THEATER

Sanford Maine Stage Theatre will hold a meeting for those interested in joining their senior theater group at Nasson Little Theatre in Springvale, on Thursday, March 26 at 1 p.m. They will be talking about plans for the upcoming season, including future shows and fundraising. The group is for ages 55 and up.

“The 6th Annual Mystery Dinner and Silent Auction” will be held on March 21 at 6 p.m., hosted by The Best Western Merry Manor Inn of South Portland. All proceeds will benefit the Lafayette Family Cancer Center. There will be dinner, door prizes, cash bar and a 50/50 raffle, along with a silent auction held at the Last Chance Bar & Grill. Tickets are $50 per person. Overnight packages cost $179 and include dinner, the show and breakfast. For more information and reservations, call 774-6151.

Maine State Ballet’s premieres “Le Corsaire” at the Maine State Ballet Theater in Falmouth from March 28-April 12. The show boasts pirates, dancing, and sword fighting, all presented with a comic flair. The performances will be held on Saturday, March 28 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.; Sunday, March 29 at 2 p.m.; Friday, April 3 at 7 p.m.; Saturday, April 4 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.; Friday, April 10 at 7 p.m.; Saturday, April 11 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. and Sunday, April 12 at 2 p.m. Tickets are on sale online at www.mainestateballet.org or by calling the theater at 781-3587. Tickets cost between $19-25 and discounts are available for seniors and children. There is a $5 processing fee for phone and box office orders, but no fee for online purchases. For more information, visit www.mainestateballet.org.

School Around Us presents “Rumpelstiltskin, Private Eye,” which will be performed at The Brick Store Museum Program Center on Thursday, April 16 at 7 p.m., Friday, April 17 at 7 p.m. and Saturday, April 18 at 2 p.m. This production is a film-noir fairytale spoof in which “Fairytale Land” has been hit by a crime wave. Tickets are available for purchase at The Brick Store Museum Program Center on Dane Street in Kennebunk. Adults are $10 and children are $5. For more information, go to www.schoolaroundus.org or call 967-3143.

ART

“Visual Storytelling: Celebrating Maine Illustrators,” is The Brick Store Museum’s newest exhibition and will open March 20. The exhibit will not only display the history of illustration, but feature the artwork of illustrators, artists, and cartoonists living in Maine today. Illustrators taking part in the exhibit include Dahlov Ipcar, Ashley Bryan, Chris van Dusen, Wade Zahares, Stephen Costanza, Matt Tavares, Melissa Sweet and local artists such as Steve Hrehovcik and Nancy Cooper Funk, among others. Each artist has been invited to share 3-5 pieces of work.

There will be an artists’ reception for “The Children’s Room” theme show challenge on Saturday, March 21 from 2-4 p.m. presented by The Seacoast Artist Association. There will be light refreshments and a vote for People’s Choice. The gallery is located at 225 Water St. in Exeter, N.H. For more information, call 603-778-8856.

Artwork by Erinn McCusker will be on display at UNE in Biddeford from March 29 through May 2. The display, entitled “Universal Energy,” is a collection of paintings that focus on abstract forms and vivid color. The Maine artist has been inspired by the works of Vincent Van Gogh, Marsden Hartley and Georgia O’Keeffe. The exhibit is free and open to the public. UNE Campus Center is located at 11 Hills Beach Road in Biddeford. For more information, call Diane Noble at 284-6394 or email [email protected].

Maine artists, ages 50 and older, are invited to exhibit their work at the 13th Annual Festival of Art to be held in Belfast, May 21 through 24. For registration information, contact Juliane Dow at [email protected] or by leaving a message at 338-8033. The entry deadline is March 31.

River Tree Arts is seeking artists for its upcoming exhibit entitled “Color and Light” which will run April 3 to May 23. The show will be a celebration of the beginning of gallery season, spring and extended light. River Tree Arts members, as well as the community are welcome to submit work for consideration on March 30 from 10 a.m. to noon or 5-7 p.m. Artists may submit up to 5 paintings and large work is preferred. Artisans, including jewelry, pottery and gifts, may submit up to 8 pieces. There will be an opening reception on April 3 from 5-7 p.m. For more information, go to www.rivertreearts.org.

MUSIC

An All-Bach Music program will take place Sunday, March 22 at 1 p.m. at St. Joseph Church in Biddeford. All are welcome. Admission is free; donations accepted to raise funds to repair the Most Holy Trinity Church organ. Featured musicians include Organist Helene Fortier, some of her students, Jura Litchfield and Don Bisson from Most Holy Trinity Church, and other friends of Bach.

