• CLASSICAL MUSIC

The Portland Conservatory of Music presents Noonday Concerts, festive brass and organ with Betty Rines, Mark Tipton and Ray Cornils, $5 suggested donation. First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church, 425 Congress St., Portland. portlandconservatory.net. 12:15 p.m. Thursday.

Portland Symphony Orchestra, “Magic of Christmas,” Merrill Auditorium, Portland, $31-$61. porttix.com. 2 and 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 1 and 5 p.m. Sunday.

“Christmas with Renaissance Voices,” 21-voice a cappella ensemble. $12 advance, $15 day of show, $5 students. Cathedral Church of St Luke, 143 State St., Portland. cathedralofstluke.episcopalmaine.org. 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday.

• DANCE

Portland Ballet’s “The Victorian Nutcracker,” set in Victorian era Portland, with stage sets and costumes inspired by the Victoria Mansion, $20-$55. porttix.com. Westbrook Performing Arts Center, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday.

Advertisement

• THEATER

“A Child’s Christmas in Wales,” performed by actor Michael Howard, who also will present a lesser-known Christmas tale by John Henry Faulk. Free. Thomas Memorial Library, 6 Scott Dyer Road, Cape Elizabeth. thomasmemorial library.org. 6:30 p.m. Thursday.

“It’s a Wonderful Life,” stage adaptation of the famous movie, $12 in advance and for seniors and students, $15 day of show. Center Theatre for the Performing Arts, Main Street, Dover-Foxcroft. centertheatre.org. 7 p.m. Friday; 2 and 7 p.m. Saturday.

Vivid Motion presents “The Nutcracker Burlesque,” featuring a wide array of dance genres including ballet, gogo dancing, disco, hoedown and classic burlesque. For adults only, music is adapted from the classic Tchaikovsky “Nutcracker” ballet, $15. St. Lawrence Arts Center, 76 Congress St., Portland. vividmotion.org. 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday.

David Sedaris’ “The Santaland Diaries,” hilarious tale of Crumpet, a Macy’s store elf, for mature audiences only, Portland Stage Company, Studio Theater, Portland, $20-$25. portlandstage.org. 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday; 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday; 2:30 and 5:30 p.m. Sunday.

“The Snow Queen,” beloved fairy tale of devotion, bravery and the triumph of love, $35 to $45, $15 children under 15. portlandstage.org. 7 p.m. Thursday through Saturday; noon and 5 p.m. Sunday.

Advertisement

“The Gift of the Magi,” holiday musical set in the ’40s, $15-$18, Thursdays are pay what you can, The Footlights, 190 U.S. Route 1, Falmouth. thefootlightsinfalmouth.com. 7 p.m. Thursday; 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday.

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, unconventional Christmas story, with humorous fashion and local musicians, tells the story of six delinquent children, $10, $7 children. Chocolate Church Arts Center, 804 Washington St., Bath. chocolate churcharts.org. 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday; 5 and 7:30 p.m. p.m. Saturday; 7:30 p.m. Sunday.

“Annie,” musical, Lyric Music Theater, 176 Sawyer St., South Portland. $21.99, $17.99 seniors, www.lyricmusictheater.org. 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

“The Velveteen Rabbit,” performed by actors ages 8 to 13, Children’s Museum and Theater of Maine, 142 Free St., Portland. $8-$9. kitetails.org. 4 p.m. Friday; 1 and 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday; 1 p.m. Monday.

“The Dybbuk of Park Slope,” play about finding your spirituality in the complex 21st century world, Acorn Productions Studio Theater, Dana Warp Mill, 90 Bridge St., Westbrook. $15, $12 for 12 and under, www.acorn-productions.org. 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Christmas with The Ratpack, dinner and performance, with Elvis Presley impersonator, Anthony’s Dinner Theater, 151 Middle St., Portland. 7 p.m. Friday.

