Another sure sign that spring has finally sprung is the arrival of the 11^th Annual Williamstown Jazz Festival. Running April 29-May, the festival is packed with performances and sure to get you off your seat and on your feet, be it at one of several dance classes or parties. Highlights include a screening of the original 1925 film “Ben-Hur” with a new soundtrack written by Dr. JC Sanford, performed live by members of the CNY Jazz Orchestra at the Williams College ’62 Center on April 30; a gospel concert featuring Kevin Sharpe on May 1 at St. John’s Episcopal Church; a Cuban dance party featuring Nicki Denner and her sizzling Latin jazz sextet at MASS MoCA on May 1 followed by a post-party open jam at Café Latino; a concert by Miguel Zenon Quartet at the ’62 Center on May 2, with a post-performance open jam at Spice Root; a Jazz Brunch on May 3 at The Orchards Hotel’s Gala restaurant, followed by an “Art Walk” through the Williams College Museum of Art, with saxophonist/flutists Erik Lawrence serving as a musical tour guide; and concert by Vijay Ayer Trio on May 6 at The Clark.

We’ll definitely be showing off our salsa moves at MASS MoCA’s Cuban dance party, because early that evening K is on the roster to speak at the first-ever “BeCreative BarCamp,” an informal mini-conference in which local folks undertaking interesting initiatives share ideas and information. MASS MoCA seems to be one of my major preoccupations this spring; we recently did a double header, taking in the “Sea of Birds” performance and then joining the opening reception for a new, breathtaking exhibition, “These Days: Elegies for Modern Times.” We’ll be there again on April 25 for the US/Japan Choreographers Exchange, and, of course, on Memorial Day Weekend for the big 10^th anniversary festivities, but more on that next month.

This month we’ve reserved April 23 for Shakespeare & Company’s “Will 445 Bash” to celebrate the Bard’s birthday with a dance party, enticing raffle prizes, special surprise guests, and – of course – birthday cake. Berkshire Theatre Festival is getting in on the birthday action, too, with a one-time-only benefit performance by Jonathan Epstein called “Love in the Afternoon: Shakespeare’s Sonnets and the Story Behind Them,” plus a discussion with the actor and a post-show reception. It’s at the Unicorn Theatre on April 26, and tickets are selling fast. Speaking of hot tickets, film-lovers should start planning for the Fourth Annual Berkshire International Film Festival, which brings more than 70 films from 13 countries – including the work of several local filmmakers – to The Triplex Cinema and the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center in Great Barrington May 14-17.

The Colonial recently announced that its fourth season kicks off in June with a four-night run of “The Producers.” But before this Broadway hit arrives, May 8-10, audiences can take in a series called “Way the Heck Off Broadway,” dramatic profiles of three inspirational women: Gertrude Stein; Fanny Kemble, and Emily Dickinson. More family-friendly fare arrives on May 2: Fred Garbo Inflatable Theater Co.

Springtime in the Berkshires is certainly a magical season, so it’s only natural that Barrington Stage Company has scheduled Main Stage appearances by illusionist Nick Felix May 1-2. The folks at Shakespeare & Co. are sticking with the Bard’s canon, staging “Romeo and Juliet” beginning on May 21 at the Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre. Could it be they chose this classic romantic tragedy as a sly reference to spring fever?