FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Great Barrington, Mass.—The Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center will present a Music Film-Filled Labor Day Weekend at the Mahaiwe Drive-in at Simon’s Rock. The drive-in is a partnership between the performing arts center and Bard College at Simon’s Rock, located in the Daniel Arts Center parking lot at 84 Alford Road.
“In a year without the sounds of rock, gospel, and Broadway on our stage, it is gratifying to be able to round out summer at the drive-in by celebrating great music and musicians through these superbly crafted films,” says Acting Executive Director Janis Martinson.
The Mahaiwe will screen Fiddler: A Miracle of Miracles (PG-13) from 2019 on Thursday, September 3. The film documents the story behind one of Broadway’s most beloved musicals, Fiddler on The Roof.
Amazing Grace (G) will screen Friday, September 4. Released in 2018, the film features Aretha Franklin performing live at the New Bethel Baptist Church in Watts, Los Angeles in January 1972.
Martin Scorsese’s Shine a Light (PG-13) from 2008 will screen Saturday, September 5. This career-spanning Rolling Stones documentary features footage from the legendary band’s “A Bigger Bang” tour.
The music film-filled weekend will conclude on Sunday, September 6 with Jimmy Carter: Rock & Roll President, released this year. Director Mary Wharton explores how popular musicians played a part in Jimmy Carter’s 1976 election to become the 39th president of the United States. This special screening is presented in partnership with the Berkshire International Film Festival.
Showtimes and other associated times are earlier for these events than for Mahaiwe Drive-in screenings earlier in the summer. Gates open each night at 7:15pm, with featured movies beginning at 8:30pm. Patrons are asked to arrive by 8pm. Movies projected on a 16-by-30-foot screen are visible from the safety of patrons’ vehicles. Audio is transmitted via FM radio station 104.3. In keeping with state guidelines, patrons may only leave vehicles for concessions and restrooms, and must wear masks when outside the vehicle. Portable toilets on-site follow accessibility regulations. The Daniel Arts Center building is closed to the public.
SoCo Creamery will sell its premium handcrafted ice cream on site. Berkshire Food Co-op will sell organic or all-natural candy, beverages, and popcorn on Friday.
About the Mahaiwe
Located in downtown Great Barrington, Massachusetts, the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center is the year-round presenter of world-class music, dance, theater, classic films, Live in HD broadcasts, and arts education programs for the southern Berkshires and neighboring regions. The intimate jewel box of a theater opened in 1905. Since 2005, the performing arts center has hosted over 1,500 events and welcomed over half a million people through its doors. More than 22,000 students from 73 different schools have benefited from the Mahaiwe’s school-time performances and residencies. For more information, see mahaiwe.org.
Images:
Fiddler: A Miracle of Miracles
Amazing Grace
Shine a Light
Jimmy Carter: Rock & Roll President