Silverthorne Theater Company

New Soul
2024-03-28 19:00 - 21:00 (America/New_York) | The LAVA Center, 324 Main Street, Greenfield, MA, 01301, United States
Silverthorne Theater Company presents a staged reading of playwright Leanna James Blackwell’s New Soul. Directed by Michael Ofori, the reading will take place at 7:00pm on Thursday, March 28th, 2024 at the LAVA Center in Greenfield as part of Silverthorne’s 2024 Theater Thursdays reading series, with a talkback to follow. Starring Syd Hart, Adjoa Baidoo, Claudia Maurino, Silk Johnson, Kim Salditt-Poulin, and Gabriel Levey.
Tickets are free, and Silverthorne welcomes donations so that we can continue making our work accessible to all.
This reading is made possible by the generous support of the Greenfield Cultural Council and the West Springfield Arts Council, local agencies which are supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.
Reserve Tickets for New Soul

Silverthorne 2024 Season Auditions
2024-03-09 13:00 - 17:00 | Room 204, Dept. of Theater, Bromery Center for the Arts, UMass Amherst, Room 204, Dept. of Theater, Bromery Center for the Arts, UMass Amherst, Amherst, 01003, United States
Audition for SilverthorneThe Broken Machine by Liz Duffy Adams
Directed by Gina Kaufmann
Performs June 7 – June 16
Mac and The Gray Fox flee climate chaos in this futuristic fantasy with a vaudeville flair
Characters:
THE BROKEN MACHINE aka MAC: woman, 40’s – 60’s, any race
GRAY: a gray fox but not evidently so (male), any race
JANE: young woman, any race
JOE: young man, any race
THE PSYCHOPOMP: young, non-binary person, any race
_____________________________________________________________________________
Bulrusher by Eisa Davis
Directed by Michelle Ong-Hendrick
Performs July 5 – July 14
A lyrical, uplifting coming-of-age story of a clairvoyant Black girl in Northern California in 1955
Characters:
BULRUSHER: young Black woman (18 – 24)
MADAME: white-presenting, bi-racial woman (white & Native) (35 – 55)
LOGGER: Black man (40 – 60)
SCHOOLCH: white man (45 – 65)
BOY: white, plays guitar (18 – 22)
VERA: young Black woman (17 – 22)
______________________________________________________________________________
Smart People by Lydia R. Diamond
Directed by Michael Ofori
Performs August 2 – August 11
A comedy of errors in which a white, male professor proves white people are racist – a conclusion not
appreciated by the prestigious university that employs him
VALERIE JOHNSTON: 24, African American. Recently graduated A.R.T. Acting MFA.
JACKSON MOORE: 28, African American. Harvard Med School. Surgical Intern on Rotation.
BRIAN WHITE: 36-42, White. Tenured professor at Harvard. Neuro-psychiatrist. Studies patterns of racial identity and perceptions.
GINNY YOUNG: 34-40, East or Southeast Asian American. No accent. Only speaks English. Respected tenured professor of psychology at Harvard. Studies race and identity among Asian American women.

Tight Pants
2024-02-29 19:00 - 21:00 | Holyoke Media, 1 Court Plaza, Holyoke, 01040, United States
Silverthorne Theater Company presents a staged reading of playwright Betel Arnold’s Tight Pants. Directed by Pedro Eiras, the reading will take place at 7:00pm on Thursday, February 29th, 2024 at the Holyoke Media as the first event of Silverthorne’s 2024 Theater Thursdays reading series, with a talkback to follow. Starring Malory Rojas Grillo, Ami Saar, Maryliz Guzman, Nathalie Vicencio, Michael Garcia, Michael Morales, and Julio Varella.
Tickets are free, and Silverthorne welcomes donations so that we can continue making our work accessible to all.
Betel Arnold is a Dominican playwright and advocate for people with disabilities. She earned her MFA in Creative Writing at Western New England University. Her plays include It Is Finished, The Building and El Colmado. Arnold was also the longtime host and director-producer of Simply Talking, a cable access program which ran on over a dozen Western MA channels from 2009-2014. Her passion lies in advocating for the rights of people with physical and intellectual disabilities, which inspired her to create the Arts Project. As co-founder of the Arts Project, she has produced and directed various works in Western Massachusetts, including “Extraordinary People with Extraordinary Talents” at the Basketball Hall of Fame and “A Night to Believe” to sell-out audiences in Massachusetts. Arnold is the recipient of the 2004 Citation of Recognition from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts House of Representatives, as well as the 2005 Citation of Recognition from Commonwealth of Massachusetts State Senate.
Founded in 2014, Silverthorne Theater Company’s mission is to engage Valley artists and audiences in the conversations of our time with bold, intimate, professional theater. The Company’s Theater Thursdays reading series primarily supports playwrights in the development of new works, with a focus on writers whose voices have historically been underrepresented in the industry.
This reading is made possible by the generous support of the Holyoke Cultural Council and the West Springfield Cultural Council, local agencies which are supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.
Reserve Your Tickets

