The Rogovoy Report 7.15.25

From around the corner to around the globe...

Jul 15, 2025

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Doris Duke Theatre at Jacob’s Pillow a Phoenix Rising Out of Ashes

(Domus) BECKET, Mass. - The year 2020 was a difficult one — especially for the performing arts, shut down by the pandemic. For Jacob’s Pillow, a legendary place for dance, it was an annus horribilis. The renowned summer festival was cancelled due to Covid-19. And one November morning, the Doris Duke Theatre caught fire — at the heart of the 220-acre campus that has been home to the Pillow for nearly a century. Built in 1990 for intimate or experimental performances, the theatre burned with a crackling sound “like a tornado,” as firefighters described it. Now, the theater has been rebuilt as a sustainable structure featuring flexibility plus blending technology and Indigenous values. Read also, Inside the new theatre at Jacob’s Pillow and its ‘magic box’, part of a pioneering complex designed for dance (Wallpaper).

Jeremy O. Harris leads a Tennessee Williams-focused season at Williamstown (Boston Globe)

How to navigate Upstate Art Weekend, according to six Hudson Valley insiders (Vogue)

Upstate Art Weekend in Columbia and Dutchess Counties (RI)

REVIEW: A question of identity in Berkshire Theatre Group’s ‘Out of Character’ (Boston Globe)

PREVIEW: PS21 leans into audience interaction for 2025 summer season (ATU)

PREVIEW: GroundTone Festival premieres at PS21 in Chatham, N.Y. (Chronogram)

PREVIEW: Winged Monkeys Theater Group brings “Summer Pieces” to Hudson, N.Y. (Chronogram)

PREVIEW: Legendary Quilters of Gee’s Band Alabama at Spencertown Academy (RI)

At Aston Magna, Thomas Jefferson’s favorite tunes and Baroque music by modern 30-somethings (Boston Globe)

NEWS FROM THE BERKSHIRES

Great Barrington Prepares for Monumental Tribute to W. E. B. Du Bois

(RURAL INTELLIGENCE) GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. - After generations of grappling with the words and identity of its most historically significant native son, on Saturday, July 19 at 2pm, Great Barrington will unveil a life‑size bronze statue of W. E. B. Du Bois, poised on a curved Sheffield‑marble bench in front of the Mason Public Library. The statue, sculpted by award‑winning artist Richard Blake, is the culmination of a three‑year effort by an independent local citizens’ group — the W. E. B. Du Bois Sculpture Project — to raise funds for the work and restore the library plaza’s steps, turning them into a destination for those looking to honor the impactful sociologist, historian, and civil rights activist.

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Construction work begins on Habitat for Humanity’s affordable-housing project in Housatonic (Berkshire Edge)

Stepdaughter of Berkshire District Attorney identified as homicide victim in Colorado (Berkshire Eagle)

NEWS FROM THE HUDSON VALLEY

Bard CFO Sheds Light on Major Hudson Property Gift from Controversial Developer

(Rural Intelligence) HUDSON, N.Y. - Bard College is currently undergoing a 90-day due diligence process to evaluate a major gift to its endowment of dozens of properties in the City of Hudson—a portfolio of commercial, residential, and public-use buildings (including the Hudson Area Library) amassed by the Galvan Foundation over the past 20 years. The prospective donation, announced earlier this month, would significantly expand Bard’s real estate holdings, in a municipality nearly 30 minutes from its campus. But as the college proceeds with its internal review, local stakeholders are already raising questions about transparency, the future of current tenants, and the long-term impact on Hudson’s already complex housing and development dynamics. Read also, Hudson’s largest property owner to donate majority of its holdings there (Albany Business Review)

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Three candidates endorsed by Working Families Party -- including incumbent city council president -- drop out of Hudson races (HV360)

Catskill Community Theatre reopening set for August (HV360)

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