Page 9 - BusinessWest March 2, 2026

“I wouldn’t
choose to
do business
anywhere else — I
love the Lenox
community. I feel
like everyone
supports each
other; there’s
collaboration on
many levels.”
“I wouldn’t choose to do business anywhere else — I love the
Lenox community. I feel like everyone supports each other; there’s
collaboration on many levels,” said Lyon-Johnson, adding that the
many hospitality businesses benefit from Tanglewood, especially,
but all the major draws, and they support those institutions in kind.
Added Goodberlet, “I’ve never been in a business climate where
there’s so much being created. It’s such a treat to help support
them, bring people together, and market our area and continue to
give it the personality it has.”
For this latest installment of its Community Spotlight series,
BusinessWest takes an in-depth look at Lenox and how its brand is
stronger than ever.
The Play’s the Thing
Jaclyn Stevenson, director of Marketing & Communications for
Shakespeare & Company, described 2026 as an important year for
the live theater venue, for many reasons.
For starters, it will be a time to remember Tina Packer, the com-
pany’s co-founder and founding artistic director, who passed away
on Jan. 9. There will be a celebration of life on May 31 at the Shake-
speare & Company campus, said Stevenson, adding that Packer
remains an inspiration to all those at the company, and in her
honor, the Tina Packer Legacy Fund has been established to sup-
port the future of the institution and the work she founded.
Meanwhile, 2026 will mark a financial milestone — this will be
the first time since its founding in 1978 that the nonprofit theater
is completely debt-free, having paid off the remaining $1.7 million
of the $4 million mortgage on its campus, thanks to contributions
from its board of trustees and a combination of successful property
transactions, community support, and a strong box office season,
Beverly Hyman, chair of the board of trustees, described this
financial development as a turning point for the institution.
“We have some long-term board members who have been
around the block a few times in terms of financial ups and downs,
and even they see this as a turn into all new territory,” she said. “We
now have the opportunity to expand education programs — includ-
ing our nationally recognized Shakespeare in the Courts program
Marion Hayden says she’s always had a “love for color, design,
and merchandising,” and all three come together in her new
venture, Home on Main.
— and to focus on our Center for Actor Training, which requires
highly skilled faculty.”
There are other developments as well, said Stevenson, noting
that Shakespeare & Company, named by Newsweek as one of the
top outdoor theater com-
panies in the country, is
now the new home to six
Lenox
Continued on page 11 >>
Business W est << COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT >>
MARCH 2, 2026
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