PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Barrington Stage Company (BSC) celebrates its 10th anniversary and re-opening of the Sydelle and Lee Blatt Performing Arts Center with Broadway's Joshua Henry in an encore concert, "Joshua Henry Up Close," on Sunday, May 29 at 8:00 p.m. 

 

Tickets are $60, by calling 413-236-8888 or online at barringtonstageco.org.

 

The concert will honor long-time supporters of Barrington Stage since its early years, Sydelle and Lee Blatt, who were instrumental in BSC's move from Sheffield to Pittsfield in 2005. The Blatts were honored in 2011's annual Gala for their support. Sydelle has been a member of the BSC Board of Trustees since 2003. 

 

In 2012, The Blatts gifted the VFW building in Pittsfield to Barrington Stage, now the Sydelle and Lee Blatt Performing Arts Center, which houses a newly renovated 136-seat St. Germain Stage and Mr. Finn's Cabaret, a 99-seat cabaret. This gift enabled Barrington Stage to have a permanent home for new works.

 

In 2020, the Blatts inaugurated the Sydelle Blatt New Works Commissioning Program with a $1 million dollar gift, which will commission new work as well as support the development and production of new work. 

 

When asked what the Blatts favorite shows they've seen at their Performing Arts Center, Sydelle and Lee replied, "Anything written by Mark St.Germain (Freud's Last Session; Dr. Ruth, All the Way), directed by Julianne Boyd (Dr. Ruth, All the Way; Broadway Bounty Hunter), and plays that feature Associate Artist Mark H. Dold (Freud's Last Session)."

 

Built in 1972 as Lt. John L Truden Local V.F.W. Post 448, the 50-year-old building, which BSC leased as Stage 2 from 2008-2011, was renamed the Sydelle and Lee Blatt Performing Arts Center and dedicated in a ribbon-cutting ceremony on May 26, 2012.

 

The 12,602 square-foot air-conditioned building has two levels. The upper level houses a café and the 136-seat St. Germain Stage named after BSC Associate Artist and Berkshire's playwright Mark St. Germain, author of "Freud's Last Session" and "The Best of Enemies."

 

The lower level houses rehearsal space, offices and a 99-seat cabaret space named Mr. Finn's Cabaret after Tony Winner William Finn, Artistic Producer of BSC's Musical Theatre Lab. In 2014, a major renovation took place with the addition of an enlarged backstage space with dressing rooms and a green room for the acting company.

 

This season, programming at the St. Germain Stage at the Sydelle and Lee Blatt Performing Arts Center will include three world premieres: "Andy Warhol in Iran" by Brent Askari; "ABCD" by May Treuhaft-Ali; "The Supadupa Kid" by Sukari Jones and Joel Waggoner, based on Ty Allan Jackson's book; and "Waiting for Godot" by Samuel Beckett.

 

For more information on programming at the Sydelle and Lee Blatt Performing Arts Center, visit barringtonstageco.org.