Latest news with #JacobsPillow
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Jacob's Pillow cancels remaining 2025 performances after fatal accident
BECKET – Jacob's Pillow announced Tuesday that its 2025 festival will not continue following a fatal accident on Friday. All remaining shows have been cancelled and those that have purchased tickets will receive full refunds, festival organizers said in a post on Facebook. The festival was originally scheduled to run through Aug. 24. 'We have come to this difficult decision following the tragic accident on our campus on August 1,' the post read. Production manager Kat Sirico died Friday on the festival grounds. Sirico and an intern were moving platforms used for staging performances across the Jacob's Pillow property on a dolly. While they were rolling the dolly downhill, they lost control. Sirico tripped, and the dolly ran over her and then the platforms fell on her, according to a statement from the Berkshire District Attorney's Office. Bystanders attempted lifesaving measures. The District Attorney's Office said it would not file criminal charges as it determined Sirico's death was a workplace accident. 'Kat was an alumni of the Pillow and an essential part of our team, and their spirit, generosity, and dedication touched the lives of many. We are holding their family, friends, and colleagues in our hearts as we grieve together,' festival organizers shared in a Facebook post on Friday night. The festival first cancelled performances from Friday, Aug. 1, through Sunday, Aug. 3, but later made the decision to cancel all remaining shows. 'For 93 years, Jacob's Pillow has been a haven for dance and a community dedicated to its creation, presentation, education and preservation. We look forward to welcoming audiences back to our campus,' Tuesday night's Facebook post concluded. For those with questions about refunds, visit the Jacob's Pillow website. more news from Western Massachusetts Berkshire County contractor pleads guilty to tax fraud Mass. casino winner: Slots player hit jackpot on Monday Garden Notes: Aug. 6, 2025 Springfield shooting leaves man injured New Springfield boxing gym boosts Indian Orchard downtown Read the original article on MassLive.
New York Times
02-08-2025
- New York Times
Production Manager at Jacob's Pillow Is Killed in ‘Tragic Accident,' Center Says
A production manager who was helping to move platforms used for staging at Jacob's Pillow, a celebrated dance center in Becket, Mass., was killed after the load toppled on Friday afternoon, according to the center and the authorities. The person killed, identified by Jacob's Pillow as Kat Sirico, was rolling a dolly with the help of an intern to transport the platforms for theater staging across the property, the Berkshire District Attorney's Office said in a statement on Saturday. What happened was determined to be a workplace accident, according to the statement, and criminal charges were not expected to be filed. The two people moving the platforms lost control of the dolly they were using when they began rolling it down a slope, according to the district attorney's office. Sirico, who used the pronouns they/them, according to their LinkedIn profile and the center, tried to regain control of the dolly but tripped and fell, and the dolly ran Sirico over, the district attorney's office said. The platforms on the dolly fell onto Sirico, the statement further said. Bystanders attempted lifesaving measures and emergency medical workers and members of law enforcement also responded to the scene. In a statement on Saturday, the center called Sirico's death 'a tragic accident.' The Occupational Safety and Health Administration was investigating, according to the statement. Jacob's Pillow announced that all performances and events at the center were canceled from Friday through Sunday. Sirico was part of the alumni of Jacob's Pillow, the center said, and had been working since February as a production manager for the Dance Festival at the recently reopened Doris Duke Theater. Sirico had previously worked for the Dance Festival, including last year as an event production manager. They were also a production intern two decades ago and had been an independent contractor for Jacob's Pillow, a spokesman for the center said. Pamela Tatge, the executive and artistic director for Jacob's Pillow, said in the statement that Sirico was a 'hugely devoted leader on our team.' 'Their spirit, generosity, and dedication touched the lives of many,' Ms. Tatge added. Jacob's Pillow, which was founded in 1931, has an expansive campus of two indoor theaters, stages and studios across more than 200 acres in the picturesque Berkshire hills. According to its website, it receives more than 100,000 visitors each year and employs 53 full-time year-round staff members, 100 seasonal workers and 25 interns. The Dance Festival at Jacob's Pillow is the oldest in the United States. It runs from late June through late August. The festival was in week six when performances and events were canceled after Sirico's death, according to the Jacob's Pillow website. The center had recently recovered from the destruction of the Doris Duke Theater, which burned down in November 2020. The theater reopened last month.
