Me and the Sky: A Cabaret of Empowering Broadway Hits

LENOX, MA (September 12, 2023) – Producing Artistic Director Kristen van Ginhoven and Managing Director Molly Merrihew are proud to announce their Fall Cabaret event: Me and The Sky: A Cabaret of Empowering Broadway Hits. The Cabaret will play November 1-4, 2023, at the Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre at Shakespeare & Company. Tickets for this four-night-only event are on sale now.

The Fall Cabaret is an evening of empowering Broadway hits that focus on the full array of women’s stories. The Cabaret evening is co-created and directed by WAM Associate Artistic Director Talya Kingston and Pioneer Valley-based theatre artist and musician Kyle Boatwright (WAM’s Miscast Cabaret, Bright Half Life), whose work often centers on uplifting underrepresented voices. 

This celebratory evening features songs from such hit musicals as: Rent, Come From Away, Newsies, Shucked, and Waitress. Boatwright explained the impetus for creating the cabaret saying: “In this cabaret, women get to tell the full scope of our stories, going beyond the tropes of the ingenue or the strumpet or the witch and diving fully into what it can mean to be a woman: the passion, the careers, the friendships, motherhood, strife, joy, the relationship with oneself. It all gets to live in this world that we’re creating here at WAM.”  

Kingston agrees, explaining that: “Musical Theatre has the power to connect directly to our hearts. The songs that we are sharing in Me and The Sky center women’s lives in all their beautiful complexity, and the talent in the ensemble of creators, singers, and musicians is tremendously inspiring.”

WAM is thrilled to welcome three powerhouse artists to the stage; Jess Diaz Griffin (Bright Star, Wonderettes, In the Heights, Sister Act, Elf), Shannon Lamb (The Full Monty, Annie, Smokey Joe’s Café, Little Shop of Horrors), and Wendy Welch (A Little Night Music, Caroline, or Change, The Light in the Piazza, Follies, Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson). This accomplished trio will be accompanied by a live band of Berkshire musicians.

“I am delighted that the final event of my tenure as Producing Artistic Director at WAM is a joyful evening of uplifting songs honoring women’s voices” said Producing Artistic Director Kristen van Ginhoven. “To have such an incredible cast and creative team creating this evening is the cherry on top.”

“As the Berkshires is frosting over, we hope you will join us in the warm embrace of these Broadway hits,” added Molly Merrihew, Managing Director. “Moreover, our Saturday night performance is a special benefit celebration of our Founder Kristen van Ginhoven, who has moved mountains for women and girls over the past 14 years at WAM, with a cocktail party hosted by Jayne Atkinson, and dessert reception at the theatre following the show. Grab a friend, and a glass of wine at the bar, and meet us in the theatre for an unforgettable and uplifting evening of song and celebration!” 

BENEFIT:
On Saturday, November 4th, join our indomitable Founder and Producing Artistic Director for a festive celebration. The evening begins with an intimate and exclusive pre-show cocktail party hosted by Jayne Atkinson, acclaimed actor (Tony Award and Drama Desk Nominee) and longtime WAM Artist. The evening continues with a special benefit performance of Me and The Sky, and culminates with a decadent dessert reception with the artists and champagne toast for Kristen.

Kristen co-founded WAM Theatre in 2010, inspired by the book Half the Sky. Over the years,  WAM’s mission of arts as activism with a focus on gender equity, in particular, creating opportunities for people who identify as women and girls, has deepened. Kristen, alongside the team and board, has expanded WAM’s regional and national significance and reach, while directing many of our hit shows, including What The Constitution Means to Me, Emilie, Ann, and In Darfur. Join us as we look back on more than a decade of growth and opportunity for women and girls. 

For more information on purchasing tickets for this limited ticket event visit wamtheatre.com or contact Managing Director Molly Merrihew at Molly@wamtheatre.com. 

