By Clarence Fanto - Making the Grade (special publication of The Berkshire Eagle) Saturday, February 28, 2026
LENOX — For 28 years, the professionally equipped, 500-seat Duffin Theater at Lenox Memorial Middle and High School has been a mecca for concerts, benefits, film festivals, ballet performances and community events such as the annual town meeting.
In 2014, actor and director Ralph Petillo revived what had been a dormant drama program. Students passionate about musical theater then performed in a host of high school musicals over the years ranging from “Pippin” to “Mamma Mia!” and from “Little Shop of Horrors” to “Into the Woods,” along with “Seussical,” “Beauty and the Beast,” “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying” and “Shrek.”
But Petillo retired, the pandemic took place, and staff turnover left the theater program’s future uncertain. Now, with the Duffin Theater manager Ryan Bannen in charge of the school’s drama course, the slate of annual productions includes not only high school and middle school musicals and Shakespeare plays but also the school Drama Club’s first interactive dinner theater — “Murder on the Menu” — in January.
The event resulted in a packed house. So, more cafeteria-based productions are very likely, using student’s improvisatory skills interacting with the audience, said Bannen.
When Lenox Schools Superintendent William Collins began his tenure in July 2023, one of his priorities was stabilizing and revitalizing the drama program, part of the school’s arts department, by hiring Bannen for a full-time role as manager of the theater and drama director.
“It’s been a fantastic move,” Collins said, crediting Bannen’s passion for theater and his rapport with students. “Most important, it’s a safe space for kids to find out who they are,” said Bannen, “by not being ridiculed for standing out and trying something new to them. It’s important to me to make sure that environment stays.”
Bannen, a native of Saugerties, N.Y. who lives in Clarksburg, has several film and TV acting credits. He began working at Lenox Memorial in the summer of 2023, dividing his work week between managing the theater space and reviving the school drama program. Bannen majored in theater and English at Le Moyne College in Syracuse, N.Y., graduating in 2014. Then, moving close to New York City for auditions, he performed in films, commercials and music videos — “anything to pay the bills,” he said.
“The two positions at the school work hand in hand,” Bannen said. Bannen said students are interested in performing as well as learning the technical aspects of a professional theater.
In addition to producing a musical each spring, students participate in two annual middle school Shakespeare productions overseen by Shakespeare & Company professionals. This month, it was “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and this spring, for the first time, students will work on a set of five, 10-minute plays with guest directors.
“Lenox students are very busy and they like to get involved in a lot of things,” Bannen said. “I think it’s great, personally, so I tell the students that as long as you’re honest with me about your commitments and conflicts, I’ll work around your schedule. It’s doable.”
As he pointed out, “the kids we attract to theater want to see everyone succeed and that is my mission as well. It’s such a valuable thing for students to experience this and be part of an ensemble, a community.”
The upcoming production at LMMHS, on March 21, 22, 28 and 29, will be “Disney’s The Little Mermaid.” Ironically, several student actors are on the high school swim team, requiring the schedule adjustments Bannen is dealing with. “I just stay organized, and we make it work,” he said.
While the show was among students’ suggestions, Bannen emphasized that the “message of the show itself.”
“I look at the target audience and what they’re going to walk away with — following your dreams, even if you don’t fit in, it’s OK to go against the norm,” Bannen said.
Last spring, the high school show was “Disney’s Freaky Friday,” which includes themes such as parental and student relationships.
Bannen acknowledged that the highly competitive auditions for the musicals “can be cruel, it’s definitely tricky. But it’s important to show students what auditions are like. I try to take away focusing on becoming the lead, because the ensemble is just as important as the leading roles.”
When disappointed students reach out, he said, “I try to be honest with them about why I thought they were fit for this role instead of that role. If you have the conversation and try to explain it, for the most part I’ve had positive feedback. But it does get competitive.”
Bannen acknowledged that “it’s uncomfortable to put yourself out there the first time you do it, but if you’re with your friends and your peers and they’re encouraging you, you’re more likely to grow.”
Superintendent Collins suggested that for students, “it’s a time of exploration, learning and finding out who they are and interacting with others. Building critical skills don’t just happen within the four walls of classroom instruction. Whether it’s sports, theater or one of the umpteen clubs we offer, it’s about having a well-rounded experience and being able to do things in a safe space.”
He also pointed out that the goal is to use the Duffin Theater to its fullest benefit for students and the community.
“I can’t imagine LMMHS without the theater,” said Collins.
Collins praised Bannen for exceeding his expectations and for revitalizing the Duffin Theater and the drama program.
“There’s excitement among the kids that they have somebody to champion and he does a really nice job advocating for the program,” Collins said.