Massachusetts
The Berkshires: Tanglewood & Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival
Program No. 14963RJ
Discover the artistic traditions of the Berkshires and feel like a Tanglewood insider, experience the Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival and enjoy the renowned summer theater performance.
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6 days
5 nights
13 meals
5B 4L 4D
1
Check-in, Registration, Welcome Dinner, Orientation
Central Berkshires - Pittsfield
2
Normal Rockwell Museum, Free Time, Theatre Performance
Central Berkshires - Pittsfield
3
Theatre & Dance Class, Jacob's Pillow
Central Berkshires - Pittsfield
4
Jacob's Pillow Review, Music Class,Tanglewood, Free Evening
Central Berkshires - Pittsfield
5
BSO Closed Rehearsal, BSO at Tanglewood
Central Berkshires - Pittsfield
6
Program Concludes
Central Berkshires - Pittsfield
At a Glance
The Berkshires are home to many hidden jewels of theater and the arts in New England — find out what makes this beautiful region of Massachusetts a cultural magnet! After fun classes with local theater experts, musicologists and a choreographer/dancer, feel like an informed insider for performances at some of the area’s most noted venues. Enjoy the rich beauty of the Tanglewood Music Center, attend a production by one of the Berkshires’ renowned summer theater companies, celebrate contemporary dance at Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival and visit one of the area’s famous art museums.
Activity Level
On Your Feet
Standing and walking up to 2.5 hours, sometimes on uneven terrain.
What You'll Learn
- Attend a closed rehearsal by the Boston Symphony Orchestra at Tanglewood, and take an evening BSO concert in The Shed.
- Enjoy a performance by one of the area’s widely renowned and reviewed theater companies, such as Barrington Stage Company, Berkshire Theatre Group, Williamstown Theater Company or Shakespeare & Co.
- Take in two performances at the world-famous Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival and enjoy pre- and post-performance insight from an experienced contemporary dancer.
General Notes
The performance schedule will be available in early spring. Participants interested in attending performances on free Thursday evenings or on nights pre- or post-program, please see Day Four of the Daily Schedule for details about ticketing and transportation.
Featured Expert
All trip experts
Michael Goetjen
Michael Goetjen is a lecturer in music at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. As a musicologist, his research focuses on eighteenth-century opera and the music of Mozart, particularly the concert aria and its role in operatic culture outside the theater. A harpsichordist and organist as well as a musicologist, Michael works regularly in both classroom and performance environments, having previously served as director of music at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Berkeley Heights, NJ and interim organist at Hancock Church in Lexington, MA.
Please note: This expert may not be available for every date of this program.
Andrea Borak
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Andrea Borak is a certified Laban Movement Analyst and a certified Trager Practitioner. While working in New York, she performed with the Eleo Pomare Dance Company and the Phyllis Lamhut Dance Company, and served as the movement specialist at The Little Red School House. Andrea has taught dance at numerous schools including NYU, and since relocating to the Berkshires in 1998, has taught at the Albany/Berkshire Ballet, the Pittsfield public schools and Berkshire Community College.
Debra Levin
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Debra Levin is an honors graduate of Penn State and a former teacher. Debra has led groups of seniors, students, nurses, veterinarians, and retired fire chiefs to name but a few. Back home in Boston, she spends time volunteering with the symphony, theaters, and an art museum, when not speed walking and playing Wordle.
Gayle Felix
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Gayle Felix has been a Road Scholar group leader since 2015. She grew up and raised her family outside of Boston and now resides in Hingham, Massachusetts. With a history/American studies degree from Boston University, she enjoys sharing the history of Boston and surrounding areas. Gayle has led programs in New England; Washington, DC; and other areas in the United States. Gayle enjoys being with her family and friends, biking, kayaking, golfing, and hiking. She especially enjoys traveling and meeting new people.
Michael Goetjen
View biography
Michael Goetjen is a lecturer in music at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. As a musicologist, his research focuses on eighteenth-century opera and the music of Mozart, particularly the concert aria and its role in operatic culture outside the theater. A harpsichordist and organist as well as a musicologist, Michael works regularly in both classroom and performance environments, having previously served as director of music at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Berkeley Heights, NJ and interim organist at Hancock Church in Lexington, MA.
Peter Bergman
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J. Peter Bergman, a theater critic since 1962, is also the author of two prize-winning books of fiction, the novel "Cement Dust," and the collection of short short stories, "Counterpoints." He has worked in the theater since childhood as an actor, dancer, sound designer, producer, writer, and director. He was nominated for a Berkshire Theatre Critics Award - Outstanding Director of a Play - for his work in 2023 on Arhur Laurentz's play "Invitation to a March," produced by the Ghent Playhouse.
Teri Contino
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Teri Contino has over two decades' experience leading groups in New England. She was born in Boston, raised in Woodstock, NY, and vacationed on Cape Cod for much of her life. She returned to Boston after receiving an undergraduate degree from Cornell University and now lives in Newburyport, MA. Teri has always loved teaching, learning, travel, history, culture, books, theater, birds, and the ocean. She currently splits her time between travel, stage managing community theater, working in the garden, and staying close to the water.
Tari Intardonato
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A born traveler, Tari Intardonato was a teacher for many years before taking her skills to the road. She enjoys leading field trips with Road Scholar, during which she shares her knowledge and love of presidential libraries, history, textiles, and little out-of-the-way gems. Tari is an avid reader and loves sewing, watching British TV shows, and spending time with her family.
Suggested Reading List
(6 books)
Visit the Road Scholar Bookshop
You can find many of the books we recommend at the Road Scholar store on bookshop.org, a website that supports local bookstores.
The Berkshires: Tanglewood & Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival
Program Number: 14963
Explorer's Guide Berkshire: A Great Destination (Eighth Edition)
Barton Mumaw, Dancer: From Denishawn to Jacob's Pillow and Beyond
The Unfolding History of the Berkshires
A Certain Place: The Jacob's Pillow Story
Tanglewood: A Group Memoir
Tanglewood: The Clash Between Tradition and Change
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