Advertisement

“A 1950s Holiday Show,” a tribute to classic TV Christmas specials, $10. Portland Players, 420 Cottage Road, South Portland. www.portland players.org. 7:30 p.m. Friday; 2:30 p.m. Sunday.

Christmas Variety Show, live Christmas music by Peter Mezoian, magic by Norman Ng, juggling, physical comedy and more. $17, $12 seniors and children. The Freeport Theater of Awesome, 5 Depot St., Freeport. awesometheater.com. 7 p.m. Friday; 2 and 7 p.m. Saturday.

“The Holiday Show,” New Edge Productions, musical cabaret, Community Television Network (CTN), 516 Congress St., Portland. $8. ctn5.org. 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” staged reading presented by Schoodic Arts for All, Meeting House Theatre Lab, Hammond Hall, 427 Main St., Winter Harbor. Free. www.schoodicarts forall.org. 7 p.m. Saturday.

“A Christmas Carol,” one-man show starring Michael Tobin, The Footlights, 190 US Route 1, Falmouth. $10. thefootlightsinfalmouth.com. 5 p.m. Sunday.

“A Christmas Carol: The New Musical Tale,” two-person musical, Clay Hill Farm, 220 Clay Hill Road, Cape Neddick. $18, $15 matinees, clayhillfarm.com. 2 p.m. Sunday.

Advertisement

• MUSEUMS

OPENING

“American Vision: Photographs from the Collection of Owen and Anna Wells,” 40 photographs provide an extraordinary survey of 20th-century American photography. Portland Museum of Art, 7 Congress Square Plaza, Portland. portlandmuseum.org. Through Feb. 23.

CONTINUING

“Piece Work,” 2013 Portland Museum of Art Biennial, recent work by 30 artists, through Jan. 5; “9 Walks,” nine video projections by Amy Stacey Curtis, through Jan. 5; “J480N R063N38,” installation of large-scale sculptural forms by Jason Rogenes in the PMA family space, through Jan. 5; “Redacted,” paintings and drawings by Ahmed Alsoudani, Iraqi artist and MECA graduate, through Feb. 2. Portland Museum of Art. portlandmuseum.org.

“The Wonderful World of Oz,” exhibition drawn from the world’s most comprehensive collection of Oz materials, based in Maine, through March; “Every Picture Tells a Story,” N.C. Wyeth illustrations from the Brandywine River Museum, through Dec. 29; “A Wondrous Journey: Jonathan Fisher and the Making of Scripture Animals,” through Jan. 5; “American Treasures: Visions of the Land and Sea,” through Feb. 2; Andrew Wyeth: “Temperas and Watercolors,” through April 30, Farnsworth Art Museum, Rockland. farnsworthmuseum.org

Advertisement

“Breakthrough: Work by Contemporary Chinese Artists,” eight pioneering women artists, through Jan. 5; “Regarding the Forces of Nature: From Alma Thomas to Yayoi Kusama,” contemporary women artisits, through Feb. 9; “The Object Show,” small and rarely seen objects from diverse collections, through June 8. Bowdoin College, Museum of Art, Brunswick. bowdoin.edu/art-museum.

“Beings,” sculpture by Eva Goetz and Nanci Khan, Maine Jewish Museum, Portland. treeoflifemuseum.org. Through Dec. 24.

The Holly and The Ivy: Festival of Trees, Saco Museum, sacomuseum.org. Dozens of gorgeously decorated trees and wreaths. Through Dec. 29.

“Nowhere But Here,” works by Marsden Hartley, Arthur Dove, Elizabeth Murray, Ben Pier and others, through Jan. 5; “The Lunder Collection,” works by Whistler, Homer, O’Keefe and many more American masters, plus “Spaces and Places” and “American Weathervanes,” through June 8. Colby College Museum of Art, Waterville. colby.edu/museum.