Love Revolution Cabaret
2024-02-10 19:00 - 21:00, 2024-02-10 14:00 - 16:00 | The Blue Room, Cityspace, 43 Main Street, Easthampton, MA, 01027, United States
Get ready to rebel, rejoice, and revel in love!
Presenting Love Revolution Cabaret: Silverthorne’s Season Opener Benefit!
Join us on February 10, 2024, at The Blue Room @ Cityspace in Easthampton — performances at 2:00 PM and 7:00 PM!
Silverthorne’s Season Opener Benefit is a celebration of all kinds of love – everything except romantic love that is! Our songs challenge norms and celebrate the diverse tapestry of love for our friends, our children, our students, our favorite attorney, even ourselves.
The singers are Silverthorne favorites Frank Aronson*, Kyle Boatwright, Stephanie Carlson*, Tahmie Der, Michael Garcia, John Iverson, Gina Kaufmann and Sam Samuels*, accompanied by Lauren Bell on piano. Enjoy refreshments and connect with friends old and new as these artists take you on a musical love odyssey with iconic tunes like “For Good” (from Wicked), “I’m Here” (from The Color Purple) and the heartwarming “Love Changes Everything” (from Aspects of Love).
Joining us means more than being in the audience; it means actively fostering the success of Silverthorne Theater. Your engagement directly fuels our ability to fully realize not only this season but seasons to come. Your support is the cornerstone of our artistic endeavors, and we deeply appreciate your commitment to us and the arts.
(And – We’ll be announcing our 2024 season at this event!)
Don’t miss your chance to be part of Love Revolution Cabaret @ The Blue Room in Easthampton!

Tickets

The Cake
2023-06-17 19:30 - 21:00, 2023-06-17 15:00 - 16:30, 2023-06-16 19:30 - 21:00, 2023-06-15 19:30 - 21:00, 2023-06-11 15:00 - 16:30, 2023-06-10 19:30 - 21:00, 2023-06-10 15:00 - 16:30, 2023-06-09 19:30 - 21:00 | Hampshire College, Mainstage Theater, Emily Dickinson Hall, Hampshire College 893 West Street, Amherst, MA, 01002, United States
Silverthorne Theater Company presents the final production of our 2023 season, Bekah Brunstetter’s The Cake. Directed by Gina Kaufmann, performances will take place at the Mainstage Theater at Hampshire College in Amherst, from June 9th – 17th.
Starring Elizabeth Aspenlieder*, Sam Samuels*, Tahmie Der, Claudia Maurino, and Gabriel Levey.
Della, a vivacious, white conservative North Carolina baker, faces a crisis of conscience when Jen – whom she loves like a daughter – asks her to bake a special cake for her wedding – to a Black woman. This romantic comedy is a recipe for unexpected turns and unexpected empathy. Baking a cake takes time, rich ingredients and a lotta love.
Please note: In the best interest of all our patrons and personnel, we are requiring audience members to wear masks while at the performance. Masks will be available at the door. We no longer need proof of vaccination, though we strongly urge you to take this measure of safety. Thank you for your continued support in these difficult times.
Purchase Tickets for The Cake

Born With Teeth
2023-05-11 19:30 - 21:00 | The Barn Theater, 715 Federal Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
BORN WITH TEETH
by Liz Duffy Adams
Directed by Brianna Sloane
a Theater Thursdays reading
May 11, 2023
7:30 pm
at The Barn Theater
715 Federal Street, Belchertown, MA
An aging ruler, an oppressive police state, a restless polarized people seething with paranoia: it’s a dangerous time for poets. Two of them—the great Kit Marlowe and the up-and-comer Will Shakespeare—meet in the back room of a pub to collaborate on a history play cycle and flirt like young men with everything to lose.
The reading features Pioneer Valley favorites Myka Plunkett as Marlowe and Tracy Einstein as Shakespeare.
Come join us to experience the play that was awarded a 2021 Edgerton Foundation New Play Award and won the Houston Theater Awards 2022 Best Play/Production, Best New Play, and Best Actors and was named a finalist for the Steinberg-ATCA New Play Award!

