Fans of theater can enjoy a series of productions by and about local writers this weekend and next, while supporting adult literacy education.
The Literacy Project, a nonprofit that provides adult education programs from locations in Greenfield, Orange, Amherst, Northampton, Easthampton and Ware to help improve residents’ reading, writing, math and digital literacy skills, is being supported by two productions, “The Belle of Amherst” and “Take Ten.”
‘The Belle of Amherst’
Attendees can step into the world of famed poet Emily Dickinson with a performance of “The Belle of Amherst” this weekend at the Amherst Woman’s Club, located at 35 Triangle St. The one-woman play starring Louise Krieger explores Dickinson’s life from 1845 to 1886 and who she was as a person and writer.
“We wanted to do something that would both benefit our community and our students. Emily Dickinson is an intricate part of Amherst’s history, and The Literacy Project has a long history of being involved with the Amherst community,” The Literacy Project’s Executive Director Colleen Kucinski said. “Before the pandemic, we held classes there, and this year we are holding them again at St. Brigid’s Parish. Additionally, many of our students study Emily’s writings, and this gave us the opportunity to bring their learning to life.”
On Friday, Oct. 17, and Saturday, Oct. 18, performances will be held at 7 p.m., and on Sunday, Oct. 19, the show will be at 1 p.m. Tickets are $20, with proceeds supporting The Literacy Project. The performances are sponsored by the Amherst Cultural Council, Renaissance Builders and Greenfield Savings Bank.
Kucinski said that in addition to raising money to support future classes and programming, she hopes the performance inspires people to become writers like Dickinson.
“Part of our mission is to help adults and young adults in our communities improve their reading and writing skills. We hope that this production will inspire our students to read more about Emily or anyone else they find interesting,” Kucinski said. “We hope it sparks their interest in writing, too. And, we hope it lets those in the community who might need help with their reading or writing skills to know we are here to work with them when they are ready to learn.”
For more information or to buy tickets, visit tinyurl.com/TheBelleofAmherst2025.
‘Take Ten’
“Take Ten” is a series of 10-minute plays written by six local playwrights, directed by six local directors and performed by 30 local actors. Although shows are planned for Oct. 25 and Oct. 26 at Black Birch Vineyard in Hatfield, tickets for “Take Ten” are sold out.
Matteo Pangallo, president of the Valley Players nonprofit theater group that is putting on the production, said the group is all about supporting local talent and the performances will showcase “some of the great scriptwriting talent there is across the valley.” The Valley Players put out a call for scripts and received 30 applications, which were narrowed down to six plays that were locally written and have not been produced before. The plays are: “A Concern” by Anna Fox, “Summer People” by Stephen Poulin, “The Waiting Room” by E.A. Blair, “Terms and Conditions” by Sarah Zureick-Brown, “This is Not a Play” by J.S. Walter and “Letting the Cat Out” by Richard Ballon.
Each production put on by the Valley Players goes to support other charities in the valley. With “Take Ten,” the players are donating half of net ticket sales, sold on a sliding scale, to The Literacy Project.
“We try to find things that align with the theme of the play,” Pangallo said. “For this event, because it’s about showcasing local writing, it seemed logical to support an organization working to promote literacy and help as many adults as possible to improve their writing skills.”
“This partnership with Valley Players is a wonderful example of how the arts and education can come together to strengthen our community,” Kucinski said. “The generosity of their audiences will directly support adults working hard to improve their literacy skills and build brighter futures.”