Barrington Stage

2003 Photo from the Roger Katz collection

30 Union St Pittsfield MA (413) 236-8888

Information for this tour was contributed by Roger Katz.

I arrived at the theatre soon-to-be known as the Berkshire Music Hall expecting an abandoned building. However, Christmas lights were on by the old ticket window, so I tried the door and it was unlocked. Entering I found upstairs a lone young lady. She was scraping off black paint that had long ago been used to cover the window glass so that outside light could not enter the auditorium. She told me that her boss and his crew are working to reopen the theatre by Summer of 2004 as a facility for live shows as well as movies. Frankly, judging from the condition of the building, next summer appears to be a very optimistic date. Many floorboards have rotted away, walls are peeling, and the ceiling needs work. Last used as a church in 1995, I've seen theatres in much better shape take much longer to rehab. When this is finished, though, I can see it will be a beautiful theatre. The Berkshire Music Hall is right down the road from another long-unused theatre being brought back to life, the Colonial.

This theatre has a couple of interesting nuances. One is the fact that there are windows to the outside that permit natural light to enter. These are currently being scraped clean of the black paint that was used to cover them when this live theatre was converted to a cinema. When the renovations are done large tapestries will cover them.

Also, the sloped part of the auditorium is not made of concrete as every other sloped floor that I have seen has been. Rather it is made of wood and so is rotting and will need to be rebuilt in places.

December 2003 photos from the Roger Katz collection.

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