Sanford-Springvale Historical Society presents Erica Brown and the Bluegrass Connection on Friday, March 20 at The Historial Museum, 505 Main St. in Springvale. Doors open at 6:45 p.m. with the concert starting at 7:30 p.m. Lewiston native Erica Brown has been performing for over 20 years, with career highlights that include opening for country legend Dwight Yoakam and bluegrass star Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder. Tickets for the show are $15 for adults and free for people under 21. For more information, call 324-2797.

“Superheros at the Symphony!” will be performed by Thornton Academy’s orchestra on Saturday, March 21 at 3 p.m.. The show will take the audience through the worlds of Superman, Spider Man, Batman, Indiana Jones and into space with Star Wars, Star Trek, and more. Audience members are welcome to come in costume as there will be a children’s costume parade starting at 3 p.m. Tickets and concessions will be sold in the Atrium starting at 2 p.m. Tickets are $4 for adults, $3 for children and senior citizens. For more information, contact Doug Stebbins at 602-4471 or email [email protected].

“The Don Campbell Band: an Evening of Dan Fogelberg Music” will be held on Saturday, March 21 at 7:30 p.m. at the Biddeford City Theater. Tickets are $15 and are available online at www.citytheater.org, at the City Theater box office and at the door. Don Campbell is a singer-songwriter, composer, and multi-instrumentalist who has released 12 CDs of original music, and recently, “Kites To Fly: Celebrating The Music Of Dan Fogelberg.” For more information, go to www.heartofbiddeford.org.

Shore Road Concert Series will present a concert on Sunday, March 22 at 7 p.m. at the Ogunquit Baptist Church, 157 Shore Road in Ogunquit. The concert will feature classical guitarist Duncan Stuart and soprano Rachel Steigers. The program will consist of works primarily from the 20th century by Leo Brouwer, Hector Villa-Lobos, Ravel, Giuliani and Benjamin Britten. This is a free event. For additional information, call Pastor Jeffrey Patnaude at 646-2160. The church is located across from the Ogunquit Memorial Library.

Dixie Grass and Zink & Company will perform a spring concert on Saturday, April 4 at 7 p.m. The show will feature acoustic country and bluegrass music to benefit The Wells Activity Center, 113 Sanford Road in Wells. Dixie Grass plays a catalog of over 40 years of traditional country music. Zink & Company is firmly rooted in traditional bluegrass and country music, featuring vocals, guitar, mandolin and banjo. Tickets are $18 at the door and can be purchased at Gamesters Pawn, 170 Elm St. in Biddeford. For more information, call 776-4188.

The Allman Neville Pitchell Band will perform at Jonathan’s Ogunquit on Sunday, April 19 at 8 p.m. The band will perform blues, southern rock and New Orleans influenced music. For more information, go to www.jonathansogunquit.com

SPECIAL INTEREST

Sanford-Springvale Historical Society will host “Building a Healthier Future for Sanford/Springvale” on Thursday, March 19 at 7 p.m. This event will consist of a talk with SMHC President and CEO Ed McGeachy and Patsy Aprile, Chief Operating Officer. The program is open to the public and will be held at the Historical Museum. The Historical Museum is located at 505 Main St. in Springvale and is handicapped accessible.

“Comedy Night” at Barreled Souls Brewing will be held on Wednesday, March 25 at 8 p.m. Aharon Willows and Will Green will be performing along with headliner Troy Pennell. Tickets are on sale now for $10 and are available at the brewery, which is located at 743 Portland Road in Saco. This event is for ages 21 and up.

“Fun Longfellow!” will be presented by Portland Comedy Co-op on Monday, April 6 at 8 p.m. at 181 State St. in Portland. Host Aharon Willows will be joined by comedians Will Green, Cindi Brown, Pat Bolduc, Aimee Poulin, and Lucas O’Neil.The closing comedian for the night will be Bryce Hanson. This event is all ages, though 18 and up is recommended. Doors open at 8 p.m. and the show will start promptly at 9 p.m. Admission is $5 and tickets can be purchased at the door or online at www.onelongfellowsquare.com.

AUDITIONS

The Hallowell Lyceum Series is calling for storytellers to participate in “The Hook Story Hour” on May 8 at Hallowell City Hall Auditorium. Based on the popular radio show “The Moth Radio Hour” heard on MPBN, “The Hook Story Hour” will be an evening of stories based on real life experiences in the Kennebec Valley told live in front of an audience. Organizers are looking for anyone with a story they are interested in telling to a live audience. Stories must be true, they must be told without scripts and they should be no more than seven minutes in length. To participate, prepare a two minute pitch for your story (or stories) based on an experience in your life connected to the Kennebec Valley. Gaslight Theater members will hear pitches live at Hallowell City Hall Auditorium on Monday, March 16 at 6:30 p.m., or you may upload your video pitch to YouTube or Vimeo and email a link to Gaslight Theater director Richard Bostwick at [email protected].