, it is a relatively small company compared to major chains. Under its founder and President Cory Jacobson, Phoenix operates as a midsized independent business. It has 10 theaters in the Midwest, Tennessee and Massachusetts. By comparison, AMC Entertainment owns 855 theaters worldwide, and Cinemark operates 500 theaters.
 
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