OLLI Players

 

The OLLI Players is a project of the Performing Arts Initiative of Berkshire OLLI, presenting Readers’ Theatre events throughout the year. The Performing Arts Initiative aims to develop and present theatre events and experiences for the OLLI membership.

Theatre-based OLLI programming is supported through the generous philanthropy of Nancy and Michael Vale, whose bequest established Michael and Nancy Vale Performing Arts Fund at OLLI at Berkshire Community College.

Mission:

An all-volunteer group, the mission of the OLLI Players is:

• To provide live theatre in a “Readers ’ Theatre” format utilizing the theatre expertise of OLLI members;
• To provide OLLI members opportunities to participate in Readers’ Theatre performances;
• To present polished readings of dramatic literature, both old and new, to enrich the theatre knowledge and experience of OLLI members
• To emphasize learning and education in its productions and ancillary events such as panel discussions.

UPCOMING OLLI PLAYERS EVENTS

The newly organize OLLI Players have two in-person staged readings in the fall of 2025.

The Last Romance, a tender romantic comedy by Joe DiPietro

Director: Jeannie Marlin Woods

Performances: Friday, September 19^th at 7:00 p.m.

Saturday, September 20^th at 2:00 p.m.

Theatre: Small theatre (room K-111), Koussevitsky Arts Center

Berkshire Community College

1350 South Street, Pittsfield, MA

Description: “On an ordinary day in a routine life, Ralph decides to take a different path on his daily walk—one that leads him to an unexpected second chance at love…Ralph attempts to woo the elegant, but distance Carol. Defying Carol’s reticence—and his lonely sister’s jealousy—Ralph embarks on a trip of a lifetime, ad regains a happiness that seemed all but lost. THE LAST ROMANCE is a heart-warming comedy about the transformative power of love.

General Washington’s Property and Mum Bett’s Minute by Jesse Waldinger

Director: Barbara Waldinger

Performance:  Sunday, October 19^th at 2:00 p.m.

Theatre: Small theatre (room K-111), Koussevitsky Arts Center

Berkshire Community College

1350 South Street, Pittsfield, MA

Description: These plays will be presented in one evening as part of the Rev250 theme for OLLI classes. The readings will be followed by a panel discussion exploring the issues in the plays.

Dr. Barbara Waldinger and Dr. Jeannie Marlin Woods are Co-Artistic Directors of the OLLI Players.

Dr. Barbara Waldinger holds a Ph.D. from the City University of New York (CUNY) Graduate Program in Theatre. She taught at Queens College, Hofstra University, and Marymount Manhattan College.  Currently she teaches for OLLI, where she is a founding member of their Performing Arts Initiative, the Play Reading Shared Interest Group, and the OLLI Players.  She has collaborated with playwrights on original scripts as Artistic Director of HRC Showcase Theatre (for twenty years), a director for the Association for Theatre in Higher Education's New Play Festival, the Kennedy Center/American College Theatre Festival, and Berkshire Voices Skills Labs. She is also a reviewer for the online publication Berkshire On Stage. 

Dr. Jeannie Woods has enjoyed a long year career as a scholar, actor, director, and theatre educator. She also holds a Ph.D. from the City University of New York (CUNY) Graduate Program in Theatre. For 29 years she was a Professor of Theatre at Winthrop University and at Western Illinois University. Dr. Woods was a Fulbright Scholar at the Taiwan National University of the Arts. She is the author of Theatre to Change Men's Souls—The Artistry of Adrian Hall and Maureen Stapleton: A Bio-Bibliography.

She served 20 years as Artistic Director of the New Stage Ensemble Theatre Company and the Starry Night Repertory Theatre. Since moving to the Berkshires in 2021, she has directed for the Schenectady Light Opera Company (SLOC), Bennington Theatre, and the Berkshire Voices Playwright Skills Labs. She has taught several theatre courses for OLLI and is a reviewer for Berkshire On Stage.

HISTORY

Dr. Waldinger staged the first OLLI Players presentation in October, 2024. She directed two short plays by the late Jesse Waldinger: Six Grandfathers and Rabbi Franklin’s Model T.  The plays were selected to support the 2024 educational theme of classes and events related to the 1920’s.  The plays were presented at the Zion Lutheran Church in Pittsfield, MA. The reading was followed by a panel discussion with Katherine Kidd, Stacy Wallach, Rabbi Scott Saulson, and Michael Forbes Wilcox and moderated by Dr. Waldinger.

GET INVOLVED

All active Berkshire OLLI members are welcome to audition for future OLLI Players presentations. Auditions aim to maintain the highest possible performance standards to ensure we recruit the best actors available for each role. Audition announcements will be distributed by OLLI emails and posted on the OLLI website.

We hope to see you at the show with OLLI Players!