Ready, Willing And Able: CATA Parties And Performs

Amy Krzanik reports from Lenox.Community Access to the Arts (CATA), much like the world in general, doesn’t need you to be perfect, it just needs you to participate. Newcomers learn quickly that audiences who attend CATA’s annual performances aren’t shy about their participation, either. The crowd of supporters at Saturday evening’s gala at Shakespeare & Company openly shared the joy beaming off of the performers, and they were more than ready to clap along to the music, cheer for the “contestants" and shout out answers when asked to finish quotes from Shakespeare. Ready, Willing & Able, this year’s performance theme, was exhibited through song, dance, juggling, drama and stand-up comedy. An after-party included cocktails from Berkshire Mountain Distillers, dinner by Firefly, dancing to music from JTD Productions and tent projections by Joe Wheaton. Above, CATA executive director Margaret Keller is flanked by Howard and Shirley Shapiro.

Billy Himmelrich, CATA board president John Whalan, and gala co-chair Dave Hosokawa; Roger Manring, gala committee member Elaine Silberstein and artist Sue Connell.

Jeff Diamond, Diane Pearlman and filmmaker Ben Hillman; Trisha Killeen, gala committee member Robin Ban and board member Maria Cleary.

Gala committee member Reggie Cooper, Madeline Phelps and David Phelps; Gwendolyn VanSant with MA State Representative Smitty Pignatelli.

Pittsfield Community Connection'sAdam Hinds and Jessika Trancik; gala committee member Mitch Nash with Vicki Bonnington and David Schecker.

Steffen Hyder, Marie-Louise McHugh, board member Ron Gallagher and Katharine Millonzi.

Gala committee member Janet Elsbach with Howard Lieberman and Carolyn Lieberman; CATA board member Liz Williams with Michael Wainwright and gala co-chair Bev Hosokawa.

CATA volunteers Sandy Van and Linda Russell flank CATA studio manager Anamyn Turowski; board member Ben Silberstein, Jonathan Swartz and board member Matt Mandel.