Community Calendar

MIFA Victory Theatre is proud to announce a city-wide day of reflection, music, and spoken word titled ‘Reading Frederick Douglass Together.’ Hosted in partnership with the Holyoke Senior Center, LightHouse Holyoke, and Holyoke Media, these two free community events will take place on June 17, 2026.

Holyoke joins communities across the Commonwealth in a growing cultural phenomenon: gathering to collectively read, reflect upon, and discuss Frederick Douglass’s monumental 1852 address, What to the Slave is the Fourth of July? Members of the public are warmly invited to raise their voices and participate directly in the community reading. This event is made possible by a grant from Mass Humanities, with funding provided by the Mass Cultural Council.

EVENT SCHEDULE

Afternoon Event: Community Voices & Conversation
Time: 12:30 PM - 2:00 PM
Location: Holyoke Senior Center, 291 Pine St, Holyoke, MA
Featuring: A participatory community reading of Frederick Douglass’s historic speech, followed by an intimate, insightful conversation with acclaimed Massachusetts playwright Ken Green.

Evening Event: Music, History & Drama
Time: 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Location: De La Luz Divine Theater, 92 Race St, Holyoke, MA
Featuring:

A soul-stirring performance and community sing-along of Lift Every Voice and Sing, led by the award-winning REVOLUTION A Cappella ensemble under the musical direction of Marcos Carreras.

A captivating discussion with playwright Ken Green, featuring an exclusive preview of his powerful new play July 5th featuring REVOLUTION A Cappella — commissioned by the Ensemble for the Romantic Century (ERC), Founder and Music Director Eve Wolf, and Directed by MIFA Executive Artistic Director Donald T. Sanders, with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA).

Mount Holyoke College Summer Theatre proudly presents “The 39 Steps” adapted by Patrick Barlow from the novel of John Buchanen from the movie by Alfred Hitchcock, playing July 17th-July 25th in the Studio Theatre of Kendall Sports & Dance Complex.

Our first season closes with a fast-paced comedy thriller packed with spies, mystery, and nonstop laughs. When ordinary man Richard Hannay becomes entangled in an international espionage plot, he is swept into a whirlwind adventure across Britain. Featuring a handful of actors playing dozens of characters, The 39 Steps is a wildly inventive theatrical experience that combines Hitchcock suspense with hilarious physical comedy.

This production is directed by Mochael Ofori with Set Design by Alina Tschumakow, Costume Design by Jensen Glick, Lighting Design by Sam Skynner, Sound Design by Kirk Longhofer.

Performance Dates and Times:
Friday, July 17th, 2:00pm & 7:30pm
Saturday, July 18th, 2:00pm & 7:30pm
Sunday, July 19th, 2:00pm
Wednesday, July 22nd, 7:30pm
Thursday, July 23rd, 7:30pm
Friday, July 24th, 7:30pm
Saturday, July 25th, 2:00pm & 7:30pm

Tickets: $15 General Admission | $25 Season Pass
For more information or to reserve tickets, please visit mhcsummertheatre.ludus.com or contact us at MHCSummerTheatres@MtHolyoke.edu.

Mount Holyoke College Summer Theatre proudly presents “The 39 Steps” adapted by Patrick Barlow from the novel of John Buchanen from the movie by Alfred Hitchcock, playing July 17th-July 25th in the Studio Theatre of Kendall Sports & Dance Complex.

Our first season closes with a fast-paced comedy thriller packed with spies, mystery, and nonstop laughs. When ordinary man Richard Hannay becomes entangled in an international espionage plot, he is swept into a whirlwind adventure across Britain. Featuring a handful of actors playing dozens of characters, The 39 Steps is a wildly inventive theatrical experience that combines Hitchcock suspense with hilarious physical comedy.

This production is directed by Mochael Ofori with Set Design by Alina Tschumakow, Costume Design by Jensen Glick, Lighting Design by Sam Skynner, Sound Design by Kirk Longhofer.