This reading is made possible by the generous support of the Amherst Cultural Council.
Please note: In the best interest of all our patrons and personnel, we are requiring audience members to wear masks while at the performance. Masks will be available at the door. We no longer need proof of vaccination, though we strongly urge you to take this measure of safety. Thank you for your continued support in these difficult times.

Tickets are free, and Silverthorne welcomes donations so that we can continue making our work accessible to all.
Reserve Tickets for Born With Teeth

Intimate Apparel
2023-03-18 19:30 - 22:00, 2023-03-18 15:00 - 17:30, 2023-03-17 19:30 - 22:00, 2023-03-16 19:30 - 22:00, 2023-03-12 15:00 - 17:30, 2023-03-11 19:30 - 22:00, 2023-03-11 15:00 - 17:30, 2023-03-10 19:30 - 22:00 | Hawks and Reed Performing Arts Center, 289 Main Street, Greenfield, MA, 01301, United States
Lynn Nottage‘s joyful drama about Esther, a Black seamstress whose patrons range from wealthy white women to prostitutes, is set in New York in 1905. While receiving beautiful letters from a handsome Caribbean man named George, Esther’s heart is drawn to the Hasidic shopkeeper from whom she buys cloth. Directed by Boston-based guest artist Jasmine Brooks.
Starring Tahmie Der, Alika Hope*, Colby Chandler, Linda Tardif, Gabe Levey, and Kyle Boatwright.
Performances at the Perch at Hawks and Reed: March 10, 11, 16, 17, 18 at 7:30 pm; March 11, 12, 18 at 3 pm.
Please note: In the best interest of all our patrons and personnel, we are requiring audience members to wear masks while at the performance. Masks will be available at the door. We no longer need proof of vaccination, though we strongly urge you to take this measure of safety. Thank you for your continued support in these difficult times.
Intimate Apparel is generously supported by grants from the Local Cultural Councils of Greenfield, Gill, Colrain, Conway, Leyden, Buckland, and Bernardston, local agencies which are supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.
Tickets for Intimate Apparel

Auditions for The Cake
2023-02-17 17:00 - 21:00 | Studio 204, UMass Amherst, UMass Amherst, Fine Arts Center, 151 Presidents Drive, Amherst, 01003, United States
Join us for auditions for our final 2022-23 season show, Bekah Brunstetter’s comedy “The Cake,” directed by Gina Kaufmann. The show runs from June 9 through 18, 2023.

Audition slots are available on Friday, February 17 from 5pm-9pm in Studio 204 in the UMass Department of Theater. Callbacks will be held on Saturday, February 18, from 1pm-5pm, also in Studio 204 at UMass. To reserve a slot, please send your request to silverthornetheater@gmail.com, or call 413-768-7514.

What to prepare:
Please bring a headshot and resume, and prepare a monologue up to 90 seconds.

About The Play:
All is going well for Della. Her North Carolina bakery is legendary and she’s just been cast on her favorite television baking competition. But then her late best friend’s daughter Jen comes home from New York City to ask her to make a cake for her upcoming wedding. When Della learns that Jen’s about to marry a woman, she is forced to re-examine her deeply held beliefs, as questions of morals, judgment, and family swirl around them all.

Character Breakdown:
DELLA, White, 50s- 60s, a baker, pleasant and round
Note: this role includes on stage intimacy
TIM, White, 50s – 60s, her husband, a good ol’ boy
Note: this role includes on stage intimacy
JEN, White, late 20s – mid-thirties, she has dreamed of a wedding her entire life
Note: this role includes on stage intimacy
MACY, Black, late 20s – mid-thirties, Jen’s reluctant bride
Note: this role includes on stage intimacy
GEORGE, race flexible, age flexible, a British bake-off judge