“On Finding Home,” figures carved from wood and finished with painted surfaces by Sachiko Akitama; “From the Shadows,” black and white photographs by Susan Burnstine and Lynn Saville, University of Maine Museum of Art, Bangor. umma.umaine.edu. Through Jan. 4.

“Underfoot: Footwear, Hooked Rugs, In the Cellar and Below Decks,” Penobscot Marine Museum, Searsport. penobscotmarine museum.org. Through Feb. 22.

Advertisement

“AfriClassical: Ancestral Visionary,” paintings on wood and canvas by Jerome Wright, Museum of African Culture, Portland. museumofafrican culture.org. Through Dec. 28.

Heartwood College of Art presents “Art of the Barn,” interpretations of local barns by local artists, Brick Store Museum, Kennebunk. brick storemuseum.org. Through Dec. 30.

• GALLERIES

OPENINGS

Maine Photography Exhibit, jazz renditions by Jane Knox, Marji Greenhut Sculpture Studio, Fort Andross, 14 Maine St., Brunswick. 3 p.m. Saturday.

CONTINUING

Advertisement

“Eye Catchers,” annual holiday show featuring folk artist Jeff Barrett, Gleason Fine Art, Portland. gleason fineart.com. Through Dec. 28.

Kennebec Valley Art Association “8x10x100,” proceeds support arts programming, pieces sell for $100, Harlow Gallery, Hallowell. harlow gallery.org. Through Dec. 28.

7th annual Extravaganza, variety of work by more than 70 Maine artists, Aarhus Gallery, Belfast. aarhusgallery.com. Through Tuesday.

2013 Faculty Exhibition, featured artists Sascha Braunig, Hilary Irons, Samantha Haedrich and Peter Simensky, Maine College of Art, Institute of Contemporary Art, Portland. meca.edu. Through Sunday.

“Maine 10” Art Show, featuring Sylvia Dyer, Shirley Lewis, Mary Truesdell, Leslie Emerson, Susan Rayfield Wood and Wayne Robbins, Gallery Framing, Brunswick. galleryframinginc.com. Through Dec. 27.

“The Collector’s Choice,” photographs, lithographs, paintings and more by several artists, York Public Library. york.lib.me.us. Through Jan. 3.

Advertisement

Wearable Art, by Maine artists to wear and live with, Markings Gallery, Bath. markingsgallery.com. Through Dec. 31.

“Winter Harbor & Penobscot Bay,” small, bold oil paintings by Brita Holmquist, Daunis Fine Jewelry, Portland. daunis.com. Through Dec. 31.

“Moonlit,” photographs by Luc Demers, Rose Contemporary, Portland. rosecontemporary.com. Through Dec. 31.

First Anniversary Show, paintings and photography by established local and emerging artists, The DaVinci Experience Art Gallery, Falmouth. davinciexperience.com. Through Jan. 9.

Dahlov Ipcar, 20 new paintings, Frost Gully Gallery, Freeport. frost gullygallery.com. Through Dec. 28.

The Hive and Heartwood College of Art present “100 Birds for Haiti,” 100 works portraying birds by local artists being sold for $100, with half of the proceeds benefiting Partners in Development, an organization devoted to the emergency feeding of children in Haiti, The Hive, Kennebunk. thehivekennebunk.com. Through Dec. 31.

Advertisement

“Circo El Salvador,” images of traveling circus families by Steven Laxton, PhoPa Gallery, Portland. phopagallery.com. Through Dec. 28.

Joe Guertin: “A Graphic Designer Remembered,” University of New England Art Gallery, Portland. une.edu/artgallery. Through Jan. 26.

“The Seasons,” new paintings by John Vander, Gold/Smith Gallery, Boothbay Harbor. goldsmithgallery.net. Through Tuesday.

New sculptures by Jeff Barrett, Gleason Fine Art, Boothbay Harbor. gleasonfineart.com. Through Jan. 4.

