MCLA Theatre Program Presents 'The Method Gun'

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NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts' (MCLA) Theatre program announced its second show of the 2024-2025 season, "The Method Gun." 
 
 
This work by Kirk Lynn and the Rude Mechs, re-imagined under the direction of Professor Laura Standley, will take place Dec. 6 and 7 at 8 p.m. and Dec. 8 at 2 p.m.
 
According to a press release:
 
"The Method Gun" takes audiences into the world of actor training, examining the intense and mysterious techniques of mid-century acting guru Stella Burden and her fiercely committed company of actors. Through a mix of archival material and imaginative storytelling, the play revisits the group's final, tumultuous months of rehearsal for an ambitious nine-year staging of "A Streetcar Named Desire" — performed without its central characters.
 
Equal parts absurd, poignant, and hilarious, "The Method Gun" invites audiences to consider the nature of artistic dedication. As the company grapples with the challenges of their radical process, the play raises larger questions: What drives us to create? How far will we go for art? What does it mean to seek truth onstage?
 
This re-devised production showcases the collaboration of MCLA Theatre students, guided by Professor Laura Standley's direction. 
 
Tickets for all performances are available through MCLA's community-serving cultural events program, MOSAIC. For tickets and more information, visit  https://www.mcla.edu/themethodgun.

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Clarksburg Students Write in Support of Rural School Aid

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff

Mason Langenback calculated that Clarksburg would get almost $1 million if the $60 million was allocated equally.
CLARKSBURG, Mass. — Eighth-graders at Clarksburg School took a lesson in civic advocacy this week, researching school funding and writing letters to Beacon Hill that call for fully funding rural school aid. 
 
The students focused on the hardships for small rural schools and their importance to the community — that they struggle with limited funding and teacher shortages, but offer safe and supportive spaces for learning and are a hub for community connections.
 
"They all address the main issue, the funding for rural schools, and how there's a gap, and there's the $4 million gap this year, and then it's about the $40 million next year, and that rural schools need that equitable funding," said social studies teacher Mark Karhan.
 
A rural schools report in 2022 found smaller school districts cost from nearly 17 percent to 23 percent more to operate, and recommended "at least" $60 million be appropriated annually for rural school aid. 
 
Gov. Maura Healey has filed for more Chapter 70 school aid, but that often is little help to small rural schools with declining or static enrollment. For fiscal 2027, she's budgeted $20 million for rural schools, up from around $13 million this year but still far below the hoped for $60 million. 
 
Karhan said the class was broken into four groups and the students were provided a submission letter from Rural Schools Advocacy. The students used the first paragraph, which laid out the funding facts, and then did research and wrote their own letters. 
 
They will submit those with a school picture to the governor. 
 
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