April 23, 2026
CLARK ART INSTITUTE AND THE GLIMMERGLASS FESTIVAL PRESENT JAZZ MUSICAL HAPPY END
Williamstown, Massachusetts—On Saturday, May 9 at 3 pm, the Clark Art Institute and The Glimmerglass Festival present a live performance of the touring production of Happy End, an electrifying musical satire by Kurt Weill, Bertolt Brecht, and Elisabeth Hauptmann. The production takes place in the Clark’s Manton Research Center auditorium.
Banned after only two performances at its 1929 Berlin premiere, Happy End remains one of Weill and Brecht’s most theatrical and incisive collaborations. Set in a smoky Chicago speakeasy where gangsters negotiate power, and Salvation Army missionaries seek redemption, the work explores the intersection of faith, commerce, and morality.
This new touring production of Happy End is presented as part of a historic new collaborative partnership between The Glimmerglass Festival, Opera Saratoga, Finger Lakes Opera, and Seagle Festival in a shared effort to expand access to opera across the region. Music is directed by Rob Ainsley, Artistic and General Director of The Glimmerglass Festival, and features Ana Karneža, a Juilliard drama graduate who won the Kurt Weill Foundation’s Lotte Lenya Competition in 2024.
Tickets start at $40. Accessible seats available. Call 413 458 0570 with any questions. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit events.clarkart.edu.
ABOUT THE CLARK
The Clark Art Institute, located in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts, is one of a small number of institutions globally that is both an art museum and a center for research, critical discussion, and higher education in the visual arts. Opened in 1955, the Clark houses exceptional European and American paintings and sculpture, extensive collections of master prints and drawings, English silver, and early photography. Acting as convener through its Research and Academic Program, the Clark gathers an international community of scholars to participate in a lively program of conferences, colloquia, and workshops on topics of vital importance to the visual arts. The Clark library, consisting of nearly 300,000 volumes, is one of the nation’s premier art history libraries. The Clark also houses and co-sponsors the Williams College Graduate Program in the History of Art.
The Clark, which has a three-star rating in the Michelin Green Guide, is located at 225 South Street in Williamstown, Massachusetts. Its 140-acre campus includes miles of hiking and walking trails through woodlands and meadows, providing an exceptional experience of art in nature. Galleries are open 10 am to 5 pm Tuesday through Sunday from September through June, and daily in July and August. Admission is free to all from January through March. From April through December, admission is $22 for adults, $20 for seniors (65+), $10 for young adults (18–25) and college students, and free for all visitors under 18. Admission is free year-round for Clark members. Free admission is also available through several programs, including First Sundays Free; a local library pass program; and EBT Card to Culture. For information on these programs and more, visit clarkart.edu or call 413 458 2303.
ABOUT THE GLIMMERGLASS FESTIVAL
The Glimmerglass Festival is a summer destination in Upstate New York where audiences from across the country and the world experience world-class opera, musical theater, and cultural events in a beautiful, relaxing setting. Attracting over 25,000 people per summer, the Festival is a professional non-profit opera company dedicated to presenting four fully staged productions each year. Special performances, cabarets, concerts, and lectures throughout the season supplement these four productions. The company has a longstanding commitment to creating an inclusive, equitable, and diverse experience for all, including a commitment to investing in the next generation of theater professionals and performers.
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