May, 2026 Update:
We have now found $450,000 in financing for the purchase of the adjacent parcel thanks to generous supporters! We are now seeking investors, donors and/or people who would like to purchase a percentage of the LLC that would be formed in the event of an offer and live next door to Bloom. Contact: pititheatre"at"protonmail.com
Thank you for spreading the word!
Campaign Update
Following our purchase of a barn and 42 acres and successful fundraising to transform the barn into a multi-use performance venue, we now have the opportunity to purchase an adjacent 24 acres with turn-key accommodations for guest artists, people in transition, students and interns.
Phase 1:
Transform the Barn
Funding complete!
Adding septic, lighting, bathrooms, farm store, insulation, parking, wheelchair ramp and more!
Phase 2:
Purchase Adjacent Parcel
Includes two houses, three apartments, gardens, and orchards.
Phase 3:
Build Cabins Above the Barn
By the end of phase three, the center will be able to accommodate 20+ people!
Square footages of buildings:
- Three bedroom house: 3450 sf (includes basement level with washer/dryer, hot water tank and in-law apartment)
- Two bedroom house: 1250 sf
- Cabin 1: 320 sf plus loft
- Cabin 2: 175 sf
- Garage: 576 sf
- Shop: 450 sf
Survey of Site With All Parcels
Images of the Three Bedroom House Next Door
From a previous listing on Zillow:
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/225-Avery-Brook-Rd-Shelburne-Falls-MA-01370/56976496_zpid/
Images of the two bedroom house
Images of the adjacent barn and property owned by Piti Theatre
Consider the benefits of a robust Center to...
- Local Economy: more tourism, more jobs
- Youth: engagement with arts and nature, Bee & Blossom program has already been running for two years
- Pollinators: pollinator sanctuary and educational apiary
- Community: more arts, more coming together = more resilience
- Local Farmers & Artisans: an "art-farm" stand, already in place
- Arts Groups & Educators: an accessible Charlemont venue
Envisioning the Center
Piti Theatre envisions an arts-infused entry point into the forests, geology and ecosystems of this unique region of "the Hilltowns" in Western Franklin County. The Center will be founded on the belief that creativity can be leveraged on behalf of a sustainable future and a deep sense of place.
The Center will be an environmental education hub where people of all ages can connect and re-connect with the natural world. In this place of meeting points and crossroads, of synergy between art and action, scientists and children, policy-makers and parents will come to nourish their vision for a livable, thriving planet and get professional support for communicating that vision with the world. Piti Theatre has been bringing their unique blend of art and environmental education to schools, theatres and festivals around the U.S. and internationally since 2008.
There will be space for making performances, plenty of outdoor space, wild space, there are bees and mushrooms, chickens and swings. Children are coming here during the day and in the afternoons. Adults, artists and "non-artists" are coming here for the day, the week, the month and the year. Performances are being created for touring and for the community. The center is connected to an international network of change-makers and creators. There are international exchanges in motion.
And slowly, over the years, new ways of thinking (and old ways of thinking that have been forgotten) will be carved out and then leap, like peepers from their home pond, out into the world in the service of a living planet where social and environmental justice is the norm, not short-term profit for a few. We see this center as offering a unique contribution to the performing arts and to the diverse movements for a sustainable human presence on earth.