TICKET INFORMATION:

ME AND THE SKY: AN EMPOWERING EVENING OF BROADWAY HITS
Co-Created and Directed by Kyle Boatwright and Talya Kingston
November 1-4, 2023, at The Elayne Bernstein Theatre at Shakespeare & Company, Lenox, MA
Single Tickets: $25, $50, $75, $100
Special Benefit Evening on Saturday, November 4th: $150, $225

For tickets and more information about WAM Theatre’s 2023 Season, programs, events, and artists, please visit wamtheatre.com or call the box office at (413) 637-3353.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:

Kyle Boatwright (she/her) is a Pioneer Valley-based theatre artist, musician, and educator whose work often centers on uplifting underrepresented voices. Current role with WAM: Co-Creator and Director Previous WAM Theatre Credits:  Bright Half Life (Vicky), MisCast Cabaret Selected Theatre Credits Elsewhere: As Director: The Building (Silverthorne Theater), Stoop Pigeons (Smith College Dept. of Theater), Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992 (Smith College Dept. of Theater), As Actor: Intimate Apparel (Silverthorne Theater), Bright Half Life (Silverthorne Theater), The Revolutionists (Silverthorne Theater), Love, Loss, & What I Wore (Majestic Theater), Coriolanus (Rebel Kat Productions, Seattle, WA), Seminar (New Century Theater), A Year with Frog and Toad (New Century Theater) Additional artistic credits: Music Director/Music Designer and Composer: Intimate Apparel (Silverthorne Theater), Mr. Burns (Univ. of Mass. Amherst Dept. of Theater), Legacy Boy (Millrose Music, NYC; co-creator), Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson (Onyx Theater, Las Vegas, NV), God is Dead (original musical; Amherst College Dept. of Music and Univ. of Mass Amherst Dept. of Theater) Creative inspiration: It’s very, very important that we tell the truth in our art, because I think it makes people feel less alone…What you are doing is illuminating humanity. —Viola Davis Community Engagement/Activist work: Kyle is the co-founder and artistic director of Rise Up Productions MA, an Amherst-based collective performing artists that crafts benefit productions to support local nonprofits that, in turn, support all communities. Selected training: Amherst College, B.A. in music composition; Moscow Art Theatre School USA, Stanislavsky Fellowship 2012. Awards/proudest achievements: Through Rise Up Productions MA, raising over $10k total for organizations such as the Massachusetts Immigration and Refugee Advocacy Coalition, Tapestry Health, and supporting a local immigrant in sanctuary Final word: In a world where there’s every reason not to do the hard thing—do it anyway.

Jess Diaz Griffin (she/her) is a Latina Actress, Director, Educator, Wife, and aspiring beam of light. WAM Theatre:  Overjoyed to be making her WAM Debut! Favorite performance credits elsewhere include: Lucy (Bright Star), Betty Jean (Wonderettes), Nina (In the Heights), Sister Mary Robert (Sister Act), and Jovie (Elf). Additional artistic credits: She comes to the Berkshires after a decade of working professionally as an artist and educator around the country. Creative inspiration: Jess is a Uruguayan-American born and raised in New York, who has worked for various organizations across the US with diverse programming, and a variety of socio-economic populations. Her wide range of experience has reinforced her belief in the power of theatre to unite people. Membership/Affiliations: Jess is a proud member of Actors Equity and SAG-AFTRA. Selected training: Jess holds a dual degree in Theatre Education, having studied at NYU and Manhattanville College. Final word: Paciencia y Fe! Connect: Say hello @jemigriff or check out www.jess-griffin.com

