About Ashfield Community Theater

The mission of Ashfield Community Theater is to enrich the lives of adults and children of all social, economic and ethnic backgrounds in Ashfield and surrounding towns and to build community by offering accessible, high-quality, participatory theater events, including classes, workshops, play readings, improvisational theater games and play productions.

High-quality theater is, for us, a means to an end; a way of enriching lives and building community. Therefore, the affairs of Ashfield Community Theater are conducted in such a way as to foster enrichment and community. For example, care is taken
      (a) to provide opportunities for participation to many people, at all levels of experience and skill;
      (b) to promote the cultural, emotional, spiritual and intellectual enrichment of all participants;
      (c) to create a spirit of cooperation and joy in working together; and
      (d) to value and honor the diversity and contributions of every individual.

This is an exciting time for Ashfield Community Theater. Community support is solid and ever growing. Since 1994, our theater has offered participatory theater events to hundreds of actors, technicians, and audience members. Ashfield (population 1,820) is a small, low-income, rural community in the hills of Western Massachusetts, foothills to the Berkshires, two hours from Boston. Our performance space in Town Hall seats about 200. Generally over 600 people (about one-third the population figure) came from 27 or more towns in Franklin, Hampshire and Hampden counties to see our annual play production. Seventeen towns and about seventy businesses now support our work.

Ashfield Community Theater is unique in West County in its commitment to produce thought-provoking socially significant plays, while nurturing the talents of local actors. Our theater has earned some notoriety for its success in preparing inexperienced actors for the challenges of serious theater and received from the Massachusetts Cultural Council absolute top marks in service to the community.