Performance Dates and Times:
Friday, July 17th, 2:00pm & 7:30pm
Saturday, July 18th, 2:00pm & 7:30pm
Sunday, July 19th, 2:00pm
Wednesday, July 22nd, 7:30pm
Thursday, July 23rd, 7:30pm
Friday, July 24th, 7:30pm
Saturday, July 25th, 2:00pm & 7:30pm

Tickets: $15 General Admission | $25 Season Pass
For more information or to reserve tickets, please visit mhcsummertheatre.ludus.com or contact us at MHCSummerTheatres@MtHolyoke.edu.

Sandglass Theater presents a series of special appearances and public workshops by stellar artists working in exciting interdisciplinary performance techniques. The Summer Series celebrates the crossroads of art forms and development of new works by professional and emerging artists. This year’s series will feature three performances and two special workshops. ‘The City That Slept’ is an imaginative puppetry performance by Tom Tuke that also features an original technique developed by Tuke: floating shadow puppets that glide across a pool of moving water, creating luminous images of motion and reflection. ‘Penelope in First Person’, performed by Keely Eastley and directed by Eric Bass is adapted from a book by Canadian poet Sue Goyette. The performance reimagines the story of Penelope from Homer’s ‘Odyssey’. The production blends poetic language, theatrical storytelling, music, and elements of magical realism. ‘Death and the Fool | A Medieval Folly’, presented by the ensemble of Happenstance Theater is inspired by medieval mystery plays and tarot imagery, combining puppetry, slapstick comedy, live music, and physical theater. The workshops will include a floating water puppets workshop with Tom Tuke and a physical comedy workshop with Happenstance Theater.
All performances and workshops are at Sandglass Theater, 17 Kimball Hill in the heart of Putney, VT, just off of Exit 4 from I91. No one will be turned away from Summer Series performances for lack of funds.

New Clothes is a feature film adaptation of a Hans Christian Andersen fable as told by a touring theatre company from Vermont. It was shot in seven days on the fourth floor of an apartment building in downtown Brattleboro. The action takes place in a timeless kingdom where painted canvas and cardboard live comfortably next to refrigerators and radiators. Two poor swindlers set out to scheme their way into the royal palace, where they will attempt to get rich by tricking the Emperor and his court out of the clothes on their backs.

Vermont Suitcase Company has toured fast, funny, accessible theatre around Vermont since 2018. They travel to bars, pizza parlors, performance venues, and community centers all over the state with four poles, one big curtain, and a dozen suitcases filled with costumes and props. New Clothes is their feature film debut, and they're so excited to be able to bring their group's passion for theatrical storytelling and fun, scrappy aesthetics to a broader audience.

A discussion with members of the creative team will follow the screening.

Mount Holyoke College Summer Theatre proudly presents “The 39 Steps” adapted by Patrick Barlow from the novel of John Buchanen from the movie by Alfred Hitchcock, playing July 17th-July 25th in the Studio Theatre of Kendall Sports & Dance Complex.

Our first season closes with a fast-paced comedy thriller packed with spies, mystery, and nonstop laughs. When ordinary man Richard Hannay becomes entangled in an international espionage plot, he is swept into a whirlwind adventure across Britain. Featuring a handful of actors playing dozens of characters, The 39 Steps is a wildly inventive theatrical experience that combines Hitchcock suspense with hilarious physical comedy.

This production is directed by Mochael Ofori with Set Design by Alina Tschumakow, Costume Design by Jensen Glick, Lighting Design by Sam Skynner, Sound Design by Kirk Longhofer.

Performance Dates and Times:
Friday, July 17th, 2:00pm & 7:30pm
Saturday, July 18th, 2:00pm & 7:30pm
Sunday, July 19th, 2:00pm
Wednesday, July 22nd, 7:30pm
Thursday, July 23rd, 7:30pm
Friday, July 24th, 7:30pm
Saturday, July 25th, 2:00pm & 7:30pm

Tickets: $15 General Admission | $25 Season Pass
For more information or to reserve tickets, please visit mhcsummertheatre.ludus.com or contact us at MHCSummerTheatres@MtHolyoke.edu.

Get ready to sing along — Queer Joy Chorus is bringing our Spring Sing to Bombyx on June 20th, 5–7pm, and we can't wait to share the stage with you.

