FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Great Barrington, Mass.— The Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center, in partnership with Bard College at Simon’s Rock, is announcing a drive-in movie theater in the parking lot of the college’s Daniel Arts Center at 84 Alford Rd. in Great Barrington. A grand opening weekend on Thursday, July 16, through Saturday, July 18, will initiate the season, open Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays through Labor Day, weatherpermitting. 

As anchor institutions in Great Barrington, the Mahaiwe and Simon’s Rock have come together to build a creative solution to performing arts challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic,” says Acting Executive Director Janis Martinson. Culture is crucial to the happiness and well-being of our community, and we are thrilled to sustain it in a safe manner this summer.”  

Gates will open each night at 7:45pm, with previews and shorts starting at 8:30pm, and featured movies beginning at 9pm. Admission is $25 per vehicle. Attendance is limited to 50 cars and tickets must be purchased online in advance at mahaiwe.org; first-come, first served. Movies projected on a 16-by-30-foot screen will be visible from the safety of patrons’ vehicles. Audio will be 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 will be closed to the public. 

Local concessions will be provided by Great Barrington’s own SoCo Creamery and the Berkshire Food Co-op. SoCo premium ice cream will be available every night and organic or all-natural candy, beverages, and popcorn from the Co-op will be available on Fridays. 

Grand opening weekend will feature the 2013 film 42 (PG-13), the story of Jackie Robinson’s racial integration of Major League Baseball, Thursday, July 16, and Steven Spielberg’s 1981 action-adventure hit Raiders of the Lost Ark (PG) starring Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones, Friday, July 17, and Saturday, July 18. Subsequent titles will be rolled out regularly as the season progresses. 

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 www.mahaiwe.org. 

Images:

Mahaiwe Drive-in
42
Raiders of the Lost Ark