Talya Kingston (she/her) is a playwright, dramaturg and educator who is inspired by the live interactions between artists and audiences and how these can be a catalyst for social change. Current Role with WAM Theatre: Co-Creator and Director for the cabaret, Associate Artistic Director. Selected WAM Theatre Credits: dramaturgy (What The Constitution Means to Me, Roe, Lady Randy), direction (The Thanksgiving Play, Paradise, Swallow), playwright (Port of Entry, Campus Unrest). Selected Dramaturgy Credits Elsewhere: Hartford Stage (Necessary Targets), New York Fringe Festival (Helmet), Ko Festival (Seriously..  What Did You Call Me? Written and performed by Onawumi Jean Moss), UMass, Amherst (Gum, Christmas Carol, Bovver Boys, The Last Five Years, Life is a Dream, Late Style).  Playwriting: Circling Suspicion (commissioned by Plays In Place), Port of Entry, Campus Unrest  (finalist in the 2019 Bechtel Test Fest), Wave Goodbye (2020 PLAYground TYA Festival at NorthWestern University, semi-finalist for Provincetown Playhouse’s New Plays for Young Audiences), Sheryl Addresses the PGO (The New England Monologues Project), Wishing on Satellites, Anxiety Overdrive (upcoming Play by Play Festival). Training: MFA University of Massachusetts, Directing Fellow at Julliard. Memberships/Affiliations: proud member of the Northampton Playwrights Lab, the Play Incubation Collective, the Dramatists Guild and LMDA Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas.

Shannon Lamb (she/her) is an accomplished actor and singer who has been blessed to perform on various stages across the country. WAM Theatre: Charlotta Bass in Letters to Kamala. Selected Theatre Credits Elsewhere: Bertha in  Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, and Rachel Twymon Sr in Common Ground Revisited (Huntington Theatre), Marlena Madison in The Buddy Holly Story (Majestic Theater), It Happened in Little Rock, Because of Winn Dixie (Arkansas Repertory Theatre), Temptation in Pendemoniun (Cherry Lane Theatre, NYC – world premiere); Building The Wall (Academy of Music – rolling world premiere); Jar the Floor, Gee’s Bend, Mary Poppins, and The Full Monty (Arkansas Repertory Theatre); Smokey Joe’s Café, Little Shop of Horrors, and Annie (Murray’s Dinner Playhouse). TV/Film Credits Include: Mighty Real, The Dave Chapelle Show, This Revolution, The Empty Hand, and Fight Knight. Memberships/Affiliations:  a proud member of Actors Equity Association. Career highlights include: singing the national anthem at Madison Square Garden and appearing on the cover of American Theatre Magazine for the world premiere of It Happened in Little Rock. Last word: All my love to Gil and our children!

Wendy Welch (she/her) is grateful to be working once again with WAM Theatre, giving voice to women through song. Current Role at WAM Theatre: Cabaret performer. Previous Roles at WAM: MisCast Cabaret singer, ROE Broadway Cabaret at Dewey Hall: Director/Performer, Selected Performance Credits Elsewhere: The Stones (Great Barrington Public Theater) Kate Hamill’s Pride and Prejudice (Mrs. Bennet), A Little Night Music (Madame Armfeldt), Vanya, Sonia, Masha and Spike (Sonia), Caroline, or Change (Rose Stopnik Gellman), The Light in the Piazza (Margaret Johnson), Death of a Salesman (Linda Loman), The History Boys (Dorothy Lintott), Follies (Sally Durant Plummer), The Matchmaker (Dolly Levi), Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson (Storyteller), The Dining Room (Actress #2), Talking Pictures (Mrs. Jackson), Sexy Laundry (Alice). Film/TV: award-winning documentary Shatter the Silence, Occupy Texas, Murder Made Me Famous, Upstream Color, Sweet Tornado, Deadline Crime. Numerous Commercials and Voiceovers. Training: B.F.A. Acting S.M.U., Apprentice Chelsea Theater Center NYC Awards: DFW Critics Forum (3) Best Actress, Leon Rabin Award Best Supporting Actress. Et Cetera: Adjunct Professor S.M.U., Richland College, Northlake College, Master Class series, Pulse Studio Musial Theater/ Singing classes, D.A.R.T. at Tanglewood, Private voice/coaching studio. Online: wendywelch.net 

