For more than 10 years OLLI has presented Berkshire Previews where 10 prominent artistic directors from the major regional stages announce their summer season's productions. Each speaks and answers questions for 45 minutes, two per week. The course begins with a cadre of five erudite critics who share their expectations for the summer and reconvene after the season to assess if they were met, or not! The theaters include Barrington Stage, Berkshire Theatre, Berkshire Opera, Bridge Street, Chester, Great Barrington Public, Jacob's Pillow, Mac- Haydn, Shakespeare and Williamstown.

Naomi Spatz has hosted Berkshire Previews for more than ten years and organizes theater parties for OLLI members. Married to playwright Steven Somkin, she values what live theater can contribute to our lives. Thus she created Teachers Night on Broadway for the UFT, TDF and the American League of Producers to launch a program training teachers on how to use theater in the classroom. She added Kids Day on Broadway to introduce NYC public school students to Broadway theater. Naomi graduated from Cornell and in following decades worked for international organizations in Washington, DC, New York City, Europe and Africa.

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