FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
BSC Press Director Charlie Siedenburg, 551-655-0968

BARRINGTON STAGE TO HOST PANEL DISCUSSION ON THE TOPIC OF BULLYING
IN RECOGNITION OF NATIONAL BULLYING PREVENTION MONTH

Following the Sunday, October 14 3pm Performance of Lord of the Flies

(PITTSFIELD, MA) Barrington Stage Company (BSC), the award-winning theatre in downtown Pittsfield, MA, under the leadership of Julianne Boyd, Artistic Director, and Tristan Wilson, Managing Director, is proud to host a post-show panel discussion on the topic of bullying following the 3pm performance of Lord of the Flies on Sunday, October 14, in recognition of October as National Bullying Prevention Month.

“With the success and response from our student/teacher matinee performances and post-show discussions, we wanted to offer a special discussion on bullying so members of the community could attend with their families at a special price,” said Artistic Director Julianne Boyd.

The panelists include Roberta Russell, Aaron Sardell and Wendy Lorenz-Walraven. The discussion will be moderated by Barrington Stage Director of Education, Hester Kamin.

Roberta Russell is a psychotherapist in private practice in Lenox who consults to BSC’s Playwright Mentoring Project (PMP) court-mandated group. Aaron Sardell is a clinical psychologist and family therapist at The Counseling Center in the Berkshires. Wendy Lorenz-Walraven serves “at risk” youth through academic advising and coordinating after school programs that empower and foster healthy youth development for Drury High School in North Adams.

For this special performance of Lord of the Flies on Sunday, October 14 at 3pm, patrons can purchase $15 adult tickets or $10 youth tickets (ages 6-18). These specially-priced tickets will be available for purchase the day of the performance only by phone at 413-236-8888 or in person at the Box Office. The Box Office is located at 30 Union Street and opens at 10am on Sunday, October 14. For more information on this special call 413-236-8888.

Anti-Bullying Workshops
Barrington Stage will also present five student-only matinee performances of Lord of the Flies to nearly 2,500 Berkshire County youth, some of whom will receive anti-bullying workshops in the classroom prior to their visit. For more information on student matinees and anti-bullying workshops, contact Kate Ivey at 413-236-8888.

About Lord of the Flies
Lord of the Flies was written by Nobel Prize winner William Golding, adapted for the stage by Nigel Williams and directed by Giovanna Sardelli. The production plays at BSC October 3-21 at the Boyd-Quinson Mainstage, 30 Union Street, Pittsfield.

William Golding’s great novel, a potent allegory about the loss of innocence and the decline of civilization, is brought to dramatic life in Nigel Williams’ adaptation. A plane crashes on a deserted island. The only survivors are a group of schoolboys. By day, it’s a tropical paradise of sun and sea; but each night, their dreams are inhabited by a terrifying beast. Thrust into a teenage version of ‘Survivor’, before long this well-behaved group turns into a bloodthirsty and murderous tribe. Myth and naturalism combine in a dynamic exploration of power, democracy, and the dichotomy of good and evil that is within us all. Lord of the Flies brings up many issues central to the lives of today’s adolescents – peer pressure, bullying, gang rivalry – in its depiction of reason versus chaos.

Performances of Lord of the Flies will take place at Barrington Stage Company’s Boyd-Quinson Mainstage, 30 Union Street, Pittsfield, from October 3-21, 2012. Performances are Wednesday and Thursday at 7pm, Friday and Saturday 8pm, Sunday at 3pm. Wednesday matinee October 17 at 2pm.  Tickets are $15-$40; Seniors $25 all matinees. Youth age 6-18 $15 all performances. Special discounts are available for groups of 15 or more. To purchase tickets or for more information, call the Barrington Stage Box Office at 413-236-8888 or visit www.barringtonstageco.org. The Box Office is located at 30 Union Street.

About Barrington Stage Company
Barrington Stage Company, a professional award-winning Equity regional theatre located in the heart of the Berkshires, in Pittsfield, MA, was co-founded in 1995 by Artistic Director Julianne Boyd. Barrington Stage’s mission is three-fold: to present top-notch, compelling work; to develop new plays and musicals; and to find fresh, bold ways to bringing new audiences into the theatre—especially young people. Barrington Stage garnered national attention in 2004 when it workshopped, and premiered William Finn and Rachel Sheinkin’s musical hit The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, which later transferred to Broadway where it won two Tony Awards and played more than 1,000 performances. In 2009/2010 Barrington Stage produced the world premiere of Mark St. Germain’s Freud’s Last Session, which later moved Off-Broadway and 775 performances. Barrington Stage was voted “Best Live Theatre” by The Berkshire Eagle readers in 2011 and 2012 and was named “Best Theatre Company” in Metroland’s Best of the Capital Region 2009-2012.

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