Latest news with #KatSirico
CBS News
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- CBS News
Cause of death determined in Jacob's Pillow accident that killed employee
The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner has determined the cause of death for Jacob's Pillow employee Kat Sirico, who was killed in a workplace accident at the Becket, Massachusetts dance center on Aug. 1. Sirico, a production manager from Rochester, New York, and a summer intern were moving platforms used for staging the theater when they lost control of a dolly and it rolled downhill. The 40-year-old tripped and fell while trying to regain control of the dolly and was run over, the Berkshire County District Attorney's office said. The district attorney's office said no charges are being filed in the case because it was deemed to be a workplace accident. The medical examiner found that the manner of death was accidental and caused by blunt impact injury to the head. The injury occurred when Sirico was "crushed by [a] wooden cart," the medical examiner stated. Sirico was "an alumni of the Pillow and an essential part of our team," Jacob's Pillow said in a statement after the accident. The University of Rochester published a tribute to Sirico, who was a lecturer in dance production and lighting design at the college. "Kat's love of dance was palpable; they had so much they wanted to share with our students and faculty," associate dance program professor Anne Harris Wilcox said. "I saw from the very beginning how much they respected the students and cared about making their experiences meaningful and exciting." Jacob's Pillow canceled the rest of its summer festival last week after initially saying that performances would resume. The nine-week festival was scheduled to run through Aug. 24 and featured some of the best dancers from around the world. "We have come to this difficult decision following the tragic accident on our campus on August 1," the center said in a statement.
Yahoo
08-08-2025
- 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.
CBS News
06-08-2025
- Entertainment
- CBS News
Jacob's Pillow cancels rest of 2025 dance festival after employee dies in workplace accident
Jacob's Pillow, a prestigious dance center in western Massachusetts, has canceled the rest of its summer festival in the wake of a workplace accident that killed production manager Kat Sirico. The center in Becket had said performances would resume this week, but announced a change of plans Tuesday night. "The Jacob's Pillow Board of Trustees and institutional leadership has decided that Festival 2025 will not continue," the center said in a statement. "We have come to this difficult decision following the tragic accident on our campus on August 1." Sirico, a 40-year-old from Rochester, New York, was moving staging platforms on a dolly with a summer intern when the accident happened. According to the Berkshire County District Attorney's office, the pair lost control of the dolly as they tried to move it downhill, and it began to roll. Sirico tripped and fell while trying to regain control of the dolly and was run over, authorities said. The platforms fell off the dolly and landed on Sirico. Bystanders attempted life-saving measures, but Sirico did not survive. The district attorney's office said no charges would be filed because an investigation "determined that the events leading to the employee's death were related to a work-place accident." The nine-week summer festival that features some of the best dancers from around the world was set to run until Aug. 24. Last month during the festival, Jacob's Pillow reopened the rebuilt Doris Duke Theatre, which was destroyed in a fire in 2020. Ticket holders affected by the cancellations will receive refunds.
New York Times
06-08-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Jacob's Pillow Cancels Remainder of Festival After Death at Center
Jacob's Pillow, the celebrated dance center in Becket, Mass., said on Tuesday that it has canceled the rest of its summer festival after a production manager died last week while moving staging platforms. The Jacob's Pillow summer program is America's longest-running dance festival. This year's edition began on June 25 and was scheduled to run until Aug. 24. But the center said it had decided to cancel the remaining events after the death of Kat Sirico, a production manager, last week. Sirico was moving platforms for theater staging with an intern's help on Friday afternoon. While they were rolling a dolly down a slope, Sirico tripped and the load toppled, according to the Berkshire District Attorney's Office, which determined it to be a workplace accident. Jacob's Pillow said it would give refunds to those with tickets to the affected programs, including events featuring the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and the choreographer Faye Driscoll. Located on a 220-acre property in the Berkshires, Jacob's Pillow is one of the country's top dance centers. Its prestigious school counts members of national ballet companies among its alumni, including Calvin Royal III, a principal dancer at American Ballet Theater. The festival this summer was a return to full capacity at Jacob's Pillow with the opening of a newly built Doris Duke Theater after the original structure burned down in 2020. Around 100,000 people visit Jacob's Pillow each year, according to the center's website.
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.
