THEATER

Portland School of Ballet will perform “Red Riding Hood & The Big Bad Wolf” at the Biddeford Performing Arts Center, 25 Tiger Way on Saturday, May 9 at 11 a.m. This program showcases the talents of the students of Portland School of Ballet, while introducing the audience to the role of arts in education. Tickets for this show are $12 for adults and $8 for children under 12. Tickets are available at the door.

Mad Horse Theatre Company closes its 29th season with Pulitzer Prize finalist “Other Desert Cities” by John Robin Baitz. The show will run through May 17 at the Mad Horse Theater, 24 Mosher St. in South Portland. Performance times are Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday afternoons at 2 p.m. There will be an opening night reception immediately following the Friday, May 1, performance. “Other Desert Cities” stars Mad Horse Company members Brent Askari, Janice Gardner, and Christopher Horton, along with guest artists Grace Bauer and Maureen Butler. The play is directed by company member Nick Schroeder. Tickets are $20 for adults and $15 for seniors and students. Reservations are strongly recommended. Purchase tickets online at www.madhorse.com or call 747-4148 for more information.

Portland Stage presents the annual “Little Festival of the Unexpected” from May 6-9. This is a week-long event dedicated to public readings of new American plays. Three playwrights are in residence at Portland Stage throughout the week developing their scripts with input from actors, directors and audience members. In addition, three short scripts written by area high school students will be performed as well as a poetry performance done in partnership with the Telling Room. All readings are open to the public at a $10 suggested donation. All festival events from May 6-9 will be held in the Studio Theater at 25A Forest Ave. For reservations, call the Portland Stage Box Office at 774-0465.

“Five Women Wearing The Same Dress” will be presented by City Theater in Biddeford from May 15-24. Performance times are Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. The show is a comedy about five bridesmaids suffering through a wedding where they can’t stand the bride. Tickets are $20. For more information, call 282-0849 or visit www.citytheater.org.

“Bare Bard: Julius Caesar” by William Shakespeare will be performed from May 19-31 at 6 p.m. at various parks around the city of Portland. All of these perfomances are “pay-what-you-can.” The performance schedule is as follows: May 19-21 at Congress Square Park at 6 p.m., May 22 at One Longfellow Square at 6 p.m., May 23-34 at Portland Stage Studio Theater at 6 p.m., May 27 at Monument Square at 6 p.m, May 28 at City Hall at 6 p.m. and May 31 at Congress Square Park at 6 p.m.

“Into The Woods Junior,” will be performed June 5-14 on Fridays and Saturdays at 7 p.m. and Sunday, June 14, at 2 p.m. at Nasson Little Theatre, 457 Main St. in Springvale. For more information or to reserve tickets, visit www.myotc.org.

ART

Engine has announced an upcoming schedule of classes. “Working from the Human Form” will take place every Tuesday, starting on May 26, from 6-8 p.m. The class will also take place on Wednesdays from 9:30-11:30 a.m. This is a weekly group working from an unclothed model with no instruction and is a BYOB event open to all levels. The fee for this class is $10. “Painting Group” will take place on Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. This is a weekly group instructed by Amanda Hawkins where attendees will work from a still life or their own photography. The fee for this class is $10. “TinkerCAD 3D Design Class (K-12)” will take place weekly on Tuesdays from 4-5:30 p.m and is also instructed by Amanda Hawkins. Participants will create their own 3D object using a simple shape-based program and then 3D print their object. The fee for this class is $10 and includes a small 3D print. Engine is located at 265 Main St. in Biddeford. For more information, go to www.feedtheengine.org.

The University of New England’s Portland Art Gallery will present an exhibition of the paintings and other art work of John Calvin Stevens through July 19. This exhibition is the first comprehensive retrospective of John Calvin Stevens’ artistic career since his death in 1940 and represents the full range of his art work, including oil paintings, water colors, architectural renderings, and pen and ink sketches, along with photographs of the artist at work and such personal memorabilia as his paint box. For more information, go to www.une.edu/artgallery.

“Intricate Worlds” will be on exhibit at Engine, 265 Main St. in Biddeford, and will feature recent works by 12 emerging and established artists who work in a very detailed manner. The exhibit will run through May 23. Artists include Stephen Burt, Kimberly Convery, Fritz Drury, Rachael Eastman, Yizhak Elyashiv, Lauren Fensterstock, Sarah Gorham, Alison Hildreth, Ellie Hollinshead, Jon Langford, Mike Libby, Carrie Scanga and Wendy Seller.