The Building
2023-02-16 19:30 - 21:00 | Gateway City Arts, 92 Race Street, Holyoke, MA, 01040, United States
THE BUILDING
by Betel Arnold
Directed by Kyle Boatwright
a Theater Thursdays reading
February 16, 2023
7:30 pm
at The Divine Theater, Gateway City Arts
92 Race Street, Holyoke, MA
Silverthorne Theater Company presents a staged reading of Northampton playwright Betel Arnold’s newest play, The Building. Directed by Kyle Boatwright, the reading will take place at 7:30pm on Thursday, February 16th, 2023 at the Divine Theater at Gateway City Arts as part of Silverthorne’s free Theater Thursdays reading series, with a talkback to follow.
Tickets are free, and Silverthorne welcomes donations so that we can continue making our work accessible to all.
The Building follows lifelong Brooklyn resident Agnes as she attempts to get her granddaughter Catalina out of their apartment building and off to a renowned fashion design program in France to further her education. When Agnes discovers that Catalina has been secretly dating the son of a notorious drug dealer, Agnes becomes all the more desperate, enlisting the help of her friends and eventually squaring off with the building’s landlord—who turns out to be much more than he appears.
Betel Arnold is a Dominican playwright and advocate for people with disabilities. She earned her MFA in Creative Writing at Western New England University. Her first play, Tight Pants, received various staged readings and was produced by the Majestic Theater in West Springfield. Other plays include It Is Finished and El Colmado. Arnold was also the longtime host and director-producer of Simply Talking, a cable access program which ran on over a dozen Western MA channels from 2009-2014. Her passion lies in advocating for the rights of people with physical and intellectual disabilities, which inspired her to create the Arts Project. As co-founder of the Arts Project, she has produced and directed various works in Western Massachusetts, including “Extraordinary People with Extraordinary Talents” at the Basketball Hall of Fame and “A Night to Believe” to sell-out audiences in Massachusetts. Arnold is the recipient of the 2004 Citation of Recognition from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts House of Representatives, as well as the 2005 Citation of Recognition from Commonwealth of Massachusetts State Senate.
Looking for a bite to eat before the reading? Stop in for dinner and a cocktail at Judd’s Restaurant (right across the hall from The Divine Theater) before the reading. Make your reservation here: https://tableagent.com/springfield/judds-restaurant
This reading is made possible by the generous support of the Holyoke Cultural Council and the South Hadley Cultural Council.
Reserve Tickets for The Building

Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley
2022-12-17 15:00 - 17:00 | To Be Determined
Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley offers an imaginative and playful sequel to the action of Jane Austen’s classic Pride and Prejudice. Silverthorne Theater actors will portray the familiar characters in a special fundraiser reading of the play at The Deerfield Inn, 81 Old Main Street, Deerfield, on Saturday, December 17, at 3:00 pm.
Tickets for this staged, costumed reading are available at Eventbrite.com. Full details are available at Silverthorne’s website under Special Events. STC co-founder Lucinda Kidder directs this special presentation. Proceeds go to support Silverthorne’s 2022-23 season.
The event is sponsored by Champney’s Restaurant & Tavern. Patrons are encouraged to make reservations for lunch or dinner before or after the reading at 413-774-5587. Holiday beverages will be available before the reading and during intermission.

The Norwegians!
2022-11-03 19:30 - 21:00 | The LAVA Center, 324 Main Street, Greenfield, MA, 01301, United States
Theater Thursdays Play Reading Series
The Norwegians!
by C. Denby Swanson
November 3, 2022
7:30 p.m.

The Taming
2022-10-29 19:30 - 21:00, 2022-10-29 15:00 - 16:30, 2022-10-28 19:30 - 21:00, 2022-10-27 19:30 - 21:00 | Hawks and Reed Performing Arts Center, 289 Main Street, Greenfield, MA, 01301, United States
The Taming
by Lauren Gunderson
Directed by Mary Corinne Miller
October 21-29, 2022
Tweetering, pandashrews, and undying giddiness for James Madison — what else could you expect to find at a Miss America pageant? In this hilarious, raucous, all-female “power-play” inspired by Shakespeare’s Shrew, contestant Katherine has political aspirations to match her beauty pageant ambitions. All she needs to revolutionize the American government is the help of one ultra-conservative senator’s aide on the cusp of a career breakthrough, and one bleeding-heart liberal blogger who will do anything for her cause. Well, that and a semi-historically-accurate ether trip. Here’s lookin’ at you, America.
“Lauren Gunderson’s clever play The Taming forces us with humor and provocation to take a hard look at the phenomenon of a democracy in action” Julie McHale, gmtoday
