WAM Theatre Announces Flying Cloud Institute as Recipient from “Galileo’s Daughter” (2025)

LENOX, MA (Sept 23, 2024) —In accordance with their unique mission of arts as activism WAM Theatreis thrilled to announce that a portion of the box office for their Fall production ofGalileo’s Daughterwill be donated to the Flying Cloud Institute. The production will run at the Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre Shakespeare & Company, Lenox, MA from October 18 – November 3, 2024, and before transferring to Central Square Theater in Cambridge, MA. Tickets for the Berkshire run are on sale now, and a portion of box office sales goes to funding theGirls Science After School Programsrun byFlying Cloud Institute in Berkshire County.

“Flying Cloud is honored and excited to partner with WAM Theatre to support the young scientists and artists in our community!” saidExecutive Director Maria Rundle.“WAM and Flying Cloud have ashared mission to amplify the voices of female and non-binary-identified youth in our communityand to give them the space and support to discover the creative, curious, and capable people they are: as actors, writers, scientists, engineers, and artists!”

This partnership represents an on-going relationship between the two organizations who have co-facilitated workshops and community conversations around the importance of amplifying girls’ voices and opportunities in science and arts. The Science Club members have attended WAM productions, as Rundle explains: “WAM has generously opened its doors to our Young Women in Science participants since 2017, inviting us to the stage again and again to meet dynamic characters like 18th century scientific genius Emilie du Châtelet, and Yasmeen Al-Hamad, a Yemeni-American teenager who loves science but doesn’t fit the image her teachers have of who is STEM-capable.” ThroughGalileo’s Daughterthey will have a chance to meet Maria Celeste and understand how instrumental she was to the world changing discoveries of her famous father Galileo Galilei.

Each year since its inception in 2010, WAM has connected with sister-social justice organizations and donated a portion of the proceeds from ticket sales from their main stage production to an organization(s) whose mission connects to the theme of the play. Over the years WAM has connected with over 26 organizations and donated over $100,000. They’ve focused primarily on supporting Berkshires-based organizations, but when the fit with the play is right they have also partnered with national and even international organizations — such as the Mother of Peace Orphanage in South Africa and Edna Adan Hospital in Somaliland. Each year this commitment to giving back grows stronger and evolves.

“Like Maria Celeste’s character in Galileo’s Daughter, the arts and sciences share a love of inquiry and discovery,” saidManaging Director Molly Merrhew.“WAM is delighted to deepen our collaboration with Flying Cloud through this play, and contribute to the creation of spaces that empower the vibrant voices, curiosities, creativity, and intellect of girls. WAM’s ambitious mission, to share our box office income with an organization working on the front-lines of creating opportunities for women and girls, sets our organization up to be a catalyst for change– through the stories we tell, and community partnerships we build.”

Your ticket purchase contributes to Flying Cloud Institute’s ability to offer a FREE After School Science Club at a public school in Berkshire County while sustaining WAM Theatre whose mission is to center the stories and lives of women and girls.

Friday – Nov 1 – 10 am & 7 pm
Saturday – Nov 2 – 2 pm & 7 pm
Sunday – Nov 3 – 2 pm – Berkshire Closing

For more information about the 2024 Season and WAM Theatre’s programs, events, and artists, please visitwww.WAMTheatre.com.

ABOUT THE PLAY

Rattled by a personal crisis, a playwright flees to Florence to study the letters between Galileo and his eldest daughter Maria Celeste. Caught up in the threats against her father, Maria must abandon her work and join a convent. The writer’s discovery of Maria’s strength and tenacity inspires her own pursuit of purpose. Alternating between past and present, this play is a personal examination of faith, forgiveness, and the cost of seeking and speaking truth.The Chicago Readercalled it “a smart and poignant” story.

ABOUT FLYING CLOUD INSTITUTE

Flying Cloud Institute’s mission is to inspire young people and educators through dynamic science and art experiences that inspire creativity. Flying Cloud continues to develop new programs and partnerships to advance our education mission for all the young scientists and artists in the region. Join us in igniting creativity and changing the lives of the young people who seek to make meaning of their world through scientific investigations, who tackle real-world problems through engineering solutions, and who express themselves honestly and creatively through art!flyingcloudinstitute.org

ABOUT WAM THEATRE

WAM Theatre is a professional theatre company based in Berkshire County, MA, that operates at the intersection of arts and activism. Now celebrating its 15th Anniversary Season, WAM creates theatre for gender equity and has a vision of theatre as philanthropy. In fulfillment of its philanthropic mission, WAM donates a portion of the proceeds from their Mainstage productions to carefully selected recipients. Since WAM’s founding in 2010, they have donated more than $100,000 to 26 local and global organizations taking action for gender equity in areas such as girls education, reproductive justice, sexual trafficking awareness, midwife training, and more. WAM Theatre has been widely recognized for having a positive impact on cultural and community development in the region. WAM is the recipient of the Creative Economy Standout Berkshire Trendsetter Award and previously, was named Outstanding Philanthropy Corporation of the Year by the Western MA Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals. For more information, visit www.wamtheatre.com

WAM SUPPORT

WAM Theatre’s 15th Anniversary Season is supported by many individuals and foundations including: Berkshire Bank, Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation, Brabson Family Foundation, The Feigenbaum Foundation, GKV Foundation, Lee Bank Foundation, the Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC), Scarlet Sock Foundation, and WomenArts.

WAM’s season sponsors include Adams Community Bank, Blue Q., Berkshire Roots, Blue Spark Financial, Greylock Federal Credit Union, Garden Gables Inn, Guidos Fresh Marketplace, Handful Photography, Mill Town Foundation, Inc., Health Professional Coaching, Heller & Robbins Attorneys at Law, Interprint, Onyx Specialty Papers, Outpost Productions, RB Design Co., T Square Design Studio, Toole Insurance, a. von schlegell & co, and the Women’s Fund of Western Massachusetts.

With additional support from Local Cultural Council Grants from the Dalton Cultural Council, Lee Cultural Council, Lenox Cultural Council, Pittsfield Cultural Council, Northern Berkshire Cultural Council, Otis Cultural Council, Sandisfield Cultural Council, and Washington Cultural Council. WAM was also the recipient of recent support from the New England Foundation for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts, and U.S. Small Business Administration’s Shuttered Venue Operators Grant.