Ben Lamb Joins Berkshire Agricultural Ventures Board

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GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — Berkshire Agricultural Ventures announce that Berkshire-based economic development expert Ben Lamb, PhD, has been appointed to BAV's Board of Directors. 
 
Lamb is the Vice President of Economic Development at 1Berkshire, where he works to support a range of rural businesses and industries across the region. He also brings community leadership and service with organizations including MASS MoCA, Northern Berkshire Community Coalition, and the City of North Adams.
 
"We are delighted to welcome Ben to BAV's Board. His economic development expertise, passion for community-building, and genuine enthusiasm for BAV's mission make him a terrific addition to our Board as we work toward BAV's tenth year as a community nonprofit serving local farmers and food producers in the Berkshire-Taconic region," BAV Board President Maryann Tebben said.
 
"We are thrilled to have Ben join our Board during a pivotal time for BAV, our farmers, and our local food system. BAV has worked closely with Ben and his 1Berkshire colleagues over the years, and we are excited that he is bringing his talents, perspectives, and energy to BAV in this new capacity," BAV Executive Director Rebecca Busansky said.
 
Lamb's local leadership roles include serving as a Trustee of MASS MoCA, Board Vice Chair for the Northern Berkshire Community Coalition, Clerk of the Board of the North Adams Partnership, and Co-founder of the NAMAzing Initiative, a community group committed to creative placemaking and grassroots economic development initiatives in North Adams.
 
Other public service positions include four terms as a North Adams City Councilor. A graduate of Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, Lamb holds a Masters Degree from the College of Saint Rose and a PhD in Higher Education from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. 
 
His professional background encompasses ecotourism, historic landscape restoration, and cafe ownership in downtown North Adams. 
 
He lives in North Adams with his wife, two kids, and golden retriever. Lamb is an avid home gardener, volunteer, and cook.
 
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King and Confidantes Debate Hope and Change in 'American Five'

By Alan PetrucelliSpecial to iBerkshires
STOCKBRIDGE, Mass. — Fiction and fact meld in the regional premiere of "The American Five," now playing at the Larry Vaber Stage of the Unicorn Theatre. 
 
The play takes a fictionalized look at the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his four closest confidants in the months leading up to the famed March on Washington on Aug. 28, 1963. The quintet, through differing opinions, animated arguments, constant threats of violence and a late-night meal featuring challah bread and wine, become a family as they prepare for the history-making march that galvanized the Civil Rights movement.
 
Most of us know the King saga. It's the second act in which playwright Chess Jakobs' genius shines. Prejudice runs rampant here: Is Stanley Levison, a Jewish lawyer from New York who shows up in Montgomery to join the fight for racial equality and "to repair the world," viewed as white? Jewish? Both? And march strategist and organizer Bayard Rustin experiences his own fight for civil rights because of his homosexuality. Here, Jakob explores prejudice on different levels.
 
The cast is top-notch with many emotional highs. As King, Rashun Carter (who would look more like his character if he had a full moustache) and Sydney Elisabeth (as Coretta Scott King) are at their best during a scene that bounces between humor and poignancy. 
 
She questions her husband about his meeting with President John F. Kennedy; he is angry and refuses to discuss it. "There is no 'you' out there, without a 'me,' in here," she says, leading King to agree that because of her self-worth and unwavering devotion to him, she is "Coretta Scott Queen."
 
As Clarence Jones, King's personal counsel, Brett Diggs has assurance and dignity; Harry Smith's portrayal of lawyer Stanley Levison, is nothing short of extraordinary. Destan Owens' performance as gay Bayard Rustin is the play's most outstanding performance as he defends his relations with men: "You don't get to judge me!" he tells King. "I'm just trying to find love."
 
"The American Five" is tightly directed by Gerry McIntyre; the historic period projections and footage/designed by Alex Hill remind people that there are dreams, such as hope and change, that are still being fought.
 
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