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Founder Of Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center Dies

The marquee of the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center
Jim Levulis
/
WAMC
The marquee of the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center

The founder of the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center in Great Barrington, Massachusetts has died. The theater confirmed Lola Jaffe’s death Thursday. She was 95. Built in 1904, the theater’s contemporary identity was cemented by Jaffe in 2002 when the nonprofit was formed. The organization invested $9 million into the building and it re-opened in 2005. Speaking with WAMC in 2019, Jaffe recalled the crumbling walls and sinking roof she confronted when she first took on the Mahaiwe restoration project.

“At that time here in the Berkshires, there was not year-round performances," Jaffe told WAMC. "It was only in the summertime. And I was determined that the Berkshires needed year round performance.”

Jim is WAMC’s Associate News Director and hosts WAMC's flagship news programs: Midday Magazine, Northeast Report and Northeast Report Late Edition. Email: jlevulis@wamc.org
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