This year we're thrilled to perform at Bombyx, one of the Pioneer Valley's most beloved venues, with its stunning acoustics and professional stage. Expect a joyful, roof-raising set spanning choral classics, beloved pop anthems, and songs that'll delight kids and adults alike — all performed with the warmth and exuberance that QJC is known for. Whether you're a lifelong choral music lover, a pop fan, or just someone who believes music is better together, there's something here for you.

After the concert, stick around for a potluck picnic — bring a dish, bring a blanket, and come ready to connect with an incredible community. All are welcome. Seriously, all of you. Come as you are, bring your family, bring your neighbors, and let's celebrate queer joy together.

Mount Holyoke College Summer Theatre proudly presents “The 39 Steps” adapted by Patrick Barlow from the novel of John Buchanen from the movie by Alfred Hitchcock, playing July 17th-July 25th in the Studio Theatre of Kendall Sports & Dance Complex.

Our first season closes with a fast-paced comedy thriller packed with spies, mystery, and nonstop laughs. When ordinary man Richard Hannay becomes entangled in an international espionage plot, he is swept into a whirlwind adventure across Britain. Featuring a handful of actors playing dozens of characters, The 39 Steps is a wildly inventive theatrical experience that combines Hitchcock suspense with hilarious physical comedy.

This production is directed by Mochael Ofori with Set Design by Alina Tschumakow, Costume Design by Jensen Glick, Lighting Design by Sam Skynner, Sound Design by Kirk Longhofer.

Performance Dates and Times:
Friday, July 17th, 2:00pm & 7:30pm
Saturday, July 18th, 2:00pm & 7:30pm
Sunday, July 19th, 2:00pm
Wednesday, July 22nd, 7:30pm
Thursday, July 23rd, 7:30pm
Friday, July 24th, 7:30pm
Saturday, July 25th, 2:00pm & 7:30pm

Tickets: $15 General Admission | $25 Season Pass
For more information or to reserve tickets, please visit mhcsummertheatre.ludus.com or contact us at MHCSummerTheatres@MtHolyoke.edu.

Join us for an unforgettable performance of music, led by Dr. Kathy Bullock, carrying a people through bondage and into freedom. Songs of Slavery & Emancipation is more than a concert, it is a living tribute to resilience, faith and the unbreakable spirit of a people.

Compiled by Swiss scholar and musician Mat Callahan, Songs of Slavery and Emancipation is a collection of songs composed and sung by slaves either preparing for, or commemorating, revolt. To this collection is added the songs of the abolitionist movement, dedicated to the eradication of the slave system. Many of the abolitionist songs were composed by fugitive slaves or free Black people, and were widely disseminated in the Northern States between the American Revolution and the Civil War.

This tour had all its funding slashed by the current regime due to the nature of its content, Black History. This workshop and concert will be a fund raiser for the tour and you will be able to give generously on the ticket page.

An 8-state tour from Berea, KY into Canada is stopping at sites along the Underground Railroad, performing works from the Songs of Slavery and Emancipation Project. This tour brings together the Berea/Jubilo singers, and will provide a singing workshop with history under the direction of Dr. Kathy Bullock. Together they weave a powerful tapestry of narratives and melodies rooted in the history of enslaved people’s journey to freedom and the abolitionist movement.

Florence Community Band will host our Community Band Festival at the Look Park Pines Theater in Northampton on Sunday, June 21. Come play in the band, listen in the audience, and celebrate Father's Day while making music with potential hundreds of fellow instrumental musicians! The concert is free (there is a vehicle fee to enter the park) and starts at 3 pm. If you are a musician and would like to participate, please contact priscilla@florencecommunityband.com

Band Director Priscilla Ross says, “Calling all musicians! To continue celebrating our 25th Anniversary, we are reprising our Community Band Festival of days old! Join us on Sunday, June 21, 2026, at the picturesque Look Park Pines Theater for the rehearsal (in the morning), lunch, and then the concert. We can't wait to play with you!”

Florence Community Band has long-standing roots in the Pioneer Valley and has an active playing membership of 75 musicians. With a commitment to community and musical excellence, FCB continues to grow and flourish as a welcoming place for all. Come join us for the concert or join the band and play with us for future concerts!