ABOUT KRISTEN VAN GINHOVEN
Kristen is a leader, director,  educator, change-maker, and social entrepreneur who works at the intersection of arts and activism. A dual Canadian/American citizen, Kristen is based in the Berkshires of Western Massachusetts, where she regularly enjoys the many outdoor and cultural wonders. As WAM’s Producing Artistic Director, her selected directing credits include Ann (Co-pro with Dorset Theatre Festival), The Bakelite Masterpiece (with Berkshire Theatre Group), In Darfur (New England Premiere) and Emilie (New England Premiere). Kristen has also directed Ann at Arena Stage and Dallas Theatre Center, Disgraced and I and You at Chester Theatre, The Whale at Adirondack Theatre Festival, and the 10 Minute Play Festival at Barrington Stage Company as an assistant director at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival of Canada and the Huntington Theatre in Boston. Kristen trained at Dalhousie University (BA), Queen’s University (BEd), and Emerson College (MA). She is a member of the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers, a theatre artist for the International Schools Theatre Association which has provided the opportunity to travel around the world, and a member of the Lincoln Center Director’s Lab. Growing WAM Theatre and being honored by the Berkshire Theatre Critics Association with the prestigious Larry Murray Award, presented to a person or theatre project that advances social, political, or community issues in Berkshire County are two of Kristen’s proudest achievements. An artist, feminist and highly sensitive person, she values healthy practices like meditating and walking, time affluence, and social connection. Her guiding quote is “I may be one person, but I can be one person who makes a difference.”

WAM SUPPORT

WAM’s sponsors include Adams Community Bank, Blue Q., Berkshire Roots, Blue Spark Financial, BRAVA, Greylock Federal Credit Union, Garden Gables Inn, Guidos Fresh Marketplace, Mill Town Foundation, Inc..  Health Professional Coaching, Heller & Robbins Attorneys at Law, Interprint, Onyx Specialty Papers, Outpost Productions, RB Design Co., T Square Design Studio, Toole Insurance, a. von schlegell & co, and the Women’s Fund of Western Massachusetts.

WAM Theatre is supported by the New England Foundation for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts and the Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC). WAM Theatre’s 2022 Season was also supported in part by grants from  Berkshire Bank, Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation,  Bradson Education & Library Foundation, The Feigenbaum Foundation,  Lee Bank Foundation, Scarlet Sock Foundation, U.S. Small Business Administration’s Shuttered Venue Operators Grant; as well as grants from the Alford Egremont Cultural Council, Dalton Cultural Council, Lee Cultural Council, Lenox Cultural Council, Northern Berkshire Cultural Council,  Otis Cultural Council, Sandisfield Cultural Council, Stockbridge Cultural Council, and Washington Cultural Council.

ABOUT WAM THEATRE

WAM Theatre is a professional theatre company based in Berkshire County, MA, that operates at the intersection of arts and activism. WAM creates theatre for gender equity and has a vision of theatre as philanthropy. 

In fulfillment of its philanthropic mission, WAM donates a portion of the proceeds from their Mainstage productions to carefully selected beneficiaries. Since WAM’s founding in 2010, they have donated more than $90,000 to 26 local and global organizations taking action for gender equity in areas such as girls education, teen pregnancy prevention, sexual trafficking awareness, midwife training, and more. 

In addition to Mainstage productions and special events, WAM’s activities include innovative community engagement programs and the Fresh Takes Play Reading Series. To date, WAM has provided paid work to more than 500 theatre artists, the majority of whom are female-identifying.

As a civic organization that embraces intersectional feminism (feminism that acknowledges how multiple forms of discrimination overlap), WAM understands that to address one piece of systemic discrimination means we have to address them all. This is on-going personal and professional work at WAM for the staff and board, detailed in their recently released accountability plan.

WAM Theatre has been widely recognized for having a positive impact on cultural and community development in the region. WAM is the recipient of the Creative Economy Standout Berkshire Trendsetter Award and previously, was named Outstanding Philanthropy Corporation of the Year by the Western MA Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals. Kristen van Ginhoven, WAM’s Producing Artistic Director, was honored by the Berkshire Theatre Critics Association (BTCA) with the prestigious Larry Murray Award, presented at the discretion of the BTCA Board to a person or theatre project that advances social, political, or community issues in Berkshire County.