Getaways from NYC: Out-of-town performance fests

3hrs 15mins from NYC

If you’re a dance fan, consider this 81-year-old center in Western Mass your Shangri-la. More than 50 companies from all over the world perform across a variety of genres at this showcase. Just a few of the draws worth catching: 3e étage, featuring soloists from the fabled Paris Opera Ballet (July 31–Aug 4); dynamic Brazilian troupe Compagnie Käfig (Wed 26–June 30); kuchipudi legend Shantala Shivalingappa (July 3–7); and the Martha Graham Dance Company (Aug 21–25). 413-243-0745, jacobspillow.org. Free–$75.

2hrs from NYC

Catskill State Park is home to this cutting-edge, wallet-friendly series, situated in the mountainous middle of nowhere. Choreographer Aynsley Vandenbroucke and photographer Mathew Pokoik cofounded the space in 2008 as a haven for emerging artists to develop their work. Among the diverse selections this year are contemporary dance pieces from Michelle Boulé (July 6) and Souleymane Badolo (Aug 3); a poetry reading and barbecue from Craig Dworkin and Mónica de la Torre (June 29); performance mishmash Adult Party Games from the Leisure Planet (Aug 10); and an all-day, site-specific performance of Robert Ashley’s opera Perfect Lives by experimental music collective Varispeed (Aug 17). 845-688-9893, mounttremperarts.org. Free–$20.

1hr from NYC

Each summer, this genre-hopping series is held on a Westchester estate’s verdant grounds. Check out shows by Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell (July 13), singer-songwriter Suzanne Vega (Aug 2) and Broadway chanteuse Audra McDonald (Aug 3), as well as 1963 musical She Loves Me (Sat 22, Sun 23). Opera aficionados should opt for Verdi’s Don Carlos (July 20). Other highlights include Brooklyn Rider (July 7), the Emerson String Quartet (July 21) and an alfresco swing-dance party with Dandy Wellington and His Band (Wed 26). 914-232-1492, caramoor.org. $10–$100.

3hrs from NYC

Since 1978, this venerable fest has been drawing classical-theaterphiles to the heart of the Berkshires for acclaimed stagings of works by its namesake, as well as newer plays. This season, Olympia Dukakis stars in Bertolt Brecht’s seminal Mother Courage and Her Children (July 26–Aug 25), and company founder Tina Packer appears in Martin McDonagh’s dark comedy The Beauty Queen of Leenane (Aug 8–Sept 15). Those looking for Shakespeare can pick either Richard II (July 5–21) or Love’s Labour’s Lost (Sat 22–Sept 1). 413-637-3353, shakespeare.org. $15–$95.

3hrs 30mins from NYC

After you’ve finished having a good laugh about the acronym WTF, head north to this star-studded fest. Williamstown boasts Robert Sean Leonard (House) in Pygmalion (July 17–27) and Ari Graynor (Fringe) in the new comedy American Hero (Jun 26–July 7), as well as the world premiere of Broadway-bound musical The Bridges of Madison County, adapted by Jason Robert Brown (Aug 1–18). We also recommend checking out eccentric Brooklyn company the Debate Society’s creepy Blood Play (Aug 7–18). 413-597-3400. Various prices; visit wtfestival.org for details.

2hrs from NYC

For sheer variety, you can’t beat this multidisciplinary annual rite, which offers seven weeks of opera, theater, film, classical music and cabaret at the otherworldly-looking Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts. Slavic-centric offerings include the U.S. premiere of Sergei Taneyev’s tragic opera Oresteia (July 26–Aug 4); The Master and Margarita, a stage adaptation of the Russian satirical novel (July 11–21); and A Rite, Bill T. Jones and Anne Bogart’s new dance piece inspired by A Rite of Spring (July 6, 7). 845-758-7900, fischercenter.bard.edu. $12–$110.