CBS News
02-08-2025
- CBS News
Staff member killed in Jacob's Pillow accident identified; no charges will be filed
The Berkshire District Attorney's Office has identified the worker involved in the accidental fatality at Jacob's Pillow as Kat (Kathryn) Sirico. Sirico, 40, of Rochester, NY, and a summer intern were moving platforms across the Jacob's Pillow property in Becket early Friday afternoon when the accident happened, according to the Berkshire District Attorney's Office. Platforms, which are used for staging a theater, were on a dolly, and Sirico and the intern were moving the dolly downhill. They lost control of the dolly. As Sirico tried to stop the dolly, they tripped and fell. The dolly ran over Sirico and the platforms fell off the dolly and landed on them. Bystanders tried life-saving measures and the Becket Police Department and Emergency Medical Services responded to the scene. After investigation by the Massachusetts State Police Crime Scene Services Section and the Berkshire State Police Detective Unit, the Berkshire District Attorney's Office determined that no criminal charges will be filed. Jacob's Pillow is a performance space and dance school in Becket. Each summer, it hosts a nine-week dance festival that includes more than 50 dance companies and features performances, talks, exhibits and more. Jacob's Pillow canceled the performances scheduled to take place in the Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival on Friday. The Pillow is a 200-acre National Historic Landmark. The farm was bought in 1931 by Ted Shawn, a modern dance pioneer who wanted to legitimize dance in the United States. He created a dance company of eight men in 1933 and began giving "Tea Lecture Demonstrations," which was the foundation of the organization's current dance festival.
Yahoo
02-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Jacob's Pillow Production Manager Kat Sirico Dies in Freak Workplace Accident
'We are holding [Kat Sirico's] family, friends, and colleagues in our hearts as we grieve together,' Jacob's Pillow said in a statementNEED TO KNOW Jacob's Pillow announced on social media on Aug. 1 that production manager Kat Sirico has died The Berkshire District Attorney's Office said that Sirico died as a result of a workplace accident when Sirico and an intern were attempting to move platforms on a dolly down a slope Sirico 'tripped and fell' and 'the platforms fell from the dolly, landing on the decedent,' the office addedThe death of a 'beloved' employee at Jacob's Pillow, a performance and festival space in Massachusetts, has been ruled accidental. The Berkshire District Attorney's Office determined that the employee — identified by Jacob's Pillow as production manager Kat Sirico — died due to a workplace accident and said no criminal charges would be brought forward, according to the Times Union, The Berkshire Edge and WRGB-TV. Sirico and an intern 'were moving platforms used for staging for a theater across the Jacob's Pillow property' in Becket on a dolly on Friday, Aug. 1, according to The Berkshire Edge and WRGB-TV, which cited the district attorney's office. The pair attempted to move a dolly down a 'sloped area' when they 'lost control' of it and it began to roll down. 'The decedent attempted to regain control of the dolly; however, tripped and fell,' the office said, per the outlets. 'The dolly ran over the decedent and the platforms fell from the dolly, landing on the decedent.' Life-saving measures were performed on Sirico by bystanders, and Becket Police and first responders were dispatched to the area at around 12:30 p.m., the office said, per The Berkshire Edge. The Berkshire District Attorney's Office did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment on Saturday, Aug. 2. Jacob's Pillow paid tribute to Sirico on Facebook and Instagram, sharing that the employee was a 'beloved' member of the staff and an 'essential part of our team.' The festival added that 'their spirit, generosity, and dedication touched the lives of many.' 'We are holding their family, friends, and colleagues in our hearts as we grieve together,' Jacob's Pillow added. The company noted that as a result of the incident, all performances and events that were set to take place on the weekend between Aug. 1-3 have been canceled and the campus will be closed. It also noted that festival performances would resume next week. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Sirico's official cause of death will be announced by a medical examiner, the district attorney's office said, per WRGB-TV. Sirico had been involved with Jacob's Pillow since 2005, starting out as an intern at the festival, according to Sirico's LinkedIn. Sirico went on to work as a production manager and an electrician at several theaters including Children's Theater of Madison in Wisconsin and the University of Chicago's Court Theater before returning to Jacob's Pillow last year as an event production manager. Sirico then returned to Jacob's Pillow in February as the Doris Duke Theater Production Manager. Read the original article on People