“Industry and Virtue Joined: Schoolgirl Needlework of Northern New England” is on display at the Saco Museum May 9 through Oct. 4. The exhibition will include more than 130 important northern New England samplers as well as related works from female academies and a wide collection of more modest samplers. The exhibition will also be accompanied by an illustrated catalogue. There will be a free opening reception at the Saco Museum on Friday, May 8, from 6-8 p.m. The Dyer Library/Saco Museum is located at 371 Main St. (Route 1) in downtown Saco. For more information, go to www.dyerlibrarysacomuseum.org.

MUSIC

The African Children’s Choir will perform on Friday, May 8 at 7 p.m. at the North Deering Alliance Church, 1301 Washington Ave. in Portland. The choir will perform lively songs and dances and the program will feature children’s songs as well as traditional spiritual and gospel favorites. The concert is free and open to everyone. A free-will offering is taken at the performance to support African Children’s Choir programs, such as education, care and relief and development programs. For more information, go to www.africanchildrenschoir.com.

Down East Fiddlers Jamboree will take place on Saturday, May 9 at 7:30 p.m. at the Saco River Theatre, 29 Salmon Falls Road in Buxton. This show costs $25 for adults and $22 for students and seniors. For more information, go to www.sacorivertheatre.org or call 929-6472.

The Salvation Army Band will perform on May 9 at 7 p.m. at 2 Sixth St. in Old Orchard Beach. There is no admission charge for this event. For more information, contact 934-4381.

Women in Harmony Presents “The Strength of Women” in concert May 15 from 7:30-9:30 p.m. and May 16 from 4-6 p.m. at St. Luke’s Cathedral Church, 143 State St. in Portland. Tickets are available at the door, online at www.wihmaine.org or at Nonesuch or Longfellow Books and Starbird Music. Tickets cost $10-$15 and are free for children under age 12.

Ogunquit Performing Arts will present jazz pianist Matt DeChamplain on May 16 at 8 p.m. at the Dunaway Center located in Ogunquit. For more information, go to www.ogunquitperformingarts.org.

The Sanford-Springvale Historical Society will hold a free program with “Ramblin’ Richard” Kruppa, on Monday, May 18 at 7 p.m. Kruppa will perform wartime songs and share their fascinating history. The museum is located at 505 Maine St. in Springvale. This event is free and open to the public.

SPECIAL INTEREST

Ogunquit Performing Arts presents “In Harm’s Way,” the 1965 epic WW II film, on Sunday May 10 at 2 p.m. at the Dunaway Center, 23 School St. in Ogunquit. Admission and popcorn are free. This will be the final film in the classic film series and stars John Wayne, Kirk Douglas, Patricia Neal, Tom Tryon, Paula Prentiss, Stanley Holloway, Burgess Meredith, Brandon deWilde, Jill Haworth, Dana Andrews, and Henry Fonda. The film is also known for being the last black and white World War II epic and the last black and white John Wayne film.

The Brick Store Museum invites the community to take part in its “Night at Our Museum” event on Saturday, May 16 from 5-8 p.m. Like in the popular movie series, the museum will “come alive” in various ways throughout the evening. The event will take place throughout the museum’s campus so that visitors can see more of the museum than they have ever seen before. Tickets for the event are $20 per person, $40 per family and members receive $5 off any ticket. Registration is required for this event. Reserve your tickets online at brickstoremuseum.org, by calling 985-4802 or in person at 117 Main St. in Kennebunk.

AUDITIONS

Open youth auditions for the summer season at Arundel Barn Playhouse will be held on Saturday, May 23 and Sunday, May 24 from 1-3 p.m. at 53 Old Post Road in Arundel. Roles available are Flounder and Ensemble in “The Little Mermaid” and Pugsley in “The Addams Family.” Children must be third-grade age or older and under 5 feet tall. Young auditioners should be prepared to sing any favorite song and to read from a script provided. Parents who accompany young actors may sit in the rear of the theatre during auditions. For more information, go to www.arundelbarnplayhouse.com.

Comments are not available on this story.