Jacob's Pillow cancels rest of 2025 dance festival after employee dies in workplace accident

Jacob's Pillow, a prestigious dance center in western Massachusetts, has canceled the rest of its summer festival in the wake of a workplace accident that killed production manager Kat Sirico.

The center in Becket had said performances would resume this week, but announced a change of plans Tuesday night.

"The Jacob's Pillow Board of Trustees and institutional leadership has decided that Festival 2025 will not continue," the center said in a statement. "We have come to this difficult decision following the tragic accident on our campus on August 1."

Jacob's Pillow accident

Sirico, a 40-year-old from Rochester, New York, was moving staging platforms on a dolly with a summer intern when the accident happened. According to the Berkshire County District Attorney's office, the pair lost control of the dolly as they tried to move it downhill, and it began to roll. Sirico tripped and fell while trying to regain control of the dolly and was run over, authorities said. 

The platforms fell off the dolly and landed on Sirico. Bystanders attempted life-saving measures, but Sirico did not survive. 

The district attorney's office said no charges would be filed because an investigation "determined that the events leading to the employee's death were related to a work-place accident."

Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival

The nine-week summer festival that features some of the best dancers from around the world was set to run until Aug. 24.

Last month during the festival, Jacob's Pillow reopened the rebuilt Doris Duke Theatre, which was destroyed in a fire in 2020.

Ticket holders affected by the cancellations will receive refunds.