Holiday Offerings 2013, selection of original works by regional artists working in a variety styles and media, Richard Boyd Gallery, Peaks Island. richardboydartgallery.com. Through Dec. 31.

Maine Artists Collective “Alchemy of Light,” paintings, mixed media, photography and digital art with the theme of light, Constellation Gallery, Portland. constellationart.com. Through Dec. 29.

Advertisement

Paul Black, new Portland paintings, Fore Street Gallery, Portland. 874-8084. Through Dec. 31.

“Just What You’ve Always Wanted,” paintings, photographs, mixed media and more, Elizabeth Moss Gallery, Falmouth. elizabethmoss galleries.com. Through Jan. 12.

“Art 241: The Visual Book,” book art by 40 University of Southern Maine students, presented by USM’s Kate Cheney Chappell Center for Book Arts, Pope-Cheney Art Studio, Wishcamper Center, USMPortland campus, 34 Bedford St., Portland. usm.maine.edu/bookarts. Through February.

Southern Maine Community College Student Exhibition, self-portraits in charcoal, Portland Public Library. portlandlibrary.com. Through Jan. 31.

William Harrison, pen and ink drawings, Mainely Frames and Gallery, Portland. mainelyart.com. Through Dec. 31.

Michael Vickery, “Progressions in Time and Space: Traditional and 3D-printed Media,” University of New England Campus Center, Biddeford. 284-6394. Through Jan. 15.

Advertisement

Portraits of Recently Extinct Birds of the Eastern United States by Jada Fitch, The Green Hand Bookshop, Portland. 253-6808. Through Feb. 4.

The Holiday Show, festive group show with works by more than 40 artists, Greenhut Galleries, Portland. greenhutgalleries.com. Through Dec. 28.

“Our Beautiful Planet,” photography by George Petkov, Grapheteria Gallery, Portland. thegrapheteria.com. Through Jan. 31.

9 Lively Ladies 9 x 9 Show, works by Lois Anne, Lolly Clayton, Nancy Fitzgerald, Elizabeth O’Haverty, Deb Winship, Rebecca Thompson, Edith LaRoche, Stell Shevis and Marietta Raveri, Eastern Tire Gallery, Rockland. 594-5250. Through Dec. 31.

Robert and Su.Sane Hake, “Fey Fairy Fey,” Camden Public Library. 236-3440. Through Dec. 31.

Small Works 2013, local artists, Courthouse Gallery Fine Art, Ellsworth. courthousegallery.com. Through Tuesday.

Advertisement

8 Women Abstract Artists, 8 x 8-inch works by local artists, Susan Maasch Fine Art, Portland. susanmaaschfine art.com. Through Dec. 31.

Viola Glendinning, vistas in oil, Savory Maine, Damariscotta. savorymainedining.com. Through Jan. 7.

Small Works Holiday Show, art by more than 60 artists, Yarmouth Frame and Gallery. yarmouth frameandgallery.com. Through Jan. 31.

Jym St. Pierre, “Maine Landsc[r]apes,” photographs, Curtis Memorial Library, Brunswick. curtislibrary.com. Through Dec. 27.

“Rusty Bits,” metal show and sale, and Sandy Balmforth paintings, Waterfall Arts, Belfast. waterfallarts.org. Through Sunday.

Quilted Assemblages by Donald Talbot and Beatrice Gilbert, Maine Fiberarts, Topsham. mainefiberarts.org. Through Dec. 31.

Art in the Square, 12 x 12-inch original artwork on canvas by local artists, proceeds benefit the student and scholarship fund, Boothbay Region Art Foundation Gallery, Boothbay Harbor. 633-2703. Through Jan. 5.

“Revision,” Matthew Demers and Allison McKeen. Monkitree, Gardiner. monkitree.com. Through Feb. 1.

“River Reflections – Maine Woods Mirror,” photographs by John Orcutt, Schoolhouse Gallery, Kingfield. schoolhouseartgallery.com. Through Jan. 3.